Medicine and Miracles in the High Desert: My Life among the Navajo People

“The most valuable lessons learned from Dr. Elliott’s writing come from her cross-cultural experiences while living among the Navajo people. Her story is a true adventure with many valuable lessons learned from another cultural lifestyle.” ― Johnson Dennison, Navajo Medicine Man

In 1971, Erica Elliott arrived on the Navajo reservation as a newly minted schoolteacher, knowing nothing about her students or their culture. After a discouraging first week, she almost leaves in despair, unable to communicate with the children or understand cultural cues. But once she starts learning the language, the people begin to trust her, welcoming her into their homes and their hearts. As she is drawn into the mystical world of Navajo life, she has a series of profound experiences with the people, animals, and spirits of Canyon de Chelly that change her life forever.

In this compelling memoir, the author details her time living with the Navajo, the Diné people, and her experiences with their enchanting land, healing ceremonies, and rich traditions. She shares how her love for her students transformed her life as well as the lives of the children. She reveals the miracles she witnessed during this time, including her own miracle when the elders prayed for healing of a tumor on her neck. She survives fearsome encounters with a mountain lion and a shape-shifting “skin walker.” She learns how to herd sheep, make fry bread, and weave traditional rugs, experiencing for herself the life of a traditional Navajo woman.

Fulfilling a Navajo grandmother’s prophecy, the author returns years later to serve the Navajo people as a medical doctor in an underfunded clinic, delivering numerous babies and treating sick people day and night. She also reveals how, when a medicine man offers to thank her with a ceremony, more miracles unfold.

“Erica Elliott writes fearlessly, with an original voice that grabbed me from the first page. Her true adventures on the Navajo Nation as a teacher, a shepherd, an emergency room doctor--and best of all, an open-hearted student immersed in a spiritually rich culture--make a great story. She leaves the reader with something to ponder: the abiding importance of reaching out to others with joy and respect. I love this book.” ― Anne Hillerman, New York Times bestselling author of the Leaphorn, Chee, and Manuelito mystery series