Big Snake

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One of the spirit guardian creatures of the Navajo people, Big Snake is a mythological creature associated with sacred sand paintings as well as healing ceremonies. According to some versions of the Navajo creation account, First Man and First Woman, after creating the sacred mountains of Dinétah (the Navajo homeland), sent Big Snake to guard the turquoise of Tsoodzil (Turquoise Mountain), or what is known today as Mount Taylor, located just northeast of present day Grants, NM.

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"Navajo rug with Yei figure holding a snake in each hand, circa 1900," rug, (1980_15_1). Farmington Museum, Farmington, New Mexico.

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