Navajo

Parts of the Collage

"Diné" is what the people of the Navajo tribe call themselves. It means "the people," and is used interchangably with the word "Navajo" by members of the Navajo Nation.

The person in the center is Buu Nygren, the current president of Navajo Nation.

The person on the right is Chief Manuelito, the Navajo Chief before, during and after the Long Walk Period.

The three people on the left are from Navajo Nation, but have no names provided.

Land Occupation

Unlike many reservations, it has expanded several times since its establishment in 1868 and it is one of the few indigenous nations whose reservation lands overlap its original homelands. The interactive map on the right depicts a rough outline of the original homelands as well as the current reservation.

Their maintenance of their homelands is extremely fortunate, because it has allowed for their spatiality to remain concrete and visible, and as a result, their surrounding mountains have become deeply embedded in their outlook on nature. Even so, it is important to recognize that a large portion of Navajo people are living outside of the reservation. As of 2010, 158,462 tribal members (53 percent) live outside the reservation, in urban areas (26 percent), border towns (10 percent), and elsewhere in the U.S. (17 percent).

Views of Nature

This is my own interpretation and synthesis of what I have read of the writings of Navajo indigenous people and I have specifically included information such that it highlights the differences between the three tribes. In order to avoid having my writing, the writing of an onlooker, being that which shapes the knowledge of the reader, I strongly encourage you to scroll to the bottom and read the original writing that I used to inform this project.

Like other North American Indigenous groups, they see humans as being part of nature and coming from nature, not just "close" to it. Central to their view of nature is understanding the whole, which is that man is connected to everything in the universe. Sa'a is described as a harmonious and desirable destiny, which encompasses respect and reverence to nature. The natural landmarks and animals that they feel most connected to are informed by those that are present and play a significant role throughout their landscape.

The Navajo people place great emphasis on protecting the wellbeing of the mountains. Along with Mother Nature (animals, plants, small organisms, etc.) and Father Universe (energy, cosmos, dark matter, etc.), they also understand a sense of spirituality from Mother Earth, which consists of mountains and life. It is said that the creator placed the Diné on land between four mountains, representing the four cardinal directions. They are called the Dził Diyinii Dį́į’go Sinil. Given that Navajo people still occupy much of their original homelands, the mountains are very deeply embedded in their culture as they have been present since the beginning.

Blanca Peak, the sacred mountain of the east

Sisnaajiní, meaning “the dawn,” or “white shell mountain”

Mount Taylor, the sacred mountain of the south

Tsoodził, meaning “turquoise mountain,” or “blue bead”

San Francisco Peak, the sacred mountain of the west

Dook’o’oosłííd, meaning “the summit which never melts” or “abalone shell mountain"

Hesperus Mountain, the sacred mountain of the north

Dibé Nitsaa, meaning “big sheep”

Coyotes are common residents on the Navajo Nation.

Coyotes are called Máii in the Navajo language and are said to posses mystical powers. They are considered as messengers and respected by the Navajo People. They are also a sacred animal because of their involvement in the Navajo Creation Stories.

Golden Eagles are widespread year-round residents of the Navajo Nation.

The Golden Eagle is called Atsáshzhiin in the Navajo language. The Golden Eagle is a very sacred and important bird in the Navajo culture, and are respected and greatly honored. It is said that a Navajo person can keep an eagle feather only after it is properly blessed by a medicine man.

Remap of Reservation

In this image, I have symbolically mapped nature onto their territory; I merge the fixed spatiality of their territory with the cyclical and dynamic nature of the four directional colors, which both expands the presence of the territory outwards and blurs its boundaries. The colors I have chosen are based on the color that each of the mountains/cardinal directions represents: black is north, white is east, turquoise is south, and yellow is west.

Black is associated with Hesperus mountain, and represents night, the monster slayer, and the holy man.

White is associated with Blanca peak, and represents dawn and the holy woman.

Turquoise is associated with Mount Taylor, and represents day, being born for water, and the holy boy.

Yellow is associated with San Francisco Peak, and represents dusk and the holy girl.

Sources/Additional Resources

Navajo Nation official website: https://www.navajo-nsn.gov/

Navajo Encyclopedia page: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Navajo-people

"The Past, Present, and Future of the Navajo Nation": https://blog.nativehope.org/past-present-future-of-the-navajo-nation

Navajo Nation Mapping Project: https://dinelanduse.org/history/

"The spirituality of Nature, Earth and Universe", written by a member of the Navajo Nation: https://www.nhonews.com/news/2007/jun/05/the-spirituality-of-nature-earth-and-universe/

Dissertation on Navajo Language and Culture: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1565&context=dissertations_2

Policy on resource collection written by Navajo Nation: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/61f18d0ee0605f4e06b817ca/t/62b4b38bfb31ad452a8f82f4/1656009611506/NN_Policy_for+the+Disposition_of_Cultural_Resources_Collections.pdf

Navajo Nation Zoo website: https://navajozoo.org/

The Four Sacred Mountains of Navajo: https://decolonialatlas.wordpress.com/2015/02/22/the-four-sacred-mountains-of-the-navajo/#:~:text=In%20Din%C3%A9%20Bahane%CA%BC%20(The%20Navajo,bizaad%20(the%20Navajo%20language)%3A

Navajo Nation StoryMap: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/71ce3cb86e5442f4aeb91f198e59872c

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