Kluckhohn, Clyde and Dorothea Leighton, 1974. One myth of Changing Woman's infancy insists that she was fed corn pollen to have the "power of regeneration" (17). are returned to diyinni in the form of offerings. As stated before, Dine refer to both sheep and corn as shim. on the mountain where the fogs meet, 'the corn Witherspoon does mention, however, that individuals of an economic group he labels "subsistence residential units," will combine their sheep into a communal herd for tending purposes (1975: 72). In earlier days, clans also provided social control, but Kluckhohn and Leighton report that this has changed with the imposition of Anglo "law and order" (112). A last piece remains in the pit as a sacrifice to the earth (Lincoln 1981: 24). Unless it is cultivated, it cannot survive. with it away from themThe water which she sprinkled The Hero Twins tells the story of two brothers born to Changing Woman and trained by the Holy People to save their people from the naay', a race of monsters.But the naay' can't be beaten alone. Hogans are characterized by a rich tradition of symbolism. Unless it is cultivated, it cannot survive. 1 University of New Mexico,Albuquerque, NM 87131, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, (505) 277-0111AccessibilityContact UNMLegalComments and corn pollen are also the food of diyinni, and these Purity and Danger. "We have started out Mankind. Each of these categories shares symbolic qualities with Changing Woman, exemplified in Witherspoon's paradigm which asserts all items provide sustenance or protection. The language describing the bundle mirrors that describing Changing Woman; both make reproduction possible in a structured way. When Changing Woman placed an ear of After she is dressed, older females at the ceremony give her a vigorous massage, which is called "molding" the girl. The clan system is vital to Dine kinship and social system; it not only mandates marriage possibilities, but also extends the circle of a Dine individual to include kin from several different approaches. The alkaan is baked in a large pit in the ground, into which the helpers pour the batter that the initiate mixes. on them "will be called amniotic fluid,"but The Main Stalk: A Synthesis of Navajo Philosophy. Throughout this paper, Dine will refer to the Navajo people, and Diyin Dine to the Holy People. Reichard, Gladys A, 1950. H-zho, the state of being in beauty and balance, exists among related things; it is impossible to have h-zh- between "unrelated entities" (Witherspoon 1977: 88). Furthermore, objects and individuals have proscribed placement within the hogan as well. 7 Please see Witherspoon's chart on color in Appendix A. University of New Mexico Press. In Dine culture, sharing food is a symbol of solidarity between relations and friends (Witherspoon 1975: 88). Child-of-the-water is the parent of all the waters. As soon as children are old enough to help out with the herding, they are given sheep of their own to care for. Aronilth, Wilson, 1991. She later appropriates the bundle for herself when she moves to the Sun's house in the West, where she creates the Dine and other objects of great importance to Dine livelihood (87). Lincoln asserts that "given its shape, color, and relation to fire, it must be seen as a solar image" (Lincoln 1981: 32). Even after this incident, however, the Sun could never really be close to his children. Reichard, Gladys A, 1950. Witherspoon asserts that "the sheep herd is a symbol of the life, wealth, vitality, and integration of the subsistence residential unit" (1975:87). Another point in Lincoln's text explains Changing Woman's conflation with corn and reproduction: "She called the people of the clans her children and promised them corn of all colors and plant seed; so now when corn doesn't grow and ripen, women, too, will not give birth, for all seeds and corn originate with White Shell Woman" (Lincoln 1981: 25), Metaphorical Implications: It is a repetition of the act [of creation] itself" (1984: 76). She is also the benevolent being who creates the first Navajo of the four original clans and corn and is therefore known for bringing fertility and regeneration into the world. While on one hand it similarly widens the circle of a Dine's obligations, that individual will be able to call upon the same relatives when needed. 2 For a classification of ceremonies, consult Reichard 1950: 314-337. It is "precautionary, protecting, prophylactic--not a cure" (212). The Book of the Navajo. If the flock is well-fed and cared for, then the social dynamics of the unit will similarly be harmonious and productive. "It is in the corporate enterprise of the sheep herd that the Navajo child learns the meaning, necessity, and nature of group or communal life, and it is this experience, more than any other, that forms his social personality" (1975:73). Griffin-Pierce, Trudy, 1992. white corn, and her sister an ear of yellow corn, Right at the end of the rainbow I am here. Reichard records a myth in which Talking God gives corn to Whiteshell Woman and her sister Turquoise woman, saying, "There is no better thing than this in the world, for it is the gift of life." Witherspoon comments, As soon as children are old enough to help out with the herding, they are given sheep of their own to care for. (1981: 24). How shall it be?" Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. The alkaan is baked in a large pit in the ground, into which the helpers pour the batter that the initiate mixes. The language describing the bundle mirrors that describing Changing Woman; both make reproduction possible in a structured way. Throughout this paper, Dine will refer to the Navajo people, and Diyin Dine to the Holy People. 2 For a classification of ceremonies, consult Reichard 1950: 314-337. Even after this incident, however, the Sun could never really be close to his children. Language and Art in the Navajo Universe. The latter term can be further divided into the Dine, the Navajo, and the ana'', or non-Navajos. Structural Anthropology. Then it is baked in a pit, which is symbolic of a woman's womb (earth=woman). Beck, Peggy, and Anna Lee Walters, eds., 1992. 4 Other sources report that Changing Woman only made four original clans. According to Zolbrod, she made the heads of the original six clans. This reveals that she is beyond the sphere of maternal influence, and permeates disparate realms of the Dine culture. Harvard UP. in Farella 1984: 83). The corn's birthing process is similar to that of Changing Woman and Whiteshell Woman delivering Monster Slayer and {Water Child}. The Sun and his associated symbols and In contemporary life, hogans are usually used for ceremonies, and the Navajo living space is in a house or trailer close by. mirage and earth rising haze. The door of a hogan always faces the east, and inhabitants always walk clockwise around the fire which occupies its center. Symbolism of Sheep: In the Dine creation story, Changing Woman, from the moment of her birth to her retirement to the Sun's house in the West, is equated with a benevolent fertility integral to the continuation of Dine culture. This relationship is partially defined by the father's distance from and assistance to his children, considerations manifested first in the Sun's first encounters with his children, the twins. as a declining old woman. This she rubbed (on The clan system is vital to Dine kinship and social system; it not only mandates marriage possibilities, but also extends the circle of a Dine individual to include kin from several different approaches. He denied any paternity and put the twins through a rigorous cycle of tests. on the mountain where the fogs meet, 'the corn Basic Books. On the reservation, certain places are open to everyone, like timber or watering areas. University of New Mexico Press. Members of subsistence residential units will share any slaughtered sheep with each other, thereby reaffirming their unity as a group and their individual commitment to the group. were to be (future) sheep. The clan system is vital to Dine kinship and social system; it not only mandates marriage possibilities, but also extends the circle of a Dine individual to include kin from several different approaches. Is dzn naadleeshe' went inside and lay there and as the sun came up, the sun shone between her legs. His curiosity arises and he wants to learn more about the matrix. The soil is also the earth's flesh" (Farella 1984: 182). Contained in the bundle are objects of value on the Earth's surface. One myth of Changing Woman's infancy insists that she was fed corn pollen to have the "power of regeneration" (17). This is "a practice based upon the belief that at the time of initiation a girl's body becomes soft again, as it was at birth, and thus she is susceptible to being literally re-formed by the efforts of those around her" (Lincoln 1981: 20). Here, fertility comes from the union of yellow corn and white corn, an idea which is mirrored in the Dine wedding ceremony. 3 In Zolbrod's version, White Shell Woman and Changing Woman are sisters; some versions call her White Shell Woman instead of Changing Woman, other sources acknowledge that they are different names for the same deity. Combining their sheep into one herd is the "most important cooperative enterprise of the unit" (72). (our father). Princeton UP. Pp. A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 217 After the singing, the cake is unearthed and a first piece removed from the east direction. NCC Press. University of New Mexico Press. Mankind. One myth, which Stevenson recorded, places Talking God and another deity as created by corn from Changing Woman and her sister: The Courts and Oral Tradition. NCC Press. greatly in creation. In this section their symbolic implications will be explored in the larger framework of Dine subsistence and economics. Throughout this paper, Dine will refer to the Navajo people, and Diyin Dine to the Holy People. As stated before, Dine refer to both sheep and corn as shim. Farella, John R., 1984. mirage and earth rising haze. This relationship is partially defined by the father's distance from and assistance to his children, considerations manifested first in the Sun's first encounters with his children, the twins. ", A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 26 In earlier days, clans also provided social control, but Kluckhohn and Leighton report that this has changed with the imposition of Anglo "law and order" (112). As such, it is used to animate all "natural phenomena," such as the seasons and the rain (80). Beck, Peggy, and Anna Lee Walters, eds., 1992. University Libraries, MSC05 3020 After the bundle is retrieved from the watery world, First Man reveals the items to the other diyinii: "When he opened it to show them there was a perfectly kernelled white shell corn ear, a perfectly kernelled turquoise ear of corn, a perfectly kernelled abalone ear of corn, and a perfectly kernelled jet ear of corn" (Wyman qtd. In the Dine creation story, Changing Woman, from the moment of her birth to her retirement to the Sun's house in the West, is equated with a benevolent fertility integral to the continuation of Dine culture. greatly in creation. Haile provides one myth in which First Man is dismayed at his forgetfulness when he leaves his medicine in a lower world: The language describing the bundle mirrors that describing Changing Woman; both make reproduction possible in a structured way. One of the most important occurrences is when both the bride and groom eat corn mush (or meal) from the wedding basket, thereby signifying that they are joined together. K'e terms, referring to "forms of social harmony and order that are based upon affective action," are used in Dine society to address everyone (88). University of New Mexico Press. As stated before, Changing Woman is the first and model mother. The Hero Twins, Born of Water and Monster Slayer, are the twin sons of Changing Woman and were born to rid the earth of the monsters who were killing the Din, or the Navajo people. 2 For a classification of ceremonies, consult Reichard 1950: 314-337. 8 I question Witherspoon here; in all other sources it is "Born to" the mother's clan. Be still." (!) 1). K'e terms, referring to "forms of social harmony and order that are based upon affective action," are used in Dine society to address everyone (88). Hunahpu. How shall it be?" Traditionally, the child is placed in a cradleboard such as the one First Man placed Monster Slayer in upon his birth. Navajo Religion. University of Chicago Press. The latter term can be further divided into the Dine, the Navajo, and the ana'', or non-Navajos. But the naay' can't be beaten alone. Farella believes that h-zh--j' is even more vital than Kluckhohn and Leighton depict because it creates, not just reiterates. Changing Woman is considered to have made the first sheep: Her running circuit is clockwise, from east to west, and so is a symbolic "pursuit of the sun" (Lincoln 1981: 20). 884 American Anthropologist [66, 1964] B. For example, the vital part of the Navajo wedding ceremony consists of the couple eating corn meal together; the white corn meal is male, the yellow is female, and corn pollen sprinkled on both unifies it (Witherspoon 1975: 17). (Reichard 1950: 29) When they passed all his grueling tests, with Nilch'i the Wind's aid, he was surprised and proud, and gave them gifts to help overcome the monsters (Zolbrod 1984: 212). "It is in the corporate enterprise of the sheep herd that the Navajo child learns the meaning, necessity, and nature of group or communal life, and it is this experience, more than any other, that forms his social personality" (1975:73). After she is dressed, older females at the ceremony give her a vigorous massage, which is called "molding" the girl. 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