Through Sacred Space on Horseback

TALKING TO THE GROUND: ONE FAMILY’S JOURNEY ON HORSEBACK ACROSS THE SACRED LAND OF THE NAVAJO by Douglas Preston (Simon & Schuster, $24).

Some months after this adventure, a Navajo medicine man tells Douglas Preston, “You have the Bible. We have the land. The land is our Book.” In 1992, Preston spent a month trying to read this book from the back of a horse. He rode 400 miles from southern Utah to northern New Mexico through the heart of Navajo country, the Dine Bikeyah , Land of the People. Preston followed the mythical route of Monster Slayer, a primal god of the Navajo. All around him, the high desert landscape memorialized Monster Slayer’s feats. A butte in Monument Valley, for example, is the head of one of his victims.

With him was Preston’s wife-to-be, Christine, and Christine’s 9-year-old daughter, Selene. As they rode through the nearly trackless canyon lands, where the physical and spiritual mix, these three bilagaana (white people) attempted to meld themselves into a family.

Preston is only partially successful in linking these mythical, physical and personal journeys. Selene initially holds Preston in the same regard 9-year-olds have for Brussels sprouts. And her outbursts don’t act as a counterpoint to Navajo spirituality, they’re just brattiness. Where’s Monster Slayer when you need him?

Still, Preston’s recounting of myth and history is endlessly fascinating and the Navajos he meets are remarkably eloquent about their love of the land. Some of the lore will be familiar to fans of Tony Hillerman, who uses Navajo country as a backdrop for his mystery novels, but Preston digs deeper into its beauty and complexity.

THE TRAVELERS’ GUIDE TO AFRICAN CUSTOMS & MANNERS by Lizabeth Devine and Nancy L. Braganti (St. Martin’s Press, $13.95, paper).

Say you’re meeting someone in Botswana for the first time. Be sure to reach out with your right hand while holding your left hand under your right armpit. And while in Namibia, always ask permission before using water from a community bore hole.

Pretty arcane stuff for a guidebook, but practical nonetheless. “Customs” covers 13 of the more visited sub-Saharan countries with a host of unusual tips for both the business traveler and tourist. Categories include concrete matters such as driving, tipping, legal matters and business practices as well as convivial subjects such as greetings, table manners and private homes.

You may not want to schlep “Customs” around next time you visit Lagos, but it might be worth photo copying a few pages. Remember, when in Nigeria do as the Nigerians--bring a kola nut for the host next time you’re invited to a dinner party.

Quick trips:

OLD-TIME DUDE RANCHES OUT WEST: AUTHENTIC RANCHES FOR MODERN-DAY DUDES by Elizabeth Flood (Gibbs-Smith, $17.95, photos). First, a bit of dude ranch history, and then, short descriptions of 20 dude ranches, mostly in Wyoming and Montana. (The only California representative is the Hunewill Circle H Ranch in Bridgeport.) Packed with decades-old photos of dude ranch life. Includes phone numbers, prices, guest capacities.