A Walk Through Time with Eva Tulene Watt ~A White Mountain Apache

Published in the Superstition Living Magazine in 2006
Provided by Jeeptour Jodi of Apache Trail Tours

The morning was colder than usual for this time of year. We had left Phoenix early in the morning and had arrived at the White Mountain Apache Reservation around noon. As we entered the house we could feel the inviting warmth from the wood stove. Rolled balls of dough were on the kitchen table and Ora, Eva's daughter, was cleaning up the lingering flour. Eva turns towards us and Ora invites us in. We sit. We talk. We listen.

I let Eva know that we are here to find out a little bit more about the woman we met at the Apache Trail Centennial Celebration this past October. For those that came to the event, we were pleasantly surprised with her presence and her stories of her youth that she shared. She reminisced about her experiences along the Apache Trail in the early 1900's, and we have since had the time to read her book "Don't Let the Sun Step Over You". This saying is an ancient Apache adage, which Eva's mother would recite to her children upon wakening. The message was simple but meaningful - don't let the day pass you by! This adage would so adequately describe Eva's life.

The making of the book began in June 1997 when Eva suggested to long time acquaintance Keith Basso, that he may wish to record some of her family stories from years past. Dr. Basso, the University Regents Professor of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico, accepted her invitation. To his credit and our gratitude, Dr. Basso is also a leading expert on the Apache culture, language and history, and an accomplished author.

It was important for Eva that this information to be shared with younger generations, for them not to forget how they once lived, how they got food and where they traveled. It was also important to her for the white people to know as well. There were too many untrue stories about the Indian life, and she wanted everyone to read her accounts and learn the history for themselves.

Ten days after discussing the venture, Eva and Keith got together and began tape recording the life of her family, and this continued for the next 5 years, finishing in August of 2002. After completing the 200 hours of tape, it was decided to pen this into a book. When the book was about 5 months from publishing, Eva got a very dangerous form of pneumonia. She was afraid she would not be able to see her book finished book, and more than anything, she wanted to hold a copy in her hands. Somewhat miraculously after reaching her lowest point where it looked like she may not make it, she made an abrupt about face and got out of the woods. Her book was published in 2004 and is already winning awards.

1 of 10 Southwest Books of the Year
Evans Biography Award (has never before been given to a Native American)
Bi-annual Book Award of the Oral History Association

Eva Tulene Watt was born at Blue House Mountain on September 13, 1913 on the White Mountain Apache Reservation. The wickiup she shared with her father, John Tulene and her mother Ann Beatty was about 12 to 14 feet in diameter. Although they had no furniture and slept on the floor, Eva remembers the house being very warm and comforting inside.

During the morning hours, Eva would go out into the corn fields and pull the weeds and clean up the field before it would become to hot. After harvesting the corn, she would help put the corn on high tables to dry. When they were dry, they would place it in canvas on the ground and get sticks to beat the corn off of the cobs. Then they would throw it up into the air so the dust and dirt would be blown away in the wind. They would store the corn in gunnysacks. They would use metates to grind down the corn to make corn bread, corn pudding and as a flour to thicken meat soups. Eva's Apache name means, "she gathers the vegetables".

Eva's brothers and father helped to widen the Apache Trail between 1919 and 1920 and helped with the building of Mormon Flat Dam. The workers would build one mile of roadway at a time and when completed, they would pick up their camp and all of their belongings and head towards their next working area. Here, they would once again establish a new camp and setup their home. She remembers when the construction crew would dynamite the canyon walls, Eva, Grandmother Rose, her mother and father, and all of the ladies would hide under big boulders while it rained rocks from above.

Her mother would cook for the workers along the way. Eva vividly remembers seeing a painting of Jesus, way up high on a Cliff side along the Apache Trail. Her deep, reflective eyes are intense and wide as she describes Jesus standing with His arms stretched outwardly, with the large cuffs of His robe hanging down. She remembers the nail marks depicted in His hands. One of the workers tried to climb up to the painting with cable to see what the paint was made from, but the cable broke and he fell to his death. She has been told since then that this part of the Apache Trail is now under water. Eva believes that she is the last living Apache that took part in the history of building the Apache Trail and Roosevelt Dam.

Eva told us about stopping at a watering/feeding station at the end of the Apache Trail. They stood off to the side and the man there said to come on over and get water for their horses. He also let their horses graze on some hay that had been stomped on, but said that it was good. They slept there overnight and in the morning, Eva's mother made fry bread for them. The man gave the family a 5-pound bag of flour to take with them. But her mother made all of the flour up into fry bread and told him to store it wrapped in cloth in a container. Years later, Eva stopped by there again to visit him and asked if he remembered her. He said he did not, that too many people stopped by on their way through the area to water and feed their horses. She reminded him of her mothers fry bread and he then remembered her immediately. I presume from her description that this was Weekes Station, and that the man was Fred Weekes. Eva agreed.

In the spring of 1944 she placed her son Rueben under the care of her mother and stepfather while she worked off the reservation. She would visit from time to time, but would be gone for over 20 years. Eva went down to Chandler to visit her friend and stayed here for 8 years. She went to work for Leonard and Stella Monti - owner of the famous Monti's Casa Le Vieja Steak house in Tempe. Eva was the nanny for the Monti's twins.

Eva was later hired by John & Emma Robinson who lived in Glendale, to be a caretaker of her son Marty, his twin sister Mamie and their seven brothers. She worked there for about one year and was about 20 years of age. She can remember Marty pretending to strum a guitar on his belly. When Marty was about 9 or 10, his parents got him a guitar and he played real good. That young man was later know as the famous Marty Robbins.

Eva then went to work for the Lincoln family, down on Palm Lane in downtown Phoenix. When the Lincoln's daughter, Barbara, found out that her husband Wayne was being transferred to Spokane, WA, she wanted to take Eva along to baby-sit while they worked. Wayne Miller was an Officer in the Air Force at Williams Air Force Base. Mrs. Lincoln told Barbara it was ok to take Eva with them. When they left for Spokane, they bought four dresses, some shoes and a suitcase for Eva. Jeff and Barbara would fly by plane and send Eva and the baby by train. It took 2 days to get to Spokane by train and the snow was high.

Eva met her husband during her stay in Spokane. She was standing at the bus stop waiting for a ride home when two GI's came up and started talking with her. One of the GI's took a liking to Eva and wanted to take her home. So when the bus came to pick her up, he pushed Eva down into a snow bank and told the bus to go on. His name was William Watt and he worked as a petroleum man with the Air Force. Wayne Miller was his boss, and Bill would fuel up the planes for the squadron.

About June or July, the Miller family was to go on vacation and told Eva to take one too. Barbara told her not to go to Phoenix, as she already knew everyone and she wanted Eva to see other parts of the world. So they decided to take Eva to Hawaii with them and she could fly with Millers squadron. She remembers that they took her to where the airplane sits and she went up into it. The seats of the plane were on the sides and they sat her there and tied her down to the seat. She flew to Hawaii in a B29 with the rest of the squadron.

They landed in Pearl Harbor and Eva was to stay with a Hawaiian lady who lived by herself. She would take Eva around and show her the island and the volcano. Eva remembers seeing the USS Arizona Memorial and some Hawaiian dances. She was there about 1-½ weeks. Barbara then came to the lady's house and told Eva that the squadron would be leaving this morning after breakfast. She told her to go out to Pier 4 to see them off. They gave her a sheet so she could wave goodbye to them as they took off in the plane. As they would fly overhead, they would tilt their wings from one side to the other to wave goodbye. Officer Miller was in the first plane with his squadron following in two other planes. As the third plane was flying up, Eva remembers yelling, "go higher! go higher!" but the plane hit the tower. Plane particles were flying everywhere and Eva went running towards the plane yelling "Mayday! Mayday!" But Officer Miller's boss came over and told her not to go after them because there was nothing left of the squadron on that plane. Ironically, Eva's husband was part of their squadron but had gone AWOL so he wasn't on the plane when it went down.

On the drive back to Phoenix, my friend and I discussed the astonishing life that was shared with us today. A life that is much different than our lives of today. A life that many outsiders will never come to realize. During our visit, we held an eagle feather used for prayer, tasted ash bread right out of the woodstove, and witnessed an eagle soaring over the Salt River Canyon carrying its prey. Our journey today covered much more than miles - it was a journey through time.

"Don't Let the Sun Step Over You" is incredibly captivating, with intriguing stories of an Apache family involved in everyday life. The strength, endurance and bravery of these people astounded me, and I know it will you as well. To learn about Eva's stories on location, our Jeep tours of the Apache Trail are available by reservation through our office at 480-982-7661. To enhance your experience of the "Trail", we would recommend reading her book before you come. Copies of her book are being sold at the Superstition Mountain Museum.

This review and information was gathered and collected by personal interview with Eva Tulene Watts by Jodi Akers of Apache Trail Tours, and from Eva's book that was written with the assistance and diligence of Dr. Keith H. Basso.

Photograph courtesy of Duane Larreu