Men of steel
Documentary tells story of Navajo railroad workers
As we travel on highways, we often see railroad tracks. In fact, they crisscross the country. But have you ever wondered who built and maintained the miles of tracks?
That’s what inspired Sarah Del Seronde to make the documentary, “Metal Road.”
And New Mexicans will get a chance to see the film tonight at the KiMo Theatre as part of the free Navajo Documentary Film Tour. The other film to screen will be “The Mayors of Shiprock.” Both films will air on PBS this fall.
“Metal Road” highlights the thousands of Navajos who for decades have worked the railroads, maintaining the transcontinental network.
The documentary explores the dynamics of livelihood, family and the railroads through the lens of a Navajo trackman, and it follows three Navajo railroaders from New Mexico as they leave their homeland to replace aging railroad tracks from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean under extreme weather conditions.
“The story shows how Native Americans helped to build and maintain the tracks,” she says. “Navajos weren’t the only ones who worked. There were Pueblo Indians who could take their families with them. On the other hand, Navajos were forced to leave their families to work for months at a time.”
Seronde began the documentary in 2013, after she shifted gears from a different project.
She says the project is a personal one. “I really wanted to honor the workers,” she says. “I respect the amount of sacrifice of when they leave their families. They are missing out on the very life they are working hard for. It became very personal, and it’s an honor to tell their story.”
Saronde says many think the railroad maintains itself.
“It’s intense work and very demanding,” she says. “What I found
from the men I interviewed is there is an integrity to the job. They don’t seek out to be acknowledged. It was really tough to find railroad workers who wanted to talk, out of fear of losing their jobs. These men genuinely love their jobs.”
Seronde wants the documentary to be seen by as many people as possible.
This fall, the film will screen on PBS a few times, and she plans to take it across various reservations.
“The stories I want to tell will help give voices to many people,” she says. “The projects I work on all become very personal.”
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