Lorraine Herder, 67, is Chíshí Dine’é from the community of Hardrock located on Black Mesa in northeastern Arizona. We caught up with Lorraine after Black Mesa was hit with its first big snowfall this winter measuring out to seven inches in her area. Lorraine wanted to acknowledge the importance of this snowfall on Black Mesa and how it brings blessings to the land. Pastoralists like Lorraine rely heavily on this moisture type to bring abundant plant growth to the land. “This moisture not only benefits us but most importantly the animal and plant life on Black Mesa,” she said. Lorraine raises Navajo-churro sheep and is one of the very few Diné weavers left that uses her sheep’s natural colors and the local plant dyes in her weavings. Lorraine has experienced many changes during her lifetime. And a change in the weather patterns is one of them. When Lorraine was a little girl, she remembers how deep the snow would get and how long it would rain. But today, she is lucky enough to experience a snowfall like this. Along with the unusual rain/snowfall, Lorraine has seen the disappearance of the seeps and springs her family would rely on for their water. She remembers exactly where these seeps and spring were located and how to get there. She is one of the countless residences on Black Mesa that noticed a disappearance of these seeps and springs since Peabody Coal Company began its operations on Black Mesa in the late 1960s. With the disappearance of these seeps and springs, Lorraine and many others in the region must rely on the local chapter house (community townhall) for their water. For the time being, this snowfall/melt helps alleviate the stress of having to worry about their water constantly.
