It is a repetition of the act [of creation] itself" (1984: 76). NCC Press. 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. Everywhere I go over the earth she will have charge of female rain. Structural Anthropology. Right at the end of the rainbow I am here. abalone, and jet (jewels) while they followed her 8 I question Witherspoon here; in all other sources it is "Born to" the mother's clan. University of New Mexico Press. After the singing, the cake is unearthed and a first piece removed from the east direction. (Witherspoon 1975: 18). University of Chicago Press. 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. University of Chicago Press. "Changing Woman Happiness" for summer and "Changing Woman Long Life" in winter. a few songs one night, a ritual bath in yucca suds Traditionally, the child is placed in a cradleboard such as the one First Man placed Monster Slayer in upon his birth. Return Home. Douglas, Mary, 1966. A last piece remains in the pit as a sacrifice to the earth (Lincoln 1981: 24). In this section their symbolic implications will be explored in the larger framework of Dine subsistence and economics. in Witherspoon 1975: 17).7 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). Reichard, Gladys A, 1950. has the dignity of great simplicity. Aside from running, the girl's main duty is to grind the corn for the huge cake, called an alkaan, that will be eaten on the ceremony's final day. Aronilth, Wilson, 1991. 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). Volume II. 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). Language and Art in the Navajo Universe. Haile provides one myth in which First Man is dismayed at his forgetfulness when he leaves his medicine in a lower world: The language describing the bundle mirrors that describing Changing Woman; both make reproduction possible in a structured way. 4 Other sources report that Changing Woman only made four original clans. 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). Mythically, Sun is said to be corn's father and Lightning its mother (Reichard 1950: 27). The initiate gives everyone a piece, except herself, for she is not allowed to eat any. for the Navajo definition of fatherhood. Works Cited: The Book of the Navajo. thing missing, we have come up." greatly in creation. She is at the top of the Dine pantheon as the deity most likely to help individuals in need. Metaphorically, Changing Woman is the model mother which all human mothers strive to emulate. (Witherspoon 1975: 18). She later appropriates the bundle for herself when she moves to the Sun's house in the West, where she creates the Dine and other objects of great importance to Dine livelihood (87). None of these variations seems to influence the real substance of the story dramatically. These mountains are "today the immediate source of life and breath on the earth's surface. Mountain Soil Bundle: 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). Therefore, the soil in the bundle, wet with dew, gives the bundle fecundity. Farella asserts the following about corn's importance: Harvard UP. 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. abalone, and jet (jewels) while they followed her 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). Right on the fabric spread I am here. Witherspoon, Gary, 1975. The Savage Mind. Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. Metaphorically, Changing Woman is the model mother which all human mothers strive to emulate. Write one paragraph on what the Navajo Story "Changing Woman and the Hero Twins" shows about Indian values, way of life and religion. "Mask representing the younger twin, Born of Water, Tobadzschni, as seen in The Night Chant, a Navajo Ceremony, by Washington Matthews, published in 1902 in New York by the Knickerbocker Press. This she rubbed (on The Hero Twins tells the story of two brothers born to Changing Woman and trained by the Holy People to save their people from the naay', a race of monsters.But the naay' can't be beaten alone. Navajo Kinship and Marriage. appears in the spring, becomes as a young woman clothed The hogan has its creation in Navajo Mythology, when First Man creates it upon emergence into this world. (1975: 33). Changing Woman created the original clans by rubbing off pieces of her epidermis in a symbolic manner. Earth is My Mother, Sky Is My Father;: Space, Time, and Astronomy in Navajo Sandpainting. 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. 3 In Zolbrod's version, White Shell Woman and Changing Woman are sisters; some versions call her White Shell Woman instead of Changing Woman, other sources acknowledge that they are different names for the same deity. Witherspoon says, "at best, a father is a helpful friend, a good teacher, and a strong disciplinarian; at worst, he is a potential enemy, an undependable friend, or an unreliable ally" (1975: 34). Haile provides one myth in which First Man is dismayed at his forgetfulness when he leaves his medicine in a lower world: All living things have inner and outer forms, and "to achieve well-being the inner forms must harmonize and unify with Sa'ah Naaghii," and the outer forms must do the same with Bik'eh H-zh- (Witherspoon 1977: 25). on the mountain where the fogs meet, 'the corn identification with Changing Woman, as most dramatically (Farella 1984: 90) Navajo Religion. 4 Other sources report that Changing Woman only made four original clans. The unit's main functions are to "provide its members with a place of residence and a source of subsistence" (72). First Man's bundle is also said to contain soil from each of the four sacred mountains ringing the reservation. In this section their symbolic implications will be explored in the larger framework of Dine subsistence and economics. Pragmatic Implications: conceived, the white corn giving birth to Talking They begin by visiting their father the Sun and, after passing through many trials, are given weapons. The Main Stalk: A Synthesis of Navajo Philosophy. Shortly after the couple has their first child, they hold a Blessingway, or h-zh--j', for the child (Locke 1976: 23). on the mountain where the fogs meet, 'the corn Mortals, called Earth Surface People, emerged, and First Man and First Woman were formed from the ears of white and yellow corn. Zolbrod, Paul G, 1984. Therefore, the soil in the bundle, wet with dew, gives the bundle fecundity. The unit's main functions are to "provide its members with a place of residence and a source of subsistence" (72). Around the time of the h-zh--j', the child is given a secret, or "war," name by his or her parents which is considered the child's property and is seldom used even by the child's family (24). giving birth, which regulated our progress, with this Right on the white shell spread I am here. in Farella 1984: 83). 4 Other sources report that Changing Woman only made four original clans. The Savage Mind. ripening, which regulated the raining, which regulated We went Therefore, the soil in the bundle, wet with dew, gives the bundle fecundity. University of New Mexico Press. Throughout this paper, Dine will refer to the Navajo people, and Diyin Dine to the Holy People. The Twins in the story are a pair of. The language describing the bundle mirrors that describing Changing Woman; both make reproduction possible in a structured way. Kluckhohn and Leighton report that there are "exceedingly few violations of these prohibitions," for "Navahos treat incest of this sort and witchcraft as the most repulsive of crimes" (1946:112). Pragmatic Implications: This she rubbed (on Witherspoon comments, Works Cited: These mountains are "today the immediate source of life and breath on the earth's surface. Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. The door of a hogan always faces the east, and inhabitants always walk clockwise around the fire which occupies its center. For most of his day, he is coursing in the sky, which is why Changing Woman moves to the West so she can be with him at night. Conclusion: The hogan has its creation in Navajo Mythology, when First Man creates it upon emergence into this world. University of Michigan Press. The alkaan is baked in a large pit in the ground, into which the helpers pour the batter that the initiate mixes. Aside from running, the girl's main duty is to grind the corn for the huge cake, called an alkaan, that will be eaten on the ceremony's final day. Volume II. 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. Witherspoon asserts that "the sheep herd is a symbol of the life, wealth, vitality, and integration of the subsistence residential unit" (1975:87). Contained in the bundle are objects of value on the Earth's surface. The fertility of motherhood is symbolized by corn pollen and yellow corn. The man owns what his family gives him, and what he had saved for himself. Yellow corn is associated with females, a fact which is demonstrated in several ceremonies. Her running circuit is clockwise, from east to west, and so is a symbolic "pursuit of the sun" (Lincoln 1981: 20). 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). were to be (future) sheep. Zolbrod, Paul G, 1984. Here, fertility comes from the union of yellow corn and white corn, an idea which is mirrored in the Dine wedding ceremony. (Farella 1984: 90) Each of these categories shares symbolic qualities with Changing Woman, exemplified in Witherspoon's paradigm which asserts all items provide sustenance or protection. (Witherspoon 1975: 18). 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). were to be (future) sheep. It is organized around a head mother, a certain tract of land, and the sheep herd (72). nihima' (our mother), they refer to the Sun as "nihitah' One myth, which Stevenson recorded, places Talking God and another deity as created by corn from Changing Woman and her sister: NCC Press. After the bundle is retrieved from the watery world, First Man reveals the items to the other diyinii: "When he opened it to show them there was a perfectly kernelled white shell corn ear, a perfectly kernelled turquoise ear of corn, a perfectly kernelled abalone ear of corn, and a perfectly kernelled jet ear of corn" (Wyman qtd. 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). 1983Navajo Views of Their Origin. Moreover, she is credited with bestowing the Blessingway ceremony, the Kinaald, sheep, and corn upon humanity, thereby protecting not only Dine spiritual health, but basic subsistence as well. Lincoln states about the singing: nihima' (our mother), they refer to the Sun as "nihitah' University of New Mexico Press. Mankind. Therefore, it performs the same functions as Changing Woman, and is said to be Changing Woman's gift to humanity. Sheep are the most important livestock to the Navajo, in terms of raising and consuming. The traditional Navajo dwelling is called a hogan, which means "home" (Beck 1992: 284). Griffin-Pierce, Trudy, 1992. University of Arizona Press. Farella, John R., 1984. 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). rest periodically on mountain tops, which figure If the Sun establishes the "standard" for paternity, it is one of primary disassociation and repeated distancing from his children. What now? 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). A last piece remains in the pit as a sacrifice to the earth (Lincoln 1981: 24). 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