Right After Sundown: Teaching Stories of the NavajosUnderstanding of the traditional Navajo world view and philosophy is ultimately centered on their origin story of emergence into the present world. All stories stem from this basic one. This collection of 12 Navajo stories includes origin stories, coyote stories, and a fairly recent one that describes a recognizable place. In the Anglo sense, these stories may seem unrelated, but to the Navajos, they are all connected. These stories are not colorful folk tales or a writer's creative imagination, but are, for the Navajos, actual events. In their humor and graphic descriptions, the stories seem to be folk tales. In their supernatural reality, they take on the quality of legend. In their association with the complicated Navajo ceremonies, they explain and justify the moral values and cultural norms of traditional Navajo society. In their moralistic character, they represent the height of parable. Repetition, so customary in American Indian stories, is a reflection of the rhythms of daily life and the power of continuity. Rather than lecturing their young people about right and wrong, the Navajos tell stories such as these to illustrate what they desire to teach, allowing the children to grasp for themselves what is appropriate behavior. This book includes 20 references, a glossary, and a prayer from the Navajo Beauty Way. (SV) |
Common terms and phrases
animals asked Badger begun in beauty Big Long Black Body blue Blue Heron Born-of-Water bozbo bragged brother called Chaco Canyon Changing Woman climb color Colorado Coyote Coyote's creation dark daughter decided Diné Earth east elder emergence Fifth World Finally finished in beauty four Holy Fourth World gamble Gambler Grasshoppers grew harmony Hero Twins hogan hole Holy Peo hoop Horned Monster Hunger JOHNSON kill Kisaani lake Little White Beetle live looked magic Messenger Wind Monster Bird Monster Slayer Monster-slaying Twins Mountain Lion Native American Navajo Navajoland never night Niwhiilbiihi Old Age Woman old woman once planted Pueblo Bonito rabbits RAYMOND returned sacred mountain Second World slide soon stars stories Swallow Tall Pine tell things threw told trees twelve young twins was born walk Water Monster Water Monster's children White Beetle began white cloud women Ye'iitsoh young otters youngest otter