What Does Home Mean to You?

Behind the Scenery

One day you are walking a quiet trail along the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park, when suddenly you notice a small plastic box with a blank notebook inside. On the cover is this prompt: "What Does Home Mean to You?" After collecting over 400 journal entries, park rangers picked out some of the more interesting quotes, comments, thoughts, and sentiments. They are recorded here. How would you answer this question?

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TRANSCRIPT:

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Doug and Hannah:

♫(sung)

Home, Home at North Rim. Where the hues and the shades are not dim.

Where great views prevail, and they never get stale.

And the Canyon cries out to please stay. ♫. Wisper “please stay”. Chuckles!

Doug: Welcome. I’m ranger Doug Hannah: And I’m Ranger Hannah D: We are park rangers at the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park. H: We have a new podcast for you. A very simple one. A podcast about … home. D: I would like to start out acknowledging the native folks who have always considered Grand Canyon home. We have 11diferent tribes and bands that are affiliated to the park. North of the Colorado River are five Southern Piute groups. From west to east they are the Las Vegas Piute Tribe, the Moapa Band of Piutes, Shivwits Band of Piutes, Kiabab band of Piutes and the San Juan Southern Piute Tribe. South of the Colorado River are three different Pai groups. The Hualapai, Havasupai and Yavapai/Apache Nation. To the east of the park, is the Pueblo of Zuni, the Hopi Tribe, and the Navajo Nation. They each have a strong and powerful connection to this place that they still call home … the Grand Canyon. H: We actually have an excavated Pueblo home here on the North Rim, not to far from the lodge. D: That’s right. That small two-room summer home is actually the inspiration for this whole podcast. H: How so? Can you expand on that for us? D: Well, there’s a really nice foot trail, about a mile and one half long, between the North Rim Lodge and the Campground. It is called the Transept Trail. The trail passes a small home built 900 years before the North Rim Lodge. H: The Zuni and Hopi people today are direct descendants of these early North Rim residents. D: Indeed. And every time I would pass this excavated homesite I pondered what it might have been like to call North Rim home back then. There’s also a picnic table positioned right on the rim nearby, with just a killer view of the Grand Canyon. So last summer I came up with the idea to put a weatherproof box on this picnic table, and I placed a really nice blank hard-bound notebook inside. And I put this prompt on the cover of the notebook: What Does Home Mean to You? H: I remember you had that notebook out there for roughly a month. You checked on this notebook every few days and brought back pictures of the entries to our office. And it had poems, drawings, sentiments, quotes. And all different languages. And with the languages I loved using Google Translate with the photo to figure out what was being written. Many interesting feelings and emotions were expressed in these entries. D: Yes. So you and I, with help from some other co-workers, picked out some of the more interesting journal entries. We said “hey, let’s turn these journal entries into a podcast, sharing the thoughts of our North Rim visitors.” H: Let’s start with a few of these entries. (soft background guitar music playing ♫) Visitor: Home is nature, and nature is the home of our ancestors. Looking out at the vast Canyon, places me back thousands of years; I definitely get the same feeling looking at the Canyon as these people did. Therefore, I feel a connection to our ancient home under the stars. JB Visitor: Thank you, National Park Service, for working towards righting the relationship us “newer” Americans have with the tribes that were here when “we” arrived. It is very complex. US policy towards native people was self-serving and inhumane (genocide actually) so we own them their home – and some. PS: My husband says that’s too strong a word, genocide, but I’ve been reading and learning, and it basically fits. Wendy, of Rhode Island. H: Putting a blank notebook on the rim of the Grand Canyon, then asking an open-ended question like you did, you just never know what kind of random responses you might get. D: That’s right. There’s a risk there, but that’s also the fun part of this endeavor. H: Plus the Canyon itself can be a little distracting as you ponder the question What Does Home Mean to you? D: “In the best possible way” distracting as one visitor wrote. V: We can’t focus on home right now because we’re too focused on looking at the Grand Canyon. V: It’s hard to impress me, and I am impressed! V: I got scammed. They lied. It’s even better than the photos. V: Carol was here and loving the view. Thank you Universe, God, Higher Power, Nature! (says it all). V: The majesty and grand scale make me feel insignificant, in the best way possible way. Better than I ever imagined. In a world filled with ugliness created by man, it heals my soul to be in the presence of such natural beauty. Thank you to those people who protect and preserve this place and all the national parks – John P. V: Grand Canyon makes me remember I am not the creator of everything. Rebecca, from Utah. V: Never set out on a long hike without plenty of water and snacks. Always wear you SPF. Put the toilet seat down. The left lane is for passing and the right lane is for traveling. Whatever you do, take care of your shoes. Put the shower curtain inside the tub. H: Now that last clip was sound advice when traveling or leaving home. D: Indeed H: You know, people leave home all the time, whether to visit Grand Canyon or to set out on a new path. D: Let’s listen in V: It’s a dangerous thing to walk out your front door. You never know where your feet may lead you to, but you do know that eventually they will lead you home again. KH from Belgium. V: Home is a place you miss when you leave it. Signed, MG. V: Such a beautiful place to sit and contemplate about nature – listen to nature and relax – love it! We love all the national parks and are so glad we live in Utah. PS: There is no better place to vacation than National Parks – we feel at home here. V: The West called me, and I responded. It will not release me from its limitless horizons and its purity. Its freshness and opportunity never get tiring. And the distant lightening speaks of limitless power. V: Home is where you sleep sound and deep and safe. Be it a motel room, tent, or canyon floor under the stars. V: Home is a precious thing many people take for granted, until you don’t have one. V: Three weeks ago, I bought a camper and a tow vehicle and packed up the kids and headed West. I can’t believe I’m really pulling this off. I am strong and I am able, and I wish it hadn’t taken me 45 years to like who I am. Young women – Do what makes you love who you are. Sara (PS: Sequoia trees, here I come!). H: Wow. To leave the comfort of home and set out on a new one in a camper … amazing! D: For sure. H: Next, park visitors really responded to the core question: What Does Home Mean to You? V: Home is a feeling not shaped by location but by the heart. It is a sense of ease, of exploration, and contentment that creates “home”. To be home is to be at peace with where you are in the moment. Many see slivers of home at the Grand Canyon. The Valleys shaping our views of what home means. Home is whatever you make it. Oakland, CA. V: The Grand Canyon is a reminder of how magnificent our earth is. So we need to take care of it because this is our home. V: Home is the dirt beneath my feet, the aspens and conifers that bracket my understanding, the air that flows through my hair, the sun that burnishes my skin. It is not where I live, it is not mine alone. It is everywhere, for everyone. V: Home is where I have planted my roots to be a great steward of the earth. V: Home is a beautiful place to gather with loved ones. The canyon is a home to many spirits who we may or may not know. A gathering of kind souls. V: Home is an intangible concept I can create in my mind and embrace with my heart. V: There are so many spectacular places to go in the USA. I’m glad to call this country home. Eric from Iowa. V: (This is recorded 4th of July): If you don’t watch where you are going, you may end up where your headed … Freedom is worth keeping … and fighting for … It is home. V: Home is where the heart is at peace and soul is at rest. Mine is nature. Susan. V: The immensity and grandeur are breathtaking. Every step along these trails reveals a vista that will be seared into my memory forever. Home is any place where you can find peace, serenity, and a sense of belonging. V: Our lives are streams flowing unto the same river towards whatever the heavens lies in the mist beyond the falls. Lily and Johnny. H: The different connections people create for home is cool to see. D: Let’s keep going V: Home can be a person, a place or a thing. For me, I don’t know. I move around a lot so there isn’t a place where I feel fully comfortable. Home for me is where I feel too comfortable to not leave. I haven’t found it yet though. Lotta. V: To me, home is forested domes, small cold waves. Big canyons, small canyons. Porches on islands. Kitchens. Real conversations. Quiet. Homemade pizza, TV and bed. V: Home is dogs, a cat and wife. A good meal. A warm bed. Home is also anywhere that I am with someone or something I love. This is home. V: Home is where I park my trailer with a perfect view. V: Home is where family is. What a wonderful experience to come as a child with parents, and then come again as a parent with your children. Debbie. V: Home is where one reaches a level of comfort such that you can walk around with just your boxers! V: Home is a place that first informed, or imprinted on you, your identity. It is also the place that you care for and nurture. Wendy, Rhode Island. V: Home is where you are involved somehow … where you find work, leisure, love, and a sense of self in a meaningful way … home also is connected to history and roots, but not exclusively. Smith Family, Arizona. V: Home is where I am, for it is all a part of me and I am a part of it. V: Grand Canyon North Rim, Transept Trail. I don’t think I’ve ever felt home. Many have commented here that it’s family/friends. It’s yourself, it’s contentment and/or safety, etc. These things have been elusive for me. I’d like to someday know for myself what home means in my heart. I’d like to find it deeper than this beautiful canyon. Brandy. V: Home is where I can laugh, cry, grow, and express myself in peace, knowing that whoever is downstairs could be there for all of it and still love me as much as I love them. V: Home is where I’m the happiest. It doesn’t have to be a place. It can be any place where I feel like myself and where I’m surrounded by people who I love. Sophia and Jacob, Minnesota. D: Again, many wonderful thoughts and sentiments. H: And one park visitor who has never felt at home. Which means we all find home in our own way. And it can take time. D: Keepin’ it real! And one California couple had a great entry. Let’s share their thoughts. H: And makes a great ending for this. V: Home A place of friend, family and memories shared A place to find rest From all of you cares A place to find warmth And refuge from all of your fears A place to call your own For all of your years. Markley Family, California. D: We truly hope that all visitors at Grand Canyon National Park, can feel home here, no matter where you came from. H: You know, Doug, don’t you think Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz had a great observation about home? D: She did. “There’s no place like home. There’s no place like home.” You know, I sort of feel a song coming on here. H: You and I definitely like to sing some fun songs together. D: Okay. Let’s hit it: ♫(sung) Somewhere, Over Grand Canyon. ♫(sung) Somewhere, at the Grand Canyon Way down low There’s a land that I heard of A land where the sunsets glow Somewhere, at the Grand Canyon Skies are blue And the trails that you dare to hike Really do come true Someday I’ll wish upon a star And wake up where the clouds are far above me Where troubles melt like lemon drops Way above the mesa tops That’s where you’ll find me Somewhere, over Grand Canyon Ravens fly They fly, over the rainbow Why then, oh why can’t I? Somewhere, over Grand Canyon Condors fly They fly, north rim to south rim Why do I have to drive? If happy condors fly, beyond the rainbow Why, oh why can’t I? ♫ H: The Behind the Scenery Podcast is brought to you by the interpretation team at Grand Canyon National Park. We gratefully acknowledge the Native People on whose ancestral homelands we gather, as well as the diverse and vibrant Native communities who make their home here today. Thanks for sharing your homeland with us and being good stewards of the land. Thanks to ranger Dave for podcast editing. Thanks to the many park visitors who were kind enough to write down their thoughts, and to the park visitors and co-workers who volunteered to read the many quotes. Music in this episode is by ranger Doug. D: And you. Don’t forget you. H: Thanks for writing two more parody songs. H: I’m ranger Hannah D: And I’m ranger Doug, D & H: Signing off for now. H: I really think I should be singing off now. D It could go either way. Either way is good. V: Home is Australia, mate. Nice canyon, though.