5 There is no equivalent for males in Navajo culture. Like their father before them, the Hero Twins were not very good at gardening. The fertility of motherhood is symbolized by corn pollen and yellow corn. NCC Press. (Witherspoon 1975: 18). and corn pollen are also the food of diyinni, and these The corn's birthing process is similar to that of Changing Woman and Whiteshell Woman delivering Monster Slayer and {Water Child}. While on one hand it similarly widens the circle of a Dine's obligations, that individual will be able to call upon the same relatives when needed. A deity named Changing Woman gave birth to the Hero Twins, called Monster Slayer and Child of the Waters. The symbolism of the color yellow has been studied by Newcomb, Fisher and Wheelwright, who assert that yellow is "the color of the female wind and of the ripened harvest and the soft autumnal rain" (qtd. Mankind. This reveals that she is beyond the sphere of maternal influence, and permeates disparate realms of the Dine culture. Witherspoon asserts that these terms have two broad definitions: a set of relationships that revolves around the act of giving birth; and a set of behavioral codes defined by "the generous giving of both physical and emotional sustenance" (94). This she rubbed (on Then it is baked in a pit, which is symbolic of a woman's womb (earth=woman). Purity and Danger. We went For example, Changing Woman gives protection from evil beings; human mothers provide affection and nurturing; mountain soil bundles give protection from danger; sheep herding metaphorically gives security from starvation and poverty, and the corn field stands for the fecundity of motherhood (1977:94). accumulation of property, insuring a long and happy Return Home. in Farella 1984: 83). This solidarity is formed from the mother's role as provider and sustainer for her child. Metaphorically, Changing Woman is the model mother which all human mothers strive to emulate. Navajo Religion. Levi-Strauss, Claude, 1966. in Farella 1984: 83). her hands and then) on the white shell, the turquoise, Volume II. On the reservation, certain places are open to everyone, like timber or watering areas. Even after this incident, however, the Sun could never really be close to his children. Hogans are characterized by a rich tradition of symbolism. Although the interior is always a contiguous whole, it is metaphorically divided by the four poles into the four cardinal directions: the south side is associated with things relating to subsistence, the West with social relations, the North for reverence,' and ceremonial objects, and the East is the door (Griffin-pierce 1992: 94). Sheep are the most important livestock to the Navajo, in terms of raising and consuming. Clans regulate marriage; no two individuals who share the same "matrilineal descent identity" should marry. Sometimes Monster Slayer is referred to as The Hero Twin (singular), probably because he does most of the fighting. 2 For a classification of ceremonies, consult Reichard 1950: 314-337. the amniotic fluidsoaked into the soil right there. 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). Therefore, one may gage the healthiness and wealth of any given unit of Dine by the appearance of their sheep. For example, the vital part of the Navajo wedding ceremony consists of the couple eating corn meal together; the white corn meal is male, the yellow is female, and corn pollen sprinkled on both unifies it (Witherspoon 1975: 17). 1 University of New Mexico,Albuquerque, NM 87131, The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, (505) 277-0111AccessibilityContact UNMLegalComments Furthermore, objects and individuals have proscribed placement within the hogan as well. Witherspoon, Gary, 1975. Douglas, Mary, 1966. The fertility of motherhood is symbolized by corn pollen and yellow corn. The Twins in the story are a pair of. University of Chicago Press. One might thus interpret her as an allegory of the seasons, but she is more, being related to the earth and vegetation. Yellow corn is associated with females, a fact which is demonstrated in several ceremonies. In the center of my white shell hogan I am here. As stated before, Changing Woman is the first and model mother. University of Chicago Press. Cornmeal and pollen are prominently 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). Clans regulate marriage; no two individuals who share the same "matrilineal descent identity" should marry. Woman and her Blessingway gave it to us. Witherspoon comments, The man owns what his family gives him, and what he had saved for himself. She busied herself with what is called earth Another major part of the Kinaald involves the girl running toward the east, which she does twice a day for the first day, and three times a day for the next three days. Shortly after the couple has their first child, they hold a Blessingway, or h-zh--j', for the child (Locke 1976: 23). Hunahpu. 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). Levi-Strauss, Claude, 1966. are returned to diyinni in the form of offerings. The batter is blessed with cornmeal and covered with husks, "in the center of which the initiand places another corn-husk cross oriented to the cardinal points. Routledge Books. their meanings provide the major conceptual framework "We have started out Beck, Peggy, and Anna Lee Walters, eds., 1992. Changing Woman is considered to have made the first sheep: on them "will be called amniotic fluid,"but Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. If the flock is well-fed and cared for, then the social dynamics of the unit will similarly be harmonious and productive. University of New Mexico Press. He points out, however, that the initiate is the one participant in the Kinaald who does not consume the alkaan and experience its "social totality." Clans also define the larger circle of an individual's relatives, which is necessary for identifying responsibility in ceremonial cooperation (Kluckhohn 1946: 112). For more information, consult Witherspoon 1975:40. Changing Woman and the Hero Twins after the Emergence of the People (Navajo) (c. 1600) Iktomi and the Dancing Duck (c. 1600) Iroquois or Confederacy of the five Nations (Iroquois) (c. 1600) Raven Makes a Girl Sick and Then Cures Her (Tsimshian) (c. 1600) Talk Concerning the First Beginning (Zuni) (c. 1600) The Bungling Host (Hitchiti) (c. 1600) Lincoln states about the singing: I am here, I am White Shell Woman, I am here. Works Cited: He ascended the mountain and at the tip, right when lightning flashed and a rainbow showered him with vibrant colors, did he find Changing Woman. Clans also define the larger circle of an individual's relatives, which is necessary for identifying responsibility in ceremonial cooperation (Kluckhohn 1946: 112). 7 Please see Witherspoon's chart on color in Appendix A. Throughout this paper, Dine will refer to the Navajo people, and Diyin Dine to the Holy People. Harvard UP. Changing Woman created the original clans by rubbing off pieces of her epidermis in a symbolic manner. The Symbolism of Corn: Levi-Strauss, Claude, 1976. Beck, Peggy, and Anna Lee Walters, eds., 1992. Therefore, it performs the same functions as Changing Woman, and is said to be Changing Woman's gift to humanity. Man, of course, These mountains are "today the immediate source of life and breath on the earth's surface. Foundation of Navajo Culture. One of the most terrific things the twins do is destroying the monsters and bringing horses back to the fifth world, which is the world we live in today. The conception of the deities involved not only corn, but also water (in the fog) and the Sun. Monster Slayer. without the thing which regulated our lives, by means In earlier days, clans also provided social control, but Kluckhohn and Leighton report that this has changed with the imposition of Anglo "law and order" (112). In fact, Kluckhohn reports that a family has at least one h-zh--j' every six months. Aronilth, Wilson, 1991. The mountain soil bundle, also referred to as the "sacred medicine bundle," shares symbolic connotations with Changing Woman. Yellow corn is associated with females, a fact which is demonstrated in several ceremonies. without the thing which regulated our lives, by means In earlier days, clans also provided social control, but Kluckhohn and Leighton report that this has changed with the imposition of Anglo "law and order" (112). This takes place in the hogan, which is arranged in ceremonial fashion (please refer to Fig. 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). (Farella 1984: 90) Now on the top of Gobernador Knob, I am here. Witherspoon, Gary, 1977. It too is addressed "shim," and considered to be a protector. Moist earth is shoveled in to cover the batter, a fire is built up on top and kept going all night to bake the batter fully" (Lincoln 1981: 21). 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. Earth is My Mother, Sky Is My Father;: Space, Time, and Astronomy in Navajo Sandpainting. The story tells of a man, Neo, becoming a hero. However, livestock is always privately owned, and until recently, there was no concept of joint ownership at all between wife and husband (17-18). 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). While on one hand it similarly widens the circle of a Dine's obligations, that individual will be able to call upon the same relatives when needed. The same language used to characterize her is used to describe other relationships and objects as well, such as the sacred mountain bundle. In Dine culture, sharing food is a symbol of solidarity between relations and friends (Witherspoon 1975: 88). Haile provides one myth in which First Man is dismayed at his forgetfulness when he leaves his medicine in a lower world: 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). The Symbolism of Corn: Dine bahane'. This is "a practice based upon the belief that at the time of initiation a girl's body becomes soft again, as it was at birth, and thus she is susceptible to being literally re-formed by the efforts of those around her" (Lincoln 1981: 20). Bruce Lincoln states that the ritual extends five days and four nights, during which "only Blessing Songs are sung, 'which are the holiest,' and all the ritual events are patterned after those of the first and second Kinaald," performed for Changing Woman (1981:18). Although the interior is always a contiguous whole, it is metaphorically divided by the four poles into the four cardinal directions: the south side is associated with things relating to subsistence, the West with social relations, the North for reverence,' and ceremonial objects, and the East is the door (Griffin-pierce 1992: 94). without the thing which regulated our lives, by means Return Home. After the singing, the cake is unearthed and a first piece removed from the east direction. You won't find the oft regurgitated Greek goddesses. Return Home in the fog ) and the Sun, which is demonstrated several... Dynamics of the Dine culture, sharing food is a symbol of solidarity between relations and friends ( 1975... 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