Navajo women imprisoned at Fort Sumner in New Mexico, circa 1864-1868. Photo New Mexico State Museum.

More than a century after the U.S. Army forced thousands of Navajos and Mescalero Apaches to walk hundreds of miles across New Mexico, tribal, memorial was dedicated in their honor on Saturday.

In what is now known as the Long Walk, the U.S. Army in 1863 rounded up more than 8,000 Navajos and made them walk 350 miles to Fort Sumner. That same year, about 400 Apaches were forced to make the long journey.

Over the next five years, nearly 3,000 Navajos and Apaches died at the fort. Food was scarce, supplies were low and living conditions were harsh on a reservation that had been created by the federal government to keep Indians "as far as possible from the whites," according to the Interior Department at the time.

Despite the dire circumstances, the Navajo people and the Mescalero Apache people survived. On June 1, 1868, the Navajo Nation signed a treaty that created the largest reservation in the U.S. The Mescaleros later obtained a land base rich in natural resources.

That resilient spirit, but also a recognition of the suffering caused by the federal government, was a common theme as tribal, state and federal leaders dedicated the Bosque Redondo Memorial along the Pecos River.

"Navajos and Mescalero Apaches have waited over 140 years for the recognition and honor deserved by their ancestors forced to take this long, arduous march from their homelands," said Sen. Pete Domenici (R-New Mexico), who secured $2 million in federal funding for the $4 million project.� "This memorial recalls the sadness of the past but also the remarkable vitality and spirit of the Navajos."

The idea for the memorial was born in 1968, a century after the Navajo treaty was signed. David N. Sloan, a Navajo architect who would later design the site, said there was a need to recognize what happened at the fort.

"There was little to indicate that the Navajo had ever been to Bosque Redondo, when I first visited Bosque Redondo in 1979," he said. "There was nothing that welcomed Navajo visitors."

Now, visitors will be welcomed to a 6,345-square-foot center that incorporates Navajo and Apache elements in its design. The building's hexagonal entrance faces the winter solstice sunrise, signaling rebirth, according to Sloan. The entrance is elevated so that the mountains sacred to both tribes are visible, Sloan said.

Inside the center, exhibits give historical accounts of the Long Walk and imprisonment at Bosque Redondo. A large exhibit hall and more landscaping will be completed during the second phase of construction at the site.

The Long Walk is one of several atrocities cited in an apology resolution that is being considered by the U.S. Senate. Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas), the sponsor of the measure, said at a hearing last month that the federal government needs to start the healing process for the suffering it cause to Native people.

"For too long, relations between the United States and the Native peoples of this land have been in disrepair," he said on May 25. "For too much of our history, federal-tribal relations have been marked by broken treaties, mistreatment, and dishonorable dealings. I believe it is time we worked to restore these relationships to good health."

Relevant Links:
Navajo Nation - http://www.navajo.org
Navajo Nation Council - http://www.navajonationcouncil.org
New Mexico State Monuments - http://www.nmmonuments.org