Sa'ah naaghaii, which translates to "the capacity of all life and living things to achieve immortality through reproduction," and bik'eh h-zh-, which "represents the peace and harmony essential to the perpetuation of all living species" (Witherspoon 1977:18) are at the heart of Dine ideology and Changing Woman is the deific substantiation of this ideology, which gets renewed with every season and every birth. The hogan has its creation in Navajo Mythology, when First Man creates it upon emergence into this world. The Main Stalk: A Synthesis of Navajo Philosophy. Griffin-Pierce, Trudy, 1992. After she is dressed, older females at the ceremony give her a vigorous massage, which is called "molding" the girl. 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). Dine kinship extends far beyond the nuclear family. (Reichard 1950: 29) The Kinaald: She is a powerful goddess who is responsible for the changing of the . Therefore, the soil in the bundle, wet with dew, gives the bundle fecundity. Clans regulate marriage; no two individuals who share the same "matrilineal descent identity" should marry. Witherspoon, Gary, 1977. The Sun and his associated symbols and 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). 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. in Witherspoon 1975: 17).7. Dine kinship extends far beyond the nuclear family. However, livestock is always privately owned, and until recently, there was no concept of joint ownership at all between wife and husband (17-18). Witherspoon, Gary, 1977. When Changing Woman placed an ear of 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). 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). 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). None of these variations seems to influence the real substance of the story dramatically. Though the twins are physically strong . 4 Other sources report that Changing Woman only made four original clans. 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. Routledge Books. Sheep are the most important livestock to the Navajo, in terms of raising and consuming. There are over sixty clans today (Kluckhohn 1946: 111). in Farella 1984: 83). 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). After she is dressed, older females at the ceremony give her a vigorous massage, which is called "molding" the girl. white corn, and her sister an ear of yellow corn, Just as Navajo refer to Changing Woman as In Dine culture, sharing food is a symbol of solidarity between relations and friends (Witherspoon 1975: 88). Changing Woman was irritated and said "your father is a round cactus then. University of Chicago Press. When they passed all his grueling tests, with Nilch'i the Wind's aid, he was surprised and proud, and gave them gifts to help overcome the monsters (Zolbrod 1984: 212). Foundation of Navajo Culture. Although this next passage is not present in Zolbrod's text, it is crucial to defining Changing Woman's identity. 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). announced in the Following Twelve Word Song: 2 For a classification of ceremonies, consult Reichard 1950: 314-337. Members of subsistence residential units will share any slaughtered sheep with each other, thereby reaffirming their unity as a group and their individual commitment to the group. Beck, Peggy, and Anna Lee Walters, eds., 1992. 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). does this and in return he is fed, but the corn meal identification with Changing Woman, as most dramatically She took the twins to the house of their grandmother, as instructed. Only in Blessing Way is Changing Woman ever represented in visible form in a dry painting. None of these variations seems to influence the real substance of the story dramatically. Dine children address their father as an in-law, or shaadaani. Changing Woman created the original clans by rubbing off pieces of her epidermis in a symbolic manner. white corn, and her sister an ear of yellow corn, The same language used to characterize her is used to describe other relationships and objects as well, such as the sacred mountain bundle. the amniotic fluidsoaked into the soil right there. 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. were to be (future) sheep. without the thing which regulated our lives, by means As soon as children are old enough to help out with the herding, they are given sheep of their own to care for. Douglas, Mary, 1966. The Sacred Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life. By tracing the Kinaald, the Navajo wedding ceremony, and the birth of a new baby, a larger picture will emerge of exactly what shim in Navajo implies. 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). Their grandmother loved the twins dearly. Corn is, first of all, diyinii Corn is, of course, God, the yellow corn giving birth to another deity.' Combining their sheep into one herd is the "most important cooperative enterprise of the unit" (72). Zolbrod, Paul G, 1984. Conclusion: Witherspoon, Gary, 1977. The hogan has its creation in Navajo Mythology, when First Man creates it upon emergence into this world. A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 26 "It is in the corporate enterprise of the sheep herd that the Navajo child learns the meaning, necessity, and nature of group or communal life, and it is this experience, more than any other, that forms his social personality" (1975:73). Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. The fourth day is devoted to singing sacred Blessingway and "free" songs. 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). John Farella asserts that the sacred bundle is more than just a provider of luxuries. abalone, and jet (jewels) while they followed her Monster Slayer. 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) You can scroll way down in the very long "Dine Bahane" (Story of the People) and start with the birth of Changing Woman and finish the story with the series of battles against the monsters taking over the earth (after the Hero Twins return from meeting their father the Sun God). The guests and betrothed sit in prescribed places in the hogan, and a number of rituals are performed. However, livestock is always privately owned, and until recently, there was no concept of joint ownership at all between wife and husband (17-18). 6 For a longer discussion of hogans, please see page The latter term can be further divided into the Dine, the Navajo, and the ana'', or non-Navajos. Zolbrod, Paul G, 1984. her hands and then) on the white shell, the turquoise, 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). 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. greatly in creation. In this section their symbolic implications will be explored in the larger framework of Dine subsistence and economics. It is "precautionary, protecting, prophylactic--not a cure" (212). Hogans are characterized by a rich tradition of symbolism. She did this two more times, one rubbing skin from between her breasts, thereby forming what would become known as Hashtl'ishnii, or the Mud Clan. There are (Kluckhohn 1946: 212) When they passed all his grueling tests, with Nilch'i the Wind's aid, he was surprised and proud, and gave them gifts to help overcome the monsters (Zolbrod 1984: 212). As such, it is used to animate all "natural phenomena," such as the seasons and the rain (80). 4 Other sources report that Changing Woman only made four original clans. their meanings provide the major conceptual framework Changing Woman created the original clans by rubbing off pieces of her epidermis in a symbolic manner. University of Arizona Press. Hunahpu is one of the hero twins in the Popol Vuh. 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). 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. 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 Kinaald puts the Navajo girl on the path to adulthood, which culminates in the wedding ceremony. Changing Woman is considered to have made the first sheep: 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). in Witherspoon 1975: 17).7 In fact, they reflect Dine kinship and social relationships (92). her hands and then) on the white shell, the turquoise, (Haile qtd. 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). used throughout, and drypaintings of these materials and pulverized flower blossoms are sometimes prepared (1984:30) 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). Navajo Religion. Yellow corn is associated with females, a fact which is demonstrated in several ceremonies. 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. their meanings provide the major conceptual framework mirage and earth rising haze. Farella, John R., 1984. As stated before, Changing Woman is the first and model mother. Therefore, it performs the same functions as Changing Woman, and is said to be Changing Woman's gift to humanity. K'e' terms, or the Dine descent system, contains six large categories: the mother's clan, father's clan, born for mother's clan8, born for father's clan, clan for which mother is born, and the clan for which father is born (95). In some stories she has a sister, White Shell Woman (Yoolgai asdz), who symbolizes the rain clouds. abalone, and jet (jewels) while they followed her Navajo Kinship and Marriage. Aronilth, Wilson, 1991. 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