From Deseret News archives:
Supai solitude
Peace of reservation draws people back
Then she started a family. Balderrama left the Havasupai Reservation in the Grand Canyon for Los Angeles. She lived outside with her three children for a little more than five years.
"It's all so fast moving," Balderrama said. "But it didn't really bother me."
It didn't bother her until she saw other family members getting mixed up in gangs and drugs. That's when she came home.
The same magical draw that brings outsiders to the blue-green waters brings residents back home seeking solace from the outside world.
"I came back to slow down," she said. "I wanted to raise my kids in a better place."
When asked about her favorite part of living on the reservation, Balderrama smiled big and watched people out the window as she thought about it. She has so many things she likes, it took her awhile to think about it.
Apart from the tranquility and the stars at night, she likes the assurance that everyone knows everyone.
Members of the tribe watch out for each other, especially the children, and are very close-knit. Balderrama has frequent visitors at the cafe where she works, especially family members.
Balderrama helped to raise Imani from the time she was born, so there is a special bond between them.
"A lot of locals eat here," she said. "And the tourists always stop in."
She makes fry bread and tortillas and recommends that visitors try the Supai Taco or Supai Burrito when they pass through.
The Supai Taco consists of fry bread, ground hamburger, beans, lettuce, tomato and cheese. The burrito is the same, minus the fry bread and wrapped in a tortilla.
The people of the Havasuw 'Baaja Tribe are known as people of the blue-green waters. Their tribe has always inhabited the Grand Canyon.
In 1919, when Grand Canyon National Park was created, the tribe was restricted to 518 acres. Since then, through a series of petitions to the federal government, the tribe has added 251,000 acres to the reservation.
The tribe numbers about 630 people, according to the Inter Tribal Council of Arizona. It is governed by seven elected tribal council members who serve two-year terms.
During the 1970s federal funds were given to the tribe to develop housing projects, creating jobs.
Bonnie Wescogani remembers how pre-fabricated homes replaced the old rock homes that once existed. Visitors can still see the skeletons of those rock buildings.
Wescogani liked it growing up here. There was no electricity, no running water and everyone seemed closer.
