The Blessing Way (1970)

The Blessing Way (1970)

seismograph

Seismograph is an older term for what today is referred to as a seismometer. Seismometers are instruments used to measure waves and movement within the earth’s surface. These waves can be produced by natural occurrences like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, or by artificial means such as excavation work and the detonation of explosive devices. Seismometers record these waves on a seismogram, with the resulting variegation in the lines produced indicating the relative power, or size, of the earthquake.

scrub cedar

A colloquial reference to the juniper component of pinyon-juniper woodlands, which range from New Mexico, across the Colorado Plateau and the Great Basin, and into the higher elevations of the Mohave Desert in southeastern California. In this forest type, and in reference to the juniper species found within it, junipers tend to be relatively low to the ground and bushy due to the harsher conditions found in the arid high deserts of the western U.S..

sap

The watery fluid that is transported through a plant’s structure through vascular tissue. This fluid can be a mixture of water, sugar, waste, food, salts, and other chemical compounds. There are different kinds of sap depending on where the fluid is stored and what the fluid is composed of. These saps include cell, xylem, and phloem.

datura

Datura is a genus of flowering plants that is used as a narcotic in various cultural traditions throughout the Americas. Because of its hallucinatory properties, its effects are associated with divination or witchcraft. This genus is also often associated with the classic “witches weeds,” such as Deadly Nightshade and mandrake. It has a root that is poisonous, and so it used with caution.

In some Navajo curing ceremonials, the first time datura is taken for divination,or seeing into the future, it is supervised by a singer, or haatali. Divination is most often sought in order to restore people to their balanced state and only as a last resort after other means of restoring equilibrium have been attempted.

erosion

The geologic process in which the surface of the earth, including soil, bedrock, and rock fragments, is degraded by natural processes. There are multiple processes by which these earth materials can be eroded including eolian erosion (wind), fluvial (rivers and streams), marine (ocean waves), and glacial. These processes break down rocks in their primary locations and then transport them to secondary locations. Geologic formations such as canyons and mesas are formed by the erosion of bedrock by natural forces. Erosion in the Southwest, in addition to many regions around the planet, has been exacerbated by human impact, such as overuse of sensitive areas; extraction of natural resources, inlcuding water; and land management practices at a large scale.

seizure

A seizure occurs when there is a sudden overabundance or absence of signaling to the brain. The outward signs of seizures are erratic behavior, convulsions, vomiting, or loss of consciousness.

coroner

A political position at the state level responsible for investigating violent or strange deaths and homicides. In the U.S., this position can be held by a sheriff, a justice of the peace, or a medical examiner. Medical experience can be useful in this position, but about half of the states in the U.S. do not require that their coroners have medical experience in order to get appointed into the position. If the coroner does not have pathology, toxicology, or medical experience, then physicians perform the autopsies.

kinsmen

Most cultures have some form of kinship system, and depending on the culture, who is included and how the system is set up can vary. In many contemporary Western traditions, kinship is determined by one's descent from and connection to the male lineage of an extended biological network. However, depending on the system, kinsmen can include women, men, spirits, or animals. Kinship can be important as it can define what members of society are viable sexual partners for reproduction. For instance, those who are considered your kin are excluded as acceptable matches. On the other hand, kinship can also define social connections, allegiances, and communal networks of reciprocity.

The Navajo are matrilineal, meaning a kinship system based on the mother’s family rather than the fathers, this means that when married all property is owned by women and the men move into the wife’s household. Additionally, the Navajo kinship system is based on clans, and when children are born they have two clans, their mother’s and their father’s. Their mother’s clan is the dominant clan, “born to” and their father’s clan is “born for”. It is considered incest for any Navajo to engage in relations with someone who is part of their mother, father, or grandparent’s clans. The children will have stronger ties to their mother’s clan.

narcotics

Natural and pharmaceutically-derived substances used to relieve pain that can cause stupor, sleep, euphoria, and addiction. The most common form of narcotics are opiates, such as opium, morphine, and heroin. Morphine was isolated from opium in 1804 by German pharmacist F.W.A. Sertürner, and heroin was developed from morphine in 1898 by the German pharmaceutical company Bayer.

All narcotics were initially developed and prescribed to manage pain. However, due to their highly addictive nature, narcotic abuse led to strict regulation and enforcement of the use of these and other substances. In the 1970s, the U.S. federal government engaged in the War on Drugs, which led to high rates of incarceration for populations who came to be associated with the criminal use of controlled substances, such as narcotics. Targeted populations included counterculture movements, the inner city poor, and the working poor, especially black and Latino communities.

owl

There are over 200 species of owl, a mostly nocturnal bird of prey found on almost every continent. Owls eat small rodents, insects, and other birds. Their acute powers of vision, strong sense of hearing, and silent flight all contribute to their reputations as formidable hunters.

Some cultures traditionally avoid owls, as they are believed to foretell the passing of a loved one. Additionally, as in the case of the Navajo, owls are believed to be inhabited by the ghosts of the dead, thereby causing ghost sickness in those they encounter.

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