2. The Dineh (Navajo): Creation Myths and the Spiritual Meaning of the Land Monday, November 13, 2000

3. Business to attend to... u Papers due today: hand in to your TA at the end of class u Fourth paper topics distributed this Wednesday, November 15th u Prof. Maureen Schwarz, Navajo specialist, will lecture on Wednesday u Next Monday: film, “Broken Rainbow” u E-mail or meet with your TAs about “Deepen Topic Papers”

4. The Dineh u Dineh: “the People” u “Navahu”: term from neighboring Tewa people u 200,000 now in the US (1999) u Young and fast- growing: 75% of Dine are under 28 years old

5. Where are they? u 27,000 sq. mile reservation u Scattered throughout New Mexico, Arizona, SE Utah u Roughly, still the area between the 4 sacred mountains

6. Map Showing Hopi-Navajo Joint-Land Use Area

7. Dine Pre-Columbian History u From Siberia to Alaska u Lived 1000s of years in NW Canada u 900-1200 AD: migration to American SW u Division into “Navajo” and Apache u Influence of Pueblo

8. Post-Columbian Dineh History u Contact with Spanish, 1620s u Weaving u The start of destruction: 1848 u 1863-1864: Kit Carson v slaughter of nearly 500,000 sheep u 1864-1868: The Long March v incarceration of 8000 Navajo

9. Dine Story of Creation (1) u In the beginning, the First World: a floating island in an endless black sea u Four sacred directions, four mountains, hold the sky in place like the roof of a hogan

10. Dineh Creation Story (2) u Holy People v Talking God, Wind, Dawn, Twilight, Day, Night, Lightning, Thunder, many others u Insect People (mean, aggressive): Spider ants, Wasp people, Ant people, Beetles u First Man and Woman v Black (North) and white (East) mists joined to make First Man and white corn v Blue (South) and yellow (West) mists joined to make First Woman and yellow corn

11. Creation Story (3) u Man, Woman escape with Insects to Second World u Second World filled with blue birds; Insects try to steal birds’ chief daughter; Man/Woman escape to Third World with Coyote and Insects u Coyote enrages water monster, who brings flood; man, woman, and Coyote escape by planting a reed on top of one of mountains u Man gathers earth from 4 mountains, brings into Glittering White Fourth World

12. The Formation of Fourth World (Dinetah) u First Man and First Woman instructed by Talking God to create Dinetah and never to leave it u Began by creating the mountain of the east (now Mt Blanca in Colorado), and saw Holy Wind misted into it, which is still there, giving it life

13. Formation of Dinetah u First man and Woman formed Mountain to the West, saw Holy Wind misted into it (now San Francisco Peaks, in Arizona)

14. Formation of Dinetah u formed mountain to the south, saw Holy Wind misted into it (now Mt. Taylor in New Mexico)

15. Formation of Dinetah u Formed mountain of North; saw Holy Wind misted into it (now Hesperus Peak, Colorado) u Also formed sun, moon, stars, placed them in the sky

16. The sacredness of mountains u Soil and plants of these mountains are sacred and powerful u To collect them these one must be purified u and make offering of corn pollen and precious stones u Powers of mountains invoked in all ceremonies

17. Changing Woman u First man and Woman found baby in cloud above Gobernador Knob: “Changing Woman” u Later: she wandered away, fell asleep, impregnated by a ray of the Sun; gave birth to twins (Monster Slayer and Born of Water)

18. Spider Rock u Spider Woman and the Twins v revealed who their father was v gave them protective prayers so they could reach their father, and get his power to kill monsters v taught women to weave u Rewarded by great home of Spider Rock

19. Monster Slayer and Navajo Mountain u Monster Slayer and his twin were born at summit of Navajo Mountain u Monster Slayer returned and killed Monster-Who-Kicks- People-Off u MS decided to live within mountain, turned spruce and juniper arrows fired by enemies into trees u Mountain now protects Dine from enemies