The Blessing Way (1970)

A lance is a long-shafted throwing or thrusting device used for hunting. It is similar to a javelin, and is sometimes referred to as a spear. The lance point can be made of stone, bone, hardened wood, or steel. Although the long shaft of the lance is typically made of wood, which biodegrades over time, the point retains its integrity as time passes, making lance points a significant find in the lithic, or stone, remains from ancient cultures around the world. In terms of archaeological research, lance points, which are similar to hand-crafted arrow heads, are like the fingerprints of a culture. Studying them can reveal where the materials to make the points came from, where the groups using the points traveled, how much time, energy, and skill the individuals crafting the points had, as well as the kind of game that was hunted.

Mutton, or lamb, stew is a traditional and beloved component of the Navajo diet. Mutton stew consists of mutton simmered in a simple broth that may contain a variety of vegetables, especially green chile, squash, and hominy, and is often accompanied by fry bread, a form of unleavened bread that became a staple of the Navajo diet during their forced Long Walk and internment at Bosque Redondo during the 1860s. Sheep were introduced into the Americas by the Spanish in the sixteenth century, along with horses and cattle. During this time, the Navajo traded and raided for sheep from the Spanish. Sheep became a major part of their economy as well as their diet.

A sheep that is less than one year old. Sheep (and lambs) were introduced into the Americas by Spanish explorers in the sixteenth century, along with horses and cattle. Among indigenous American cultures, the Navajo in particular were influenced by their contact with Basque sheepherders, who also were imported to the New World along with their sheep. Navajo traditional culture and economies grew to revolve in part around sheep, including herding, sheering, spinning, and weaving the wool from what are today known as Navajo churro sheep. Navajo weaving is renowned around the world for its quality and its innovative and intricate designs.

Lamb is also a popular form of meat, and when the sheep matures past a year it is called mutton. Mutton stew and roast mutton are today main staples of the Navajo diet.

A building or maze with passageways that intersect and dead-end and that are often intentionally difficult to navigate. This term comes from the Greek word λαβύρινθος (labyrinthos). In ancient Greek mythology, King Minos of Crete built a labyrinth in his palace in Knossos in order to trap a Minotaur. Other traditions find labyrinths built as garden landscapes for focus and meditation, whereas other labyrinths are meant to represent spiritual quests for enlightenment.

A conflict that occurred in the 1950s between the Republic of Korea (South Korea) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) in East Asia. After the conclusion of World War II and the Japanese were ousted from Korea, the Korean peninsula was split into a northern half occupied by the former Soviet Union (USSR) and a southern half occupied by the United States of America. It was initially intended for the two halves to become unified; however, the escalation of the Cold War prevented unification, and each half developed its own government. The north developed under communist activist Kim Il-Sung, while the south became anti-communist under Syngman Rhee. With the backing of the USSR, in 1950 Kim Il Sung declared himself the ruler over the entire Korean Peninsula, and this was the antecedent of the Korean War.

The Korean War lasted from June 1950 to July 1953 and resulted in over 3 million casualties. During the conflict, the south was supported by the United Nations, including a large U.S. presence, while the north was assisted by communist China and the U.S.S.R. Fourteen other governments also sent forces to Korea throughout the duration of the conflict. The war ended with an agreement that the area below the 38th parallel would be governed by South Korea.

In this context, knot is a measurement of airspeed and comparable to the time it takes to accelerate over the distance of one nautical mile. To express this unit as acceleration over solid ground, one knot of distance through water or air would be approximately 1.51 mile per hour.

A small town in Apache County, Arizona, located in northeast Arizona along U.S. Route 191. The Navajo name for this place is Łeeyi’tó, meaning "water in the ground." In the 1920’s, a trading post was opened there. However, by 1970s the trading post had closed. Today, Klagetoh consists of its extended community, a chapter house, and a day school.

In Puebloan tradition, a kiva is both a sacred space to observe religious rituals as well as a society associated with a particular kiva. Kivas symbolize Puebloan emergence, or birth, into this world, and their architecture evokes an enclosed space of sacred potential. The training associated with healing rituals or with the social responsibilities of each kiva society occurs within the particualr kiva associated with thatspecific power or responsibility. Each kiva cares for and is identified by a mask associated with its guiding entity, a force or persona associated with weather, health, warfare, or collective well-being.

The term for biological relatives, including both men and women.

Karl H. Schwerin was a professor of Ethnology and Department Chair emeritus in the Department of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico. He has researched the Karinya Indians of northeastern Venezuela and the hacienda system in Ecuador. Additionally, he did work within the Rio Platano Biosphere Reserve in Honduras.