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Also known as Grandmother Spider, Spider Woman is a powerful figure in various Native American mythologies. In many creation and migration stories she appears as a...

Springs are areas on the landscape where groundwater is pushed by gravity or pressure to the surface through unconsolidated sediment or fractures in the bedrock....

A large evergreen tree, native to New Mexico and other mountainous areas of the Southwest, common at elevations between 7,000-12,000 feet. Spruce tends to grow in dense...

A term used in music to describe abrupt sounds that are set apart as opposed to smoothly integrated or sustained sounds, thereby creating a style of singing or playing...

A steel alloy containing between 10-30 percent chromium, which has unusual heat and corrosion resistance qualities. Nickel, titanium, copper, or other elements may be...

A rock formation commonly found suspended from the ceilings of caves. The mixture of water and calcium carbonate (found in limestone) forms stalactites, which when they...

A rock formation that commonly ascends from cave floors. Stalagmites form when sandstone has been stripped away, exposing limestone. The mixture of water and calcium...

Stanley (Stan) Newman was a professor of Linguistic Anthropology at the University of New Mexico from 1949 until 1971. In 1960 he became a co-editor of the Southwestern...

The Navajo (Diné) tribe is comprised of more than forty family lineages--or clans--that claim common ancestry. There is no indication that there is an actual Navajo...

A small community located in northwestern New Mexico, on the eastern side of the Navajo Reservation. Standing Rock is one of the many chapters of the Navajo Nation,...

In some versions of Navajo healing traditions, a star gazer completes a ceremony to diagnose the type of illness a patient has. The star gazer first creates a...

A police force maintained by a U.S. state and responsible for the territoriality of that particular state. The state police force has a higher jurisdiction than the...

Unlike the typical four-door sedan design, a station wagon has five doors, because it does not have a rear trunk that is separate from the passenger compartment....

A wide-brimmed and high-crowned hat generally made of felt that was originally made by John B. Stetson Company, founded in 1865. Known as “Boss of the Plains,” this hat...

According to some versions of Navajo traditional healing ceremonies, stick receivers are roles performed by a member of another clan during the Enemyway ceremonial. The...

An apparatus used to distill alcohol from a fermented grain-based mixture, often known as mash or wash. Folk traditions locate these devices in a variety of...

A long period during which stones were utilized as the primary tool, making stone the definitive maker and marker of the era. Although humans were not the only beings...

A layer of the earth’s atmosphere above the troposphere and just below the mesosphere. This layer is stratified, with the upper layers being much warmer than the lower...

A mortuary is a funeral service agency that specializes in planning memorial services, cremation options, and burial services. This includes preparing the body of the...

A mixture of lime or gypsum, sand, and water that is applied to the walls of structures as a sealant. In the Southwest, many pueblos are made of adobe, which comes from...

There is a long standing tradition of sheep and cattle herding among the Navajo and Hopi, as well as other Native peoples in the New Mexico and Arizona area. In warm...

Also known as a brush hogan, a summer hogan is a temporary shelter typically made of three forked poles and covered with the boughs of cedar or piñon pine. These...

The sun retains a significant position in most cosmologies, often taking on anthropomorphic features. From Ra, Apollo, Buddha, and the Christ figure, to indigenous...

Sun-Father or Father Sun is one of the first five beings of Zuni origin stories living above a layer of fog, and created by A'wonawilona, or the living sky that...

The frosty cold from the breath of this winter god is eased by the return of the Corn Maidens in spring, who bear the scents of flowers and warm mists.