THIS IS A FREE ARTICLE FROM SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE. Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality, based in West Wales, published four times a year since 1993. You may share this in any non-commercial way but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted anywhere. To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop please visit : www.SacredHoop.org/offer.html Singing the path of the Spirits The Navaho ways of healing and sorcery Nicholas Breeze Wood Above: Monument The Diné are a Native American dangerous and needs to be Valley, a sacred tribal group living where Arizona, guarded against by place in the Diné Utah and New Mexico meet in the performing specific homelands USA. They are often known as the ceremonies to restore the Inset ‐ top: Navajo or Navaho, but their real harmony. Danger can come making a name is Diné which means ‘The from any disturbance of the moths and butterflies. Dangerous sandpainting People.’ The name Navajo is a harmonious order, and the Diné disharmony can occur either by Spanish adaptation of the Tewa believe that much in the universe coming directly into contact with Inset ‐ bottom: a Pueblo word navahu’u, which means has a tendency to go out of harmony them, or by touching things such as Diné singer makes ‘farm fields in a valley,’ and was when not controlled. This is firewood or stones, which have had an offering of given to the Diné by the Spanish especially true of the many things previous contact with them. cornflour because they lived in such a place. the Diné feel hold great power, and Cactus plants are also these are especially watched out for. considered dangerous and must THE DINÉ UNIVERSE never be burnt, and natural The Diné see the universe as These ‘loose cannons in phenomena such as lightning and made up of myriad interrelated creation’ include the dead, and whirlwinds are very dangerous living elements, from ants to there is much fear in Diné culture indeed and anything touched by mountains, and hot winds to hail of chindi (ghosts). A person, no such a phenomena should never be used or approached. Below: raw and thunderstorms. In their matter how harmoniously ‘good’ Even dreaming about any of turquoise stones, cosmology, all beings have a they have been in life, has a these things can be potentially life which the Diné natural place in creation, and when disharmonious ‘evil’ aspect that threatening. However, the threat use as offering beings are in harmony and may well become a dangerous from all these perils is reduced when to the spirits balance, the universe is in a place ghost after death, and which is of hozho (beauty) - this is a Diné very likely to harm the living if not the correct ceremonies are term for harmony and has nothing dealt with. performed and strict taboos kept. All to do with attractiveness. Other parts of creation of this can make Diné culture appear However, aspects of considered to be especially prone to very superstitious compared to the universe have a disharmony include certain animals Western culture, although to the tendency to fall into such as snakes, bears, porcupines, Diné it all makes perfect sense to disharmony and this is weasels, deer, coyotes, eagles, ants, keep the universe in harmony. SH 12 ISSUE 73 2011 THIS IS A FREE ARTICLE FROM SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE. Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality, based in West Wales, published four times a year since 1993. You may share this in any non-commercial way but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted anywhere. To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop please visit : www.SacredHoop.org/offer.html wish them well, mostly they are considered to be indifferent. But everything of power in the Diné’s world view is potentially dangerous; there is the ever-present need to maintain harmony between oneself and the Holy People - or ideally avoid them - to prevent injury or illness because you came into contact with their power. Thus an attack from a Holy Person is not personal - unlike an attack from a ghost or a sorcerer TABOO BREAKING The breaking of accepted Diné cultural taboos is seen as a great cause of disharmony and danger, which can open flood gates for greater disharmony to come rushing in. The Holy People do not necessarily Taboos in Diné culture are many and varied; they include care about humans or wish them rules of social contact between family members, well, mostly they are indifferent. periods of gambling, But everything of power in the improper sexual activity, breaking cultural laws about Diné’s world view is potentially the dead, casually mentioning certain animals dangerous; and there is the ever (such as owls), incorrectly maintaining the home, being present need to maintain harmony untidy or dirty, not caring correctly for sacred objects, to prevent injury or illness leaving a weaving unfinished with the weaving tools in the balance is seen as a blessing, and Above: Yei spirit wrong place, or even weaving ceremonies and rituals are often people in a facing the wrong direction. A full referred to under the collective sandpainting list of taboos would be almost term ‘blessingways.’ THE HOLY PEOPLE endless, and the breaking of any Blessingways bring good hope Left inset - To the Diné the universe is alive, taboo could result in illness, and luck, avert misfortune, invoke a Diné weaver and each aspect of it has spirit accident or at best misfortune, and positive blessings for a long and power and a soul. Then, in addition may ultimately end in your death. happy life and for the protection to these, there are the larger However, breaking a taboo is not and increase of possessions. They ancestral spirit beings, the cultural a ‘sin’ as we might consider it in the may be used to protect livestock, gods and goddesses. These include West - it is not bad because the aid childbirth, bless a new dwelling, Changing Woman (Asdzáá ‘crime’ was bad - it is bad because consecrate ritual objects, protect a Nádleehé), who is deeply it attracts external disharmony; for departing or returning soldier, connected to their sacred traditions, instance murder is bad not because strengthen an apprentice medicine and is the Diné’s most beloved of the deed itself, it is bad because person, or consecrate a marriage. spirit being. Changing Woman has it brings contact with the dead. Ceremonies are generally twin children, Monster Slayer performed for an individual who (Naaytt' Neizghlini) and Born for PUTTING THINGS RIGHT requests and sponsors them. This is Water (Tóbájíshchíní). Their father is The correct performance of different to the other native peoples the Sun, and the four of them form ceremony brings the disharmony who live near to the Diné, and who a holy family that is encountered in under control, banishes ghosts and have a set cycle of community many Diné stories and ceremonies. restores harmony. Ceremonies also ceremonies for the bringing of rain, There are also many other spirit give protection from the crop fertility and to help smooth the beings in Diné cosmology, disharmony, should it break out natural procession of the year. collectively called yei. These again. The Holy People are Ceremonies for rain may be include beings with such names as attracted to ceremonies, and the performed in times of drought by ‘Growling God,’ ‘Black God,’ and performance of a ceremony has to the Diné, but they will be individual ‘Water Sprinkler.’ Each of the yei be exact, so that they are satisfied affairs rather than large collective has a specific place in Diné by it, and give their blessing in ceremonies. ceremonial cosmology, and during order to set things right. ceremonies they are sometimes This seeking of blessing forms There are many forms of portrayed by masked dancers. a very major part of Diné blessingway, each with a different These ‘Holy People’ do not ceremony - the restoring of name such as ‘hand-tremblingway,’ necessarily care about humans or ‘shootingway,’ ‘eagleway,’ ‘red SH ISSUE 73 2011 13 THIS IS A FREE ARTICLE FROM SACRED HOOP MAGAZINE. Sacred Hoop is an independent magazine about Shamanism and Animistic Spirituality, based in West Wales, published four times a year since 1993. You may share this in any non-commercial way but reference to www.SacredHoop.org must be made if it is reprinted anywhere. To get a very special low-cost subscription to Sacred Hoop please visit : www.SacredHoop.org/offer.html and kidney and bladder disturbances. or two, or at most a handfull, of When a healing is being given blessingways, because each and the illness is not easy to ceremony is so vast and complex, diagnose, excerpts of a blessingway, and requires the accurate lasting only part of a day or a night knowledge of hundreds of songs, may be performed as a diagnostic long prescribed prayers, the use of test, and if the sick person seems to sacred plants and ritual objects, the improve, the whole ceremony may construction of sandpaintings, and be then given for them. many other rituals. Women rarely become hataafįį, but there is no Blessingway ceremonies can rule against them becoming one. last a long time. They are measured in nights, from sundown TURNING TO THE DARK SIDE to dawn, and some ceremonies Sometimes hataafįį or other people can be as many as nine nights are accused, or suspected of Above: a Diné antway’ and ‘big starway.’ long, although sacred activities becoming sorcerers (ánt’įįhnii) and ‘singer’ holding Each blessingway has a particular such as sandpainting and the using dark practices for personal a medicine focus, for instance, ‘mountainway’ is holding of sweatlodges are also gain and to spread disharmony.