Chapter 5: Hopi Teachers For Hopi Schools: Collaborating to Seed Educational Change

Diane’s Story. I am on a 14-day canoe journey from Port Hardy to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, part of a crew that includes 13 people: young women, older women, young men, and the rudder man at the stern. The sun shines brightly above us. The ocean reflects brilliant blinding diamonds on its surface.

“We are going to head towards the beach,” says the rudder man. This means we will navigate between the beach and the navigation light, which has a 15-foot by 15-foot cement area at the waterline. We paddle fast, digging our paddles hard, and deep, as instructed. Suddenly, a whirlpool forms at the navigation light and draws the canoe towards it. I am sure we will hit the light and be sucked down into the whirlpool.