Dine'tah is our home. It is the place where we began and became strong. It is a sacred abd holy place. It is a place that every Navajo ought to know about, its history and its stories; whether they go here or not is not as important as for all Navajos to know that near the present resevation is the place where the Navajo and the Holy People lived together--- just as Christians all know about the Holy Land as a place where Jesus walked and taught. Some are fortunate and get to go there but many others know only about the Holy Land from pictures. So it should be with the Navajos. All should know where it is and what happned there. Some may be fortunate in actually visiting the place. It is a very holy place for the Navajo.
This page was last updated on: November 10, 2008
They seek him
In the life of the NA there was only one inevitable duty - the duty of prayer, the daily recognition of the Unseen and Eternal. His daily devotions were more necessary to him than daily food. He wakes at daybreak, puts on his moccasins, and steps out of his dwelling. He stands erect before the advancing dawn, facing the sun as it dances upon the horizon, and offers his unspoken orison. His mate may precede him, or follow him in his devotions, but never accompanies him. Each soul must meet the morning sun, and the Great Silence alone.
POW WOW
Turning sky Flecked and pink Embracing Mother earth
Chanting drums Proclaim A calm Sure Step
Wandering souls Find a home In rythmic Discourse
Twilight Filters Sun and sorrow Songs beat Hearts sound No retreat
Wailing Chant Of old Gathers Rippling Spirits Touching all
One foot tall Six foot tall Dancers all
Dusk Enveloped By midnight Blue Momentum Builds As dancers Move to pray
Arapho Mandan Taut and Wiry Dancing soul
Blanket Wrapped Maidens Accent Subtle Tones
Gourds Trumpet And honor Those Who faught
Feathers Dance As once They flew Beating The air With ever Escalating Solemnty
Feathered Fan Beats A prayer On his Breast
Inter tribal Dance North plains Formalites With north Clan singers Hear my Praye
Measured Steps With quiet Diginity Move the Women in Unison
Eagle Badger Clan Terror Of the North plains
Iron Eagle Singers Lead The frenzied Dancers To their Ultimate Elation
Contest Southern Straight Each in His own World
A call To honor The most Influential The parents All
Standing fur Racoon Stripped A flare To enhance The prayer
Strong Stotic Visage Poised To encourage The indian Way
Feathers, beads Shells, otter Badger, and more Drums and voices Call to the Spirit within The Gods About
GOOD WIND - DAWN BOY WIND - Placed within Mt.Cove Dinee
BAD WIND - ROLLING DARKNESS WIND - Placed - within Tangle DINEE
YELLOW WIND - Placed within Bitter Water Dinee
DARK WIND - Placed within Near the Water Dinee
BLUE WIND - Placed within Towering House Dinee
WHITE WIND - Placed within MUD Dinee
FOUR SACRED MOUNTAINS
of the NAVAJO
guarding boundries of DINE'BIKE'YAH
BLANCA PEAK in SANGRE DE CHRISTO'S
SAN FRANCISCO PEAK (Dook'o'osliid) (Sacred Name Diichili Dzil-Abalone Shell Mountain) also Black Clouds, Male Rail, and all animals.
Home of -- Talking God, White Corn Boy, Yellow Corn Gorl
MT.TAYLOR Turquoise Mt. and Sacred Mt. of the South-- Turquoise, Dark Mist,Female Rain, and all animals and birds
Home of Turquoise Boy, Yellow Corn Girl, and Hashch'eghaan (meaning Unknown)
HESPERUS PEAK in LAS PLATAS MTS. Jet Mt. and Sacred Mt of the North --Jet, Dark Mist, and wild animals --Home of Pollen Boy, Grasshopper Girl
GOBERNADOR KNOB placed upon earths heart Changing Woman Born Here
HUERFANO MESA. placed upon earths lungs First Man, First Woman - Here Changing Woman gave birth to her Warrior Twins Home of Value Boy, Goods of Value Girl, and one of the Homes of First Man and Woman In the Beginning was Decorated with Pollen,Rugs, Hides, Cloth, and Male Rain for the comming of a special Child(Changing Woman)
God Impersonations sub group
NIGHTWAY
BIG GODWAY
PLUME WAY
COYOTE WAY
DOG WAY
RAVEN WAY
EXTINCT CERIMONIES
Awl Way
Earth Way
Reared in Earthway
HAND TREMBLING Chant subgroup
HAND TREMBLING WAY
EAGLE TRAPPING subgroup
EAGLE WAY
BEAN WAY.
WIND CHANT subgroup
NAVAJO WINDWAY
CHIRICAHUA WINDWAY
BLACK SHEEP PEOPLE
BIG WATER PEOPLE
MOUNTAIN COVE PEOPLE
WHERE THE RIVER NARROWS PEOPLE
REED PEOPLE
COYOTE PASS PEOPLE
BLUEBIRD PEOPLE
STANDING ROCK PEOPLE
TURKEY PEOPLE
SALT CEDER PEOPLE
HONEYCOMBED ROCK PEOPLE
ROCK CORNER PEOPLE
GRAY STREAK PEOPLE
MIRAGE PEOPLE
WATERS EDGE PEOPLE
BLACK STANDING ROCK LIKE A WALL PEOPLE
RED HOUSE PEOPLE
BLACK HORIZONTAL FOREST PEOPLE
SALT WATER (To'dik''ozhi)
Blue Flute Clan went north in the fourth migration, accompained by two Mahos (locust) and
HUMPBACKED FLUTE PLAYER. Every so often the Humpback would scatter seeds from the hump on his back. Then he would march on, playing his flute and singing a song. His song is still remembered, but the words are so ancient that nobody knows what they mean.
THE SONG GOES LIKE THIS.
KI-TANA-PO, KI -TANA -PO, KI-TANA-PO, KI-TANA-PO !
AI-NA, KI-NA_WCHI, KI-NA-WEH
CHI-LI LI-CHA, CHI-LI LI-CHA
DON-KA-VA-KI, MAS-I-KI-VA-KI
KI-VE, KI-VE-NA-MEH
HOPET !
Bitter Water Dinee - Known as childern of Changing woman - Yellow Wind
Towering House Dinee - Changing WOMAN created - Blue Wind
Near the Water Dinee - Changing Woman created - Dark Wind
Mud Dinee - Changing Woman created - White Wind
Tangle Dinee - Bad Wind - Rolling Darkness Wind
Mountain Cove Dinee - Good Wind - Dawn Boy Wind
I, as a spiritual Indian man, am convinced that it is time to reach out to my white brothers ans sisters and to share withwhomever wishes to partake of what we, theindigenous people of this land, still have. It is time that the buckskin curtain be drawn back. It is time, I know it. Eddie B.Banai Ojibway.
BUT THE SUPREME LAW OF THE LAND IS THE GREAT SPIRIT"S, NOT MAN'S LAW. Thomas Banyacya Hopi
You want to know who is the real medicine man? He's the one who doesn"t say "I'm the medicine man". He doesn't ask you to come to him. You've got to go and ask him. And you'll find he's always thre among his own people. Louis Farmer Onondaga
If you know my song, you know Charlie. Everyone has a song. God gave us each a song. That's how we know who we are. Our song tells us who we are. Charlie Knight Ute
These are our times and our responsibilities. Every human being has a sacred duty to protect the welfare of our Mother Earth. from whom all life comes. In order to do this we must recognize the enemy-- the one withn us. We must begin with ourselves.... Leon Shenandoah Six Nations Irpquois Confereracy.
Some text were taken from WISDOMKEEPERS
Meetings with Native American Spiritual Elders
by Steve Wall & Harvey Arden
A great reading for NA and non NA.
These text give name and tribe.
CONSCIOUSNESS
I do not see a delagation
For the four-footed
I see no seat for the eagles
We forget and we consider
Ourselves superior
But we are after all
A mere part of Creation
And we must consider
To understand where we are
And we stand somewhere between
The mountain and the ant.
Somewhere and only there
As part and parcel
Of the Creation
Chief Oren Lyons
Before the United Nations
Geneva Switzerland 1977
Pow Wow
NAVAJO CLANS
SALTWATER CLAN *
BITTERWATER CLAN * (Todich'ii'nii )
HONEYCOMB ROCK PEOPLE
BALCKSTREAK WOOD PEOPLE
TANGLE PEOPLE Ta'neeszahniip
MOUNTAIN COVE PEOPLE
WHERE THE. RIVER NORROWS PEOPLE
NEAR THE WATER PEOPLE
REDHOUSE PEOPLE
RED BOTTOM PEOPLE
UTE PEOPLE
ONE WHO WALKS ARROUND PEOPLE
YUCCA FRUITS STRUNG IN A LINE PEOPLE
BIG WATER PEOPLE
RED STREAK PEOPLE Deesh chii'nii
TOWERING HOUSE PEOPLE Kinyaa'aa nii
SLEEP ROCK PEOPLE
MANY GOATS PEOPLE
RED RUNNING INTO WATER PEOPLE Ta'chi'i''nii
MUD PEOPLE Hashtl'ishnii
TOBACCO PEOPLE Na't'oh dine'e
DEER PEOPLE
CHARCOAL STREAKED PEOPLE
WATER FLOWS TOGETHER PEOPLE
GODS PEOPLE
WITHIN HIS COVER PEOPLE
MANY HOGANS PEOPLE
CLOSE TO HER BODY CLAN
SLOW TALKING PEOPLE
SIDE CORN PEOPLE
HUNGER PEOPLE
EARS STICKING UP PEOPLE
YOO'L PEOPE
BEAD PEOPLE * (Yoo'Dine'e' )
RED FOREHEAD PEOPLE
WATER IS CLOSE PEOPLE
PEACH TREE PEOPLE
BLUEBIRD PEOPLE
MANY COATS PEOPLE
Weaver-Zia Ti'o'gi
Two Rocks Sit Tse'Sike'ke'
Clamp Tree Tsin Sika'adnii
Two Who Came to the Water To'Baazhni'a'zhi
Flat Footed People or Pima Naake'tl`a'hi
Little Deer People Biih Ya'a'zh Dine`e'
Deer Spring Biih bitoodnii
Sleep Rock Tse'nahabi inii
Coyote Pass Ma'ii deeshgi'i'zhinii
Black Sheep Dibe'li zhini'
Rock House Tse nji kini
Edge of Water people Ta'bahaa
NAVAJO CERIMONIES
HOLYWAY LIFEWAY GHOSTWAY BLESSINGWAY ENEMYWAY
RITUAL RITUAL RITUAL ENEMYWAY
dijinkchji 'iinaaji hochooji hozhooji anaaji
GOOD COMPREHENSIVE EVIL
Blessingway Prayer chants Rites of instruction
House blessing dark circles of hunting
Girls puberty branches war
Lifeway war ceremony
war prophylactic
chants according to Holyness male shooting chant
(evil)
female shooting chant
(evil)
endurance chant
Holyway - 7 subgroups
Lifeway - chants: war, nighchant, male shooting chant
Ghostway
Blessingway
Gameway
Evilway - 2 subgroups
Mountain top way
Red ant way
Wichery way - skinwalkers
Owlway
Earthway
Coyoteway - for guilty of incest
Mothway - for guilty of incest
Prostitutionway - then Blessingway inclosing mountain smoke cermony .
Evilway - 2 subgroups
Windway - healing
Sunway & Callingback chant - for end of 4th world and beginning of 5th
Black rain ceremony - when taboo is broken
Shooting way - needed 1 scalp shooter, 1 stick receiver, 2-3 tail singers, 7 black dancers
Big Star way - If exposed to violent death or a corpse
Upward Reaching way - If exposed to violent death or a corpse
Night Chant (Kieje Hatal) curing chant
IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF
NAVAJO ORIGIN MYTH.
CHANGING WOMAN (Asdzaan Nadleehi)
MONSTER SLAYER
WATER CHILD
HARDFLINT WOMAN
HERO TWINS
BLACK GOD
SUN
ENCIRCLING GUARDIAN
CALLING GOD
WHITESHELL TALKING GOD
TURQUOISE CALLING GOD
ABALONE TALKING GOD
JET TALKING GOD
FIRST MAN
FIRST WOMAN
DIVING HERON - was sent back by First Man to get witchcraft
WATER MONSTER - caused flood that ended 3rd world because COYOTE stole his children
In the house of long life,
there I wander..
In the house of happyness,
there I wander,
Beauty before me,
with it I wander.
Beauty behind me,
with it I wander.
Beauty below me,
with it I wander.
Beauty above me,
with it I wander.
Beauty all arround me,
with it I wander.
In old age traveling
with it I wander.
On the beautiful trail I am,
with it I wander.
.
The NAVAJO describe the deities in poetic in nature.
In Tse'gihi
In the house made of dawn,
In the house made of evening twilight,
In the house made of the dark cloud,
In the house made of the he-rain,
In the house made of the dark mist..
Oh, male divinity!
With your moccasins of dark cloud
come to us.
With your leggings of dark cloud
come to us.
With your shirt of dark cloud
come to us.
With your head-dress of dark cloud,
come to us.
With the dark thunder above you,
come to us soaring.
With the shapen cloud at your feet,
come to us soaring.
With the far darkness of the dark cloud
over your head, come to us soaring.
NATIVE AMERICAN CODE OF ETHICS
1. Rise with the sun. Pray alone. Pray often. The Great Spirit will listen, if you will only speak.
2. Be tolerant of those who are lost on their path. Ignorance,Conceit,Anger,Jealousy,and Greed
stern from a lost soul. Pray that they all will find guideness.
3. Search for yoursefl. Do not allow others to make your path for you. It is your road and yours alone.
Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you.
4. Treat the guests in your home with much consideration. Serve them the best foods, give them the
best bed, and treat them with respect and honor.
5. Do not take what is ot yours weither from a person, community, the wilderness, or from a culture.
It was not earned nor given. It is not yours.
6. Respect all things that placed upn this earth,whether it is people or plants.
7. Honor other peoples thaughts, wishes, and words. Never interrupt another or mock or rudely
mimic them. Allow each person the right to personal statement.
8. Never speak of others in a bad way. The negative energy that you put out into the universe will
multiply when it returns to you.
9. All persons make mistakes. All mistakes aer forgiven.
10. Bad thaughts cause illness of the mind, body, and spirit. Practice optimism.
11. Nture is not For us, it is a Part of us. They ary a part of your wordly family.
12. Children are the seeds of our future. Plant love in their hearts and water them with wisdom
and life's lessons. When they are grown, Give them space to grow.
13.Avoid hurting the hearts of others. The poison of your pain will return to you.
14.Be truthfull at all times. Honesty is the test of ones will return to you.
15.Keep yourself in balance. Your mental self, spiritual self, emotional self, and physical self-
all need to be strong, pure, and healthy. Work out the body to strengthen the mind. Grow
rich in spirit to cure emotional ails.
16.Make conscious descisions as to who you will be and how you read. Be responsible
for.your own actions.
17.Respect te privacy and personal space of others. Do not touch the personl property of
others--Especially Sacred and Religious Objects. This is Forbidden.
18.Respect Other Religious Beliefs. Do not force your beliefs on others.
Many Paths
When the earth was in the Dawn Time,
And its face was water covered;
In its center there we wandered,
Spirits of the Great Being.
Long we lived there toiling ever,
Knowing there was Time a coming.
Come to take us from the Center,
To a Life of great unfolding.
Long we watied; time uncounting,
'Til we heard a signal coming,
Coming from above the center,
Pounding loud the signal called us
To come forth to the Great Spirit.
Then our hosts in forms unnumbered,
Forms of earthly living creatures
Struggled upwards to the Earth Crust
To the signal from the Gerat Being.
Breaking out from earthly darkness
To the air in volumes swirling
Came the serpent first from darkness
First of all the hosts unnumbered
To behold the new life for us.
Now we saw a great light,
Warming as the fires below us.
Then our eyes turned to the Great Light
And upon us came a blindness
Striking all to earth in silence.
In a fear we waited wondering
While we lay upon our earth bed
Came again a signal to us;
The Great Light warming, re-assuring.
Then our coils began unfolding
In unfolding came our new form
Came the wonderous human body.
Translated from the Hopi by M.W.Billingsley
( Rays of the Morning Sun ) (Sequahongeva)
When aNavajo baby is born, he or she belongs to the clan of the mother.The clan name passes on throuigh her to her children. When a young man marries, it must be to someone completly outside his clan.Enen though people in his clan are not all blood related, it is considered inappropriate to marry within one's own clan. This rule is strictly observed. Should it occur, it would be considered as "incest" to the Navajo pepole..
In the Navajo way, two Navajo's of the same clan, meeting for the first time, will refer to each other as "brother or sister".Navajo's that are cousins in the American sense, think of each other as "borther or sister" in the Navajo sense.
A Grandfather's Prayer
Oh, Great Creator of all that lies before me,
I am grateful You have traveled through life with me.Please continue to help me. I wish to follow in Your way. I wish to be true to Your direction. I wish to travel the road of new life, health, and peace. For I know many gifts come to those who follow this road. I am humbled You have not let me travel the lonely roads alone. You have comforted my hurts and problems. Bless my mind this day to be clear and to be able to see things as they truly are. Let my soul be open to Your influence. Help me today to comprehend Mother Earth and the things upon her. Let these things teach me. As I have walked this road, each day has been brighter. As You have asked of me, I will believe, have faith, and look for the things You have for me. And with these things I will bless the lives of my children, grandchildren and brother.
I myself have no power. It's the people behind me who have the power. Real power comes only from the Creator. It's in his hands. Leon Shenandoah six nations Iroquois confereracy
If you know my song, you know Charlie. Everyone has a song. God gave us each a song. Thats who we are. Our song tells us who we are. Charlie Knight Ute
In the life of the Native American there is only one inevitable duty - the duty of prayer, the daily recognition of the Unseen and Eternal. His daily devotions were more necessary to him than daily food. He awakes at daybreak, puts on his moccaains, and steps out of his dwelling. He stands erect before the advancing dawn, facing the sun as it dances upon the horizon, and offers his unspoken orison. His mate may preceed him, or follow him in his devotions, but never accompanies him. Each soul must meet meet the morning sun and the Great Silence alone.
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