Navajo

Beatrice Osborne, Rachel Davis, and Max Heider **//__Sacred Times, Practises and Spaces__//** The Navajo have interesting ceremonies that they perform, some of which are impossible to describe since there are so many. There are many participants in the ceremonies but the most respected practitioners are the “Singers” and they are the ones who perform the main chants in the major ceremonies. In these giant ceremonies, there are many things happening at once. They include songs, prayers, masked dances and even magical rituals. There are coming of age ceremonies, house blessing ceremonies, wedding ceremonies and many more. The only thing that is not a ceremony is when someone dies. The Navajos do not take as much interest in the afterlife as Christians do or any other religion. They bury the dead quickly and without a ceremony. The Navajos hold the belief that they were placed between 4 certain mountains. These represent the 4 cardinal directions. The mountains are Mount Blanca in San Luis Valley, Colorado, Mount Taylor near Laguna, New Mexico, San Fransisco Peaks in Flagstaff, Arizona, and finally Mount Hesperus in La Plata Mountains, Colorado. These mountains also play a huge part in Navajo mythology and they help the Navajos live in peace and harmony with their Creator and nature. Speaking of nature, the Navajos believe that all things are relatives including rocks and trees.

**The Importance of Origins, Gods and Ancestors** The Navajo people believe in a very interesting story of creation. First Man, First Women, and Coyote came up to the Earth from the underworld. They realized how beautiful the world was from underground and the thought it was too dark outside. So they looked around for shiny stones and put them in the sky for the moon and stars. They only worship and praise one God. They call this God "Almighty" and they believe that the sun is symbol of the God. However, this does mean that they worship the sun, it simply means that they think the sun represents the "Almighty." The ancestors of the Navajo people derive from the story of creation. First Man is one of them who came up from the underworld and had the idea of putting stones in the sky for the stars and moon. First Women is also one of them they came from the underworld, and also Coyote.

Importance of Nature The Navajo have a unique view of the Earth and how it should be treated. Everything they do has a deep routed connection to their religious beliefs. The Navajos see the Earth as the mother of all living beings, and as such, treat it as a living being. They believe that her organs are geological formations, and that rivers and streams are veins and arteries. Because of this, they look down upon removing too many resources, as they believe it could kill her. The land should be respected and cared for properly if it is to continue to provide for its people. They have a deep respect for the land because of this, even involving it in important ceremonies. For example, when a child is born, his or her umbilical cord is buried near the hogan to symbolize moving from a human　mother's nourishment to nourishment by Mother Earth. Even animals are seen as gifts from the Holy People that need to be cared for if they are to provide for the family. Bibliography Bitsuie, Roman `. "Holy Wind and Natural Law 'NATURAL LAW and NAVAJO RELIGION/ WAY of Life.'" //Indians.org//. American Indians Heritage Foundation, 21 Apr. 1995. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . Burke, Paul. "Navajo Gods." First People. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. <[|__http://www.firstpeople.us/glossary/native-american-gods-navajo.html__]>. "Navajo Religion." //Xpressweb.com//. Baca Enterprises Inc., n.d. Web. 20 Sept. 2010. . Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000105 EndHTML:0000003804 StartFragment:0000002442 EndFragment:0000003768 An Introduction to Navajo Sacred Places.” //Informaworld//. Taylor and Franci Group, 2010. Web. 21 Sept. 2010. . Lapahie, Harrison. “Navajo Sacred Mountains.” //Lapahie.com//. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. . “Navajo Religion.” //Meta Religion//. N.p., 2007. Web. 21 Sept. 2010. . “Navajo- Religion and Expressive Cuture.” //Countries and Their Cultures//. jRank, n.d. Web. 16 Sept. 2010. .