Article
Ceremonials are ritual, sacred, or spiritual practices found in many cultures around the world, including the Pueblo and Navajo in the American Southwest. Pueblo ceremonials are not homogeneous among the various Pueblo groups, but are instead a shared attribute among them, and includes ceremonials associated with their kiva societies. Pueblo kiva societies nurture the traditions affiliated with specific kachina, who are ancestor spirits and spirits associated with natural phenomena.
In the Navajo tradition, ceremonials are performed by a singer, also known as a hataałii, to address symptoms of imbalance that manifest as mental or physical illness. Navajo cures are targeted at body, mind, and spirit, and can last anywhere from one to nine days. Navajo ceremonials include chants, songs, prayers, lectures, dances, sweat baths, prayer sticks, and sand paintings.
"Navajo sandpainting ceremonial, probably in Arizona, circa 1890" by Mullarky Photo is licensed under Public Domain.
Manuscripts
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 70
A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 86
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A04 Dance Hall of the Dead (04-06) p. 17
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A04 Dance Hall of the Dead (04-06) p. 83
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A04 Dance Hall of the Dead (04-06) p. 108
A04 Dance Hall of the Dead (04-06) p. 111
A04 Dance Hall of the Dead (04-06) p. 116
A05 Listening Woman (02-13), p. 18
A05 Listening Woman (02-13), p. 41
A05 Listening Woman (02-13), p. 64
A05 Listening Woman (02-13), p. 94
A05 Listening Woman (02-13), p. 111
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A05 Listening Woman (02-13), p. 228
A06 People of Darkness (03-06) p. 51
A06 People of Darkness (03-06) p. 108
A06 People of Darkness (03-06) p. 117
A06 People of Darkness (03-06) p. 119
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A07 The Dark Wind (04-06), p. 19
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References
Frisbie, Charlotte J.
1987 Navajo Medicine Bundles or Jish: Acquisition, Transmission, and Disposition in the
Past and Present. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press.
Hirschfelder, Arlene and Paulette Molin
2000 Encyclopedia of Native American Religions. New York: Checkmark Books.
Kelley, Klara Bonsack and Harris Francis
1994 Navajo Sacred Places. Bloomington: Indiana University Press.