Cottonwood Gulch: Navajo Traditions – Henio Cha’oh
Below is the brochure for the Blessing Ceremony and Dedication of the Tom & Ada Henio Cha’oh, at Cottonwood Gulch Base Camp, outside of Thoreau, McKinley County, New Mexico.
“Come and rest awhile.”
This Cha’oh shade structure is dedicated
in honor of
Tom & Ada Henio
The Henio’s met Hillis & Elizabeth Howie in 1930.
They remained friends for the rest of their lives.
Starting in 1934, Tom Henio had his hand in the design
and construction of nearly 25 buildings at Cottonwood Gulch.
Today the Henio family’s craftsmanship and Spirit
are everywhere around BaseCamp.
The Gulch Family thanks you!
August 12, 2016
Tom & Ada Henio
Building the Cha’oh
The Cha’oh or chaha’oh (Diné for “shade” or “sun shelter”) is an essential element in the Cottonwood Gulch BaseCamp infrastructure. It’s hard to imagine that only about ten years ago the Cha’oh did not exist. And it was almost twenty years ago that the idea for the Cha’oh first surfaced. In 2005, at BaseCamp, Director Jeff Zemsky, his assistant Seth Battis, and architect Kent Bierle had a conversation. They envisioned a pavilion to fill the need for a shelter big enough to accommodate groups larger than the mess-hall could handle. The pavilion, a mess hall expansion, and a science building were all part of Jeff’s strategic vision for capital improvements needed to meet the needs of the new “shoulder season” school groups, larger rendezvous gatherings, and other events and programs. Jeff knew BaseCamp needed to be more than just a place for the road loops to gear up. He believed it to be a place we gather, learn, and grow, and a new big central meeting place would further that vision.
Kent Bierle, of Environmental Dynamics, Inc., a longtime friend of Martin Heinrich and the Gulch, drew up the architectural renderings for the pavillion around 2006 or 2007. Zemsky and Bierle presented to drawings to the Board of Directors in 2008. The May 2009 Gulch newsletter stated that ground would be broken soon to start work on the foundation. That timeline was a bit optimistic.
The 2008/2009 financial crisis was in full swing and just getting through those years was a heavy lift for the entire organization. Finally at the Board meetings in 2012 discussions once again turned to capital improvements and a major fundraising campaign. In late 2014 or early 2015, it was decided the pavilion, now referred to as the Cha’oh, would be the first building project undertaken for two reasons. 1) Of the planned projects, it would be the easiest and least expensive to build, and 2) finally getting it under way would give a boost to the fundraising campaign for the rest of the projects. Major gifts by Gulch families ensured there would be enough money to complete the Cha’oh, so motions were passed and work got under way.
Wenda Trevathan’s husband, builder Greg Henry, recommended Sean Kaltenbach as a good contractor for the job. Sean, director Kris Salisbury, and Neil Macneale met at BaseCamp in November 2015 and drove a stake in the ground to mark the center of the new Cha’oh. Kris and Neil modified various details of Kent’s plans to lower costs and improve ease of construction and added features such as the awnings and lighting rod system. Sean’s crew worked through the winter and spring to complete the project in time for the 2016 summer season. The Ada & Tom Henio Cha’oh was dedicated at a well-attended ceremony on August 13, 2016.
Henry E. Hooper 