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Navajo
Nation
Diné Bikéyah, or
Navajo land, is larger than 10 of the 50 states in
America. This vast land is unique because the people here
have achieved something quite rare: the ability of an
indigenous people to blend both traditional and modern
ways of life. The Navajo Nation truly is a nation within
a nation.
In years past, Navajo land often
appeared to be little more than a desolate section of the
Southwest, but it was only a matter of time before the
Navajo Nation became known as a wealthy nation in a world
of its own.
The discovery of oil on Navajo land in
the early 1920s promoted the need for a more systematic
form of government. In 1923 a tribal government was
established to help meet the increasing desires of
American oil companies to lease Navajo land for
exploration. Navajo government has evolved into the
largest and most sophisticated form of American Indian
government.
Navajos are unsurpassed in their
ability to create exquisite and multifaceted art. Nowhere
is this more true than in the beauty of their
silversmithing. It is believed that Navajos began working
with turquoise after returning from the "Long Walk" to
and from Fort Sumner, New Mexico in 1868. Aside from its
ornamental value, turquoise is especially important to
the Navajo people because of its religious significance
and its representation of a well-being in an
individual.
Navajos believe that the Holy People,
who originated with First Man and First Woman, made
baskets for ceremonial purposes. Each part of the basket
has a special significance. Today, apart from their
ceremonial usage, Navajos also use baskets as household
displays.
Navajo rugs weaving is recognized
throughout the world, not only because of its aesthetic
qualities, but also because of its unique stylistic
changes. Navajo women believe the art of weaving was
taught by Spider Woman, who constructed a loom according
to directions given by the Holy People. Today, distinct
styles of rugs identify designs woven in different
regions: Two Gray Hills, Ganado, Teec Nos Pos, and
Crystal--all famous world-wide.
Sandpainting, another unique and
symbolic art form originating with the Holy People, was
and still is primarily ceremonial. Sandpaintings
represent an array of ceremonies and sacred
songs.
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Navajo
Nation Flag
The Navajo Nation flag, designed
by Jay R. Degroat, a Navajo from Mariano Lake, New
Mexico, was selected from 140 entries, and was officially
adopted by the Navajo Nation Council on May 21, 1968 by
Resolution CMY-55-68. On a tan background, the outline of
the present Nation is shown in a copper color with the
original 1868 Treaty Reservation in dark brown. At the
cardinal points in the tan field are the four sacred
mountains. A rainbow symbolizing Navajo sovereignty
arches over the Nation and the sacred mountains. In the
center of the Nation, a circular symbol depicts the sun
above two green stalks of corn, which surrounds three
animals representing the Navajo livestock economy, and a
traditional hogan and modern home. Between the hogan and
the house is an oil derrick symbolizing the resource
potential of the Tribe, and above the sun, the modern
sawmill symbolizes he progress and industry
characteristic of the Navajo Nations' economic
development.
Great
Seal of the Navajo Nation
The Great Seal of the Navajo
Tribe, designed by John claw, Jr. of Many Farms, Arizona,
was officially adopted by the Navajo Tribal Council on
January 18, 1852, by resolution CJ-9-52. The 48
projectile points outlining the seal symbolize the
Tribe's protection within the 48 states (as of 1952.) The
opening at the top of the three concentric lines is
considered the east; the lines represent a rainbow and
the sovereignty of the Navajo Nation. The rainbow never
closes on the Tribe's sovereign immunity. The outside
line is red, the middle is yellow and the inside is blue.
The yellow sun shines from the east on the four mountains
sacred to the Navajo. These, located at the cardinal
points, are in their ceremonial colors: White in the east
represents White-Shell Woman; blue in the south
represents Turquoise Woman; Yellow to the west represents
Abalone Woman; and Black to the north represents Jet
Black Woman. Two green corn plants, symbolic as the
sustainer of the Navajo life, decorate the bottom of the
seal, with tips of the yellow pollen which is used in
many Navajo ceremonies. In the center are a sheep, a
horse and a cow, all symbolizing the Navajo livestock
industry. In May of 1988, the Navajo Nation Council
amended the original working from the Great Seal of the
Navajo Tribe to the Great Seal of the Navajo Nation. They
also increased the number of arrowheads to 50 to include
representation of the states of Hawaii and Alaska.
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Navajo
Beliefs
The Navajo people, the
Diné, passed through three different worlds before
emerging into this world. The Fourth World, or Glittering
World.
The Diné believe there are two
classes of beings: the Earth People and the Holy People.
The Holy People are believed to have the power to aid or
harm the Earth People. Since Earth People of the
Diné are an integral part of the universe, they
must do everything they can to maintain harmony or
balance on Mother Earth.
It is believed that centuries ago the
Holy People taught the Diné how to live the right
way and to conduct their many acts of everyday life. They
were taught to live in harmony with Mother Earth, Father
Sky and the many other elements such as man, animals,
plants, and insects.
The Holy People put four sacred
mountains in four different directions, Mt. Blanca to the
east, Mt. Taylor to the south, San Francisco Peak to the
west, and Mt. Hesperus to the north near Durango,
Colorado, thus creating Navajo land. The four directions
are represented by four colors: White Shell represents
the east, Turquoise the south, Yellow Abalone the west,
and Jet Black the north.
The number four permeates traditional
Navajo philosophy. In the Navajo culture there are four
directions, four seasons, the first four clans and four
colors that are associated with the four sacred
mountains. In most Navajo rituals there are four songs
and multiples thereof, as well as many other symbolic
uses of four.
When disorder evolves in a Navajo's
life, such as an illness, medicine men use herbs,
prayers, songs and ceremonies to help cure patients. Some
tribal members choose to be cured at the many hospitals
on the Navajo Nation. Some will seek the assistance of a
traditional Navajo medicine man. A qualified medicine man
is a unique individual bestowed with supernatural powers
to diagnose a person's problem and to heal or cure an
illness and restore harmony to the patient.
There are more than 50 different kinds
of ceremonies that may be used in the Navajo culture--all
performed at various times for a specific reason. Some
ceremonies last several hours, while others may last as
long as nine days.
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Rain
The sky darkens with clouds.
Thunder rolls, lightning flashes and then the rain
pours down. It is the male rain. The female rain, on
the other hand, is gentle, with a soothing effect. In
Navajo belief, there is a male and female to all
things above below and around us. To Navajos, rain is
one of the four main elements of Earth; light, air,
and pollen are the others. It is said by wise ones
that if you have no respect for the rain, and your
thoughts and words are bad while it rains, the sacred
forces will punish you. The Navajo have a ceremony
that restores harmony and balance with nature.
Corn
Corn is one of the main
staples of Native American life. It's an important
food item, and every spring, many Navajo families
plant large fields of corn. But its use goes far
beyond just nutrition--it's also an important part of
Navajo prayer. The pollen of the corn is dusted off
the tassels and used in ceremonies as a blessing, and
is offered in prayer. Corn is used to make many
traditional dishes, including kneel-down bread, blue
corn mush, dried steamed corn and roasted corn. The
corn is also used during a ceremony when a Navajo girl
comes of age--a large corn cake is cooked underground
in a circular pit lined with corn husks.
Cradle
Board
Many Navajos still use a
traditional cradle board to keep their babies safe and
protected. Made with cottonwood, pine or cedar laced
together with thin strips of leather, the cradle
boards feature a wide, wooden hoop over the baby's
head that protects the child. Navajos believe the flat
boards will give the baby a strong, straight back, and
that a soft supporting pad will help the infant form a
nice rounded head. The cradle board is blessed with
corn pollen, prayers, songs and good thoughts for the
baby.
Traditional
Wedding Basket
Used in religious ceremonies
at traditional Navajo weddings, the woven wedding
basket has a distinct pattern of representation. The
edge of the basket, a lighter color, represents the
brightening skies as dawn approaches. The center
design features four points to represent the Navajo's
four sacred mountains, and the opening into the center
(which Navajos believe should never be pointed
downward) signifies an outlet for our thoughts. The
bright red weave is the hallmark of sunshine, and is a
blessing for Navajo health and spirituality. Black is
for darkness, and a time to restore our bodies and
minds. The lacing of the weave around the basket's
edge represent our roots and human life. And the very
center of the basket is representative of the
emergence of he Diné, the opening for the First
Holy One to come into the First World.
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