The Dineh (Navajo): Creation Myths and the Spiritual Meaning of the Land Monday, November 13, 2000
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 or meet with your TAs about “Deepen Topic Papers”
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
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
Map Showing Hopi-Navajo Joint-Land Use Area
Dine Pre-Columbian History u From Siberia to Alaska u Lived 1000s of years in NW Canada u AD: migration to American SW u Division into “Navajo” and Apache u Influence of Pueblo
Post-Columbian Dineh History u Contact with Spanish, 1620s u Weaving u The start of destruction: 1848 u : Kit Carson v slaughter of nearly 500,000 sheep u : The Long March v incarceration of 8000 Navajo
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
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
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
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
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)
Formation of Dinetah u formed mountain to the south, saw Holy Wind misted into it (now Mt. Taylor in New Mexico)
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
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
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)
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
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