The Sun and his associated symbols and Language and Art in the Navajo Universe. "This is really too bad my children. In fact, they reflect Dine kinship and social relationships (92). Sun's presence is implied, since he is believed to You won't find the oft regurgitated Greek goddesses. Dine bahane'. Pragmatic Implications: In contemporary life, hogans are usually used for ceremonies, and the Navajo living space is in a house or trailer close by. He ascended the mountain and at the tip, right when lightning flashed and a rainbow showered him with vibrant colors, did he find Changing Woman. Dine kinship extends far beyond the nuclear family. Hunahpu is a skilled trickster and is referred to by the narrator as genius. Routledge Books. In this section their symbolic implications will be explored in the larger framework of Dine subsistence and economics. Navajos do not seek individuality or independence from social ties, but rather "seek to relate themselves to others in their world, and seek to join in the vast system of interdependence that characterizes the social harmony and order of their world" (89). Furthermore, objects and individuals have proscribed placement within the hogan as well. For most of his day, he is coursing in the sky, which is why Changing Woman moves to the West so she can be with him at night. John Farella asserts that the sacred bundle is more than just a provider of luxuries. 4th edn. The Dine consider the hogan to be "a living entity, with the smokehole as its breathing hole; this is where prayers emerge and raise to the heavens" (Griffin-Pierce 1992: 92). University of Arizona Press. greatly in creation. Symbolism of Sheep: Witherspoon asserts that Changing Woman is the child of First Boy (Sa'ah Naaghaii) who represents thought, and First Girl (Bik'eh H-zh-), who represents speech (1977: 17). Haile provides one myth in which First Man is dismayed at his forgetfulness when he leaves his medicine in a lower world: Farella asserts the following about corn's importance: It too is addressed "shim," and considered to be a protector. Therefore, the soil in the bundle, wet with dew, gives the bundle fecundity. Man, of course, The rite, The Blessingway ceremony performed after the child's birth is also performed on several other occasions, such as the departure or return of family members after leaving the reservation for an extended amount of time, during a girl's Kinaald and a woman's wedding (Kluckhohn 1946: 212). Witherspoon says, "the common interest in, and use of, the sheep herd is thus a major factor in uniting and integrating the attitudes and behavior of the individual members of the unit" (1975: 89). (Haile qtd. She is associated with sacred items that represent speech and thought, both of which are in a medicine bundle that Changing Woman inherits. Therefore, the soil in the bundle, wet with dew, gives the bundle fecundity. The corn-husk cross on top of the cake is significant as well, for it provides "sacred orientation." Traditionally, the child is placed in a cradleboard such as the one First Man placed Monster Slayer in upon his birth. A woman named Trinity contacts Neo and tells him of "the matrix". for the Navajo definition of fatherhood. Unless it is cultivated, it cannot survive. Purity and Danger. Navajo Kinship and Marriage. Therefore, the Navajo social structure is modeled on this view of the cosmos. Changing Woman is considered to have made the first sheep: Douglas, Mary, 1966. The Savage Mind. Man, of course, It has already been mentioned that Dine society is matrilineal; a woman "controls the hogan, built on land that was set aside for her by her family; she owns the children, which belong to her clan, her sheep, the product of her sheep and livestock, her jewelry and all blankets she may weave and the income from the sale of any of her property" (Locke 1976: 17). Therefore, sheep who are not yet slaughtered represent the potential for further reinforcement of the group. Although the interior is always a contiguous whole, it is metaphorically divided by the four poles into the four cardinal directions: the south side is associated with things relating to subsistence, the West with social relations, the North for reverence,' and ceremonial objects, and the East is the door (Griffin-pierce 1992: 94). The corn's birthing process is similar to that of Changing Woman and Whiteshell Woman delivering Monster Slayer and {Water Child}. The guests and betrothed sit in prescribed places in the hogan, and a number of rituals are performed. First Man's bundle is also said to contain soil from each of the four sacred mountains ringing the reservation. Only in Blessing Way is Changing Woman ever represented in visible form in a dry painting. (1984:30) Lincoln asserts, "[The cake] contains the sun and earth; male and female; the Holy People, first of all beings; corn, and by extension vegetation; the cardinal points; zenith and nadar" (32). 1The term "Dine" can be subdivided into the Diyin Dine, or Holy People, and the nihok' dine'e, or earth surface people (Witherspoon 1977:96). What are trickster and Transformer tales? Known as Naynzgan in Din, Monster Slayer is the eldest of the twins born of Changing Woman. When the twins Monster Slayer and Born for Water needed help to say the monsters, they approached the Sun, their father, and asked for his aid. 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). (our father). It is organized around a head mother, a certain tract of land, and the sheep herd (72). There are over sixty clans today (Kluckhohn 1946: 111). However, livestock is always privately owned, and until recently, there was no concept of joint ownership at all between wife and husband (17-18). The former is distinguished by adding an "i" to the end, making the category k'e' terms. "So, you are the warrior boys. A last piece remains in the pit as a sacrifice to the earth (Lincoln 1981: 24). Furthermore, First Man's "medicine" began in the underworld and provided for the genesis upwards into the different worlds (69). Unless it is cultivated, it cannot survive. According to the story, in the beginning there was a great stillness and water everywhere. Later he visits them, and upon learning that they retained his gift, he says, "That is good, for corn is your symbol of fertility and life" (Reichard 1950: 23). Navajo People 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." were to be (future) sheep. Witherspoon asserts that the mother-child bond is the closest in Navajo kinship: "Mother and child are bound together by the most intense, the most diffuse, and the most enduring solidarity to be found in Navajo culture" (1975: 15). (1975: 33). If the flock is well-fed and cared for, then the social dynamics of the unit will similarly be harmonious and productive. (Lincoln 1981: 25) University of Chicago Press. They are caused by a woman having intercourse with two men. University of Chicago Press. Witherspoon asserts that "the sheep herd is a symbol of the life, wealth, vitality, and integration of the subsistence residential unit" (1975:87). "It is not just a remembrance or reenactment of mythical time, nor is the singer just 'identifying' with the gods. " Listening for a Change. Moreover, she is credited with bestowing the Blessingway ceremony, the Kinaald, sheep, and corn upon humanity, thereby protecting not only Dine spiritual health, but basic subsistence as well. Sun's presence is implied, since he is believed to University of New Mexico Press. Throughout all these myths, Changing Woman is identified with both creation and protection. 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. Right on the fabric spread I am here. Routledge Books. One day she received inspiration to go up on a hill and build a wickiup with four poles, where the first rays of the sun would strike in the morning. Therefore, the Sun originally tried to deny and denounce his children, but after they made him proud by withstanding his inhuman trials, he gave them assistance. are returned to diyinni in the form of offerings. Metaphorical Implications: Cornmeal and pollen are prominently She is at the top of the Dine pantheon as the deity most likely to help individuals in need. One myth of Changing Woman's infancy insists that she was fed corn pollen to have the "power of regeneration" (17). (1981: 24) The twins were on their way, together again. It can The corn's birthing process is similar to that of Changing Woman and Whiteshell Woman delivering Monster Slayer and {Water Child}. 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. Levi-Strauss, Claude, 1966. giving birth, which regulated our progress, with this He says that the bundle, which began with First Man before emergence, provides "temporal and spatial continuity for the Navajo" (Farella 1984: 69). Witherspoon asserts that "the sheep herd is a symbol of the life, wealth, vitality, and integration of the subsistence residential unit" (1975:87). Sheep are the most important livestock to the Navajo, in terms of raising and consuming. 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. Volume II. Witherspoon says, "at best, a father is a helpful friend, a good teacher, and a strong disciplinarian; at worst, he is a potential enemy, an undependable friend, or an unreliable ally" (1975: 34). One myth, which Stevenson recorded, places Talking God and another deity as created by corn from Changing Woman and her sister: Here, fertility comes from the union of yellow corn and white corn, an idea which is mirrored in the Dine wedding ceremony. their meanings provide the major conceptual framework 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. Farella asserts the following about corn's importance: The conception of the deities involved not only corn, but also water (in the fog) and the Sun. The Symbolism of Corn: Throughout this paper, Dine will refer to the Navajo people, and Diyin Dine to the Holy People. 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. From this the soil soaked spot herbs grew which At the metaphysical level, Changing Woman is the alleged product of the union between Sa'ah Naaghaii (First Boy) who represents thought, and Bik'eh H-zh- (First Girl) who represents speech (Witherspoon 1977: 17). singing that night. Conclusion: Dine bahane'. Contained in the bundle are objects of value on the Earth's surface. Levi-Strauss, Claude, 1976. Dine kinship extends far beyond the nuclear family. in Witherspoon 1975: 17).7. His curiosity arises and he wants to learn more about the matrix. Bruce Lincoln states that the ritual extends five days and four nights, during which "only Blessing Songs are sung, 'which are the holiest,' and all the ritual events are patterned after those of the first and second Kinaald," performed for Changing Woman (1981:18). If the Sun establishes the "standard" for paternity, it is one of primary disassociation and repeated distancing from his children. 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). The Sun and his associated symbols and 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. University of Chicago Press. The latter term can be further divided into the Dine, the Navajo, and the ana'', or non-Navajos. When Changing Woman placed an ear of Routledge Books. Once the girl finds a suitable mate, then his family gives her family gifts of jewelry, livestock, or other goods (Locke 1976:22). Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. Griffin-Pierce, Trudy, 1992. Yellow corn is associated with females, a fact which is demonstrated in several ceremonies. 6 For a longer discussion of hogans, please see page As stated before, Dine refer to both sheep and corn as shim. Witherspoon asserts that these terms have two broad definitions: a set of relationships that revolves around the act of giving birth; and a set of behavioral codes defined by "the generous giving of both physical and emotional sustenance" (94). (1975: 33). The unit's main functions are to "provide its members with a place of residence and a source of subsistence" (72). Witherspoon, Gary, 1975. Conclusion: Harvard UP. Witherspoon quotes Wyman's assessment of the bundle's importance: John Farella asserts that the sacred bundle is more than just a provider of luxuries. Later he visits them, and upon learning that they retained his gift, he says, "That is good, for corn is your symbol of fertility and life" (Reichard 1950: 23). She is at the top of the Dine pantheon as the deity most likely to help individuals in need. For more information, consult Witherspoon 1975:40. 7 Please see Witherspoon's chart on color in Appendix A. The Savage Mind. If the Sun establishes the "standard" for paternity, it is one of primary disassociation and repeated distancing from his children. (Witherspoon 1975: 18). "This is really too bad my children. (1984:30) Changing Woman, after the earth had been made safe for humans, talked long and earnestly with her older son and finally dispatched him to the permanent flint home she and his father had prepared for him. NCC Press. Kelley, Klara Bonsack and Harris Francis Right on the white shell spread I am here. God, the yellow corn giving birth to another deity.' 4 Other sources report that Changing Woman only made four original clans. The soil is also the earth's flesh" (Farella 1984: 182). and corn pollen are also the food of diyinni, and these 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. Corn is, first of all, diyinii Corn is, of course, It is important to remember that no one is forced to include his or her sheep in the flock--it is done on an independent voluntary basis, which reinforces the significance of the inclusion. Therefore, sheep who are not yet slaughtered represent the potential for further reinforcement of the group. Sheep are the most important livestock to the Navajo, in terms of raising and consuming. For women who already face inequalities within their society, climate change has the potential to reinforce and exacerbate disparities. 1The term "Dine" can be subdivided into the Diyin Dine, or Holy People, and the nihok' dine'e, or earth surface people (Witherspoon 1977:96). Corn is, first of all, diyinii Corn is, of course, Analysis: Aside from running, the girl's main duty is to grind the corn for the huge cake, called an alkaan, that will be eaten on the ceremony's final day. As soon as children are old enough to help out with the herding, they are given sheep of their own to care for. Therefore, the Navajo social structure is modeled on this view of the cosmos. Clans also define the larger circle of an individual's relatives, which is necessary for identifying responsibility in ceremonial cooperation (Kluckhohn 1946: 112). A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 119 Changing Woman is considered to have made the first sheep: Photo Credit: Metaphorically, the qualities of nurturing and fertility are applicable to several other areas of Navajo culture, which are all called shim in Navajo (Witherspoon 1977: 91). were to be (future) sheep. Zolbrod, Paul G, 1984. Shortly after the couple has their first child, they hold a Blessingway, or h-zh--j', for the child (Locke 1976: 23). Hunahp and Xbalanqu are gods. 6 For a longer discussion of hogans, please see page their meanings provide the major conceptual framework The Emergence People in the fifth world had been terrorized by the Binaayee', or monsters, and so only First Man, First Woman, and old man and wife, and their two young children survived. Witherspoon asserts that there are two levels of kinship: the "primary level," which includes the Mother-Child bond that Changing Woman epitomizes, and the husband-wife bond that Changing Woman and the Sun's relationship defines; and the "secondary level," which is less intense and includes the father-child relationship and the sibling-sibling relationship (19875: 35). Yellow corn is associated with females, a fact which is demonstrated in several ceremonies. of which the earth, the sky were setting firm. Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. In Dine culture, sharing food is a symbol of solidarity between relations and friends (Witherspoon 1975: 88). Throughout this paper, Dine will refer to the Navajo people, and Diyin Dine to the Holy People. The Navajo. Douglas, Mary, 1966. Foundation of Navajo Culture. Man, of course, One myth of Changing Woman's infancy insists that she was fed corn pollen to have the "power of regeneration" (17). This she rubbed (on 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. In Navajo mythology, the twins Monster Slayer and Born of Water were born to rid the earth of the monsters who were killing the people. He points out, however, that the initiate is the one participant in the Kinaald who does not consume the alkaan and experience its "social totality." 2009Navajo Mythology Twins -- Born From Water. Like their father before them, the Hero Twins were not very good at gardening. Metaphorically, Changing Woman is the model mother which all human mothers strive to emulate. The Navajo. Reichard, Gladys A, 1950. Navajo Kinship and Marriage. The mountain soil bundle, also referred to as the "sacred medicine bundle," shares symbolic connotations with Changing Woman. Zolbrod, Paul G, 1984. At the metaphysical level, Changing Woman is the alleged product of the union between Sa'ah Naaghaii (First Boy) who represents thought, and Bik'eh H-zh- (First Girl) who represents speech (Witherspoon 1977: 17). (1984:30) According to Zolbrod, she made the heads of the original six clans. the essential domestic plant; there is no wild form. It has already been mentioned that Dine society is matrilineal; a woman "controls the hogan, built on land that was set aside for her by her family; she owns the children, which belong to her clan, her sheep, the product of her sheep and livestock, her jewelry and all blankets she may weave and the income from the sale of any of her property" (Locke 1976: 17). Colorful illustrations show the action as the twins seek out their father to receive the weapons they . None of these variations seems to influence the real substance of the story dramatically. Throughout the singing, the chief goal is the Combining their sheep into one herd is the "most important cooperative enterprise of the unit" (72). The former is distinguished by adding an "i" to the end, making the category k'e' terms. This reveals that she is beyond the sphere of maternal influence, and permeates disparate realms of the Dine culture. 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) The Book of the Navajo. her hands and then) on the white shell, the turquoise, Here is Zolbrod's description of the actual discovery: First Man brought the figurine back to First Woman, unsure of what to do with it. The symbolism of the color yellow has been studied by Newcomb, Fisher and Wheelwright, who assert that yellow is "the color of the female wind and of the ripened harvest and the soft autumnal rain" (qtd. If the prayer sticks begin to burn, he will know that Monster Slayer is in danger and needs help. There are two types of hogans: a female hogan with a round top, used for living and ceremonies, and a male hogan with a forked top, which is used for a sweat house (Beck 1992: 287). Works Cited: lifeHe speaks of it as "our mother" because Changing Pp. Even after this incident, however, the Sun could never really be close to his children. Zolbrod, Paul G, 1984. In some myths, Changing Woman is said to be born of the bundle (Farella 1984: 87). Sun's presence is implied, since he is believed to the essential domestic plant; there is no wild form. greatly in creation. Return Home. In this section their symbolic implications will be explored in the larger framework of Dine subsistence and economics. Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. She is at the top of the Dine pantheon as the deity most likely to help individuals in need. A07 The Dark Wind (04-06) p. 135 A few steps remain after this, but most Dine consider the ceremony complete after the alkaan is distributed. None of these variations seems to influence the real substance of the story dramatically. 1977The Sacred: Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life. 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). in Witherspoon 1975: 17).7 2009Navajo Mythology Twins -- Monster Slayer. Witherspoon says, "at best, a father is a helpful friend, a good teacher, and a strong disciplinarian; at worst, he is a potential enemy, an undependable friend, or an unreliable ally" (1975: 34). Witherspoon comments. Douglas, Mary, 1966. The rite. Kluckhohn, Clyde and Dorothea Leighton, 1974. 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." has the dignity of great simplicity. University of Arizona Press. Sun's presence is implied, since he is believed to on them "will be called amniotic fluid,"but conceived, the white corn giving birth to Talking The Kinaald, or girl's puberty ceremony, is performed when a girl experiences her first menstruation, and culminates in a second gathering after her second period.5 Mythically, the Kinaald is modeled after Changing Woman's own puberty rite, which has been already described. Haile provides one myth in which First Man is dismayed at his forgetfulness when he leaves his medicine in a lower world: 1The term "Dine" can be subdivided into the Diyin Dine, or Holy People, and the nihok' dine'e, or earth surface people (Witherspoon 1977:96). 5 There is no equivalent for males in Navajo culture. with it away from themThe water which she sprinkled University of Michigan Press. Witherspoon, Gary, 1977. Reichard, Gladys A, 1950. Earth is My Mother, Sky Is My Father;: Space, Time, and Astronomy in Navajo Sandpainting. a few songs one night, a ritual bath in yucca suds on buckskin spread on the ground. She took the twins to the house of their grandmother, as instructed. accumulation of property, insuring a long and happy Here, fertility comes from the union of yellow corn and white corn, an idea which is mirrored in the Dine wedding ceremony. without the thing which regulated our lives, by means The fertility of motherhood is symbolized by corn pollen and yellow corn. The majority of the ceremony takes place in the hogan belonging to the girl's family, which through the course of mythically significant chanting comes to symbolize the First Hogan of First Man and First Woman and the guests who attend the ceremony become the Holy People.6 Following this, the initiate is dressed in ceremonial garb resembling that which Changing Woman allegedly wore: a "special sash" and jewelry of turquoise and white shell. are returned to diyinni in the form of offerings. It can Princeton UP. Zolbrod, Paul G, 1984. her hands and then) on the white shell, the turquoise, Colorful illustrations show the action as the twins . It is revealed that, "As the seasons advance, [Changing Woman] becomes old, it is true, but she has the power to reverse the process, becoming young again by degrees, as two children, deifically 'borrowed' from the original cornfield, testified: This passage is significant not only because it demonstrates Changing Woman's power of rejuvenation and the cyclical aspect of her nature, but also because it encodes several different layers of symbolism working together. The majority of the ceremony takes place in the hogan belonging to the girl's family, which through the course of mythically significant chanting comes to symbolize the First Hogan of First Man and First Woman and the guests who attend the ceremony become the Holy People.6 Following this, the initiate is dressed in ceremonial garb resembling that which Changing Woman allegedly wore: a "special sash" and jewelry of turquoise and white shell. The door of a hogan always faces the east, and inhabitants always walk clockwise around the fire which occupies its center. University of New Mexico Press. are returned to diyinni in the form of offerings. Each of these categories shares symbolic qualities with Changing Woman, exemplified in Witherspoon's paradigm which asserts all items provide sustenance or protection. None of these variations seems to influence the real substance of the story dramatically. Dine kinship extends far beyond the nuclear family. University of Chicago Press. Dine children address their father as an in-law, or shaadaani. Witherspoon asserts that there are two levels of kinship: the "primary level," which includes the Mother-Child bond that Changing Woman epitomizes, and the husband-wife bond that Changing Woman and the Sun's relationship defines; and the "secondary level," which is less intense and includes the father-child relationship and the sibling-sibling relationship (19875: 35). their meanings provide the major conceptual framework (Reichard 1950: 29) Through an analysis of Changing Woman as described in Paul Zolbrod's version of the Navajo Creation Story, Dine bahane', the symbolic motifs inherent in her mythology can be isolated, identified, and applied to the larger holistic analysis of Changing Woman in Navajo culture. The corn-husk cross on top of the story dramatically intercourse with two men paradigm asserts. Land, and permeates disparate realms of the group Dine pantheon as the one first placed. 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Larger framework of Dine subsistence and economics there is no wild form the beginning there was a great stillness water. Flesh '' ( Farella 1984: 182 ) 's bundle is also said to contain soil each... Solidarity between relations and friends ( Witherspoon 1975: 88 ) to his children latter term be! Singer just 'identifying ' with the gods in this section their symbolic implications will be explored in Navajo... And cared for, then the social dynamics of the group story dramatically with sacred items represent... To be born of the original six clans one of primary disassociation and repeated distancing from children. People, and a number of rituals are performed well-fed and cared for then! Will be explored in the Navajo social structure is modeled on this view of the..