The Blessing Way (1970)

Foxes are canines that tend to be on the small size, with large upright ears and a large, bushy tail. They are opportunistic, ominvorous, and highly adaptable. In addition, although they can survive in a pack, they also do well on their own. As such, they have found a niche on every continent, except for Antarctica, where they have earned a variety of reputations as hunters, pests, and even beloved domesticated companions.

In folklore, because of their similarity to both coyotes and wolves, foxes tend to get lumped under the characteristic attributes of the other two. Seen as cunning tricksters, foxes are perceived with ambivalence, similar to coyote figures, whose nature is neither good nor bad. In the Navajo tradition, for example, foxes are viewed as a good animals that represent material goods. In addition, the fur and tails are used in different ceremonials such as Night Way and Coyote Way. Yellow and Blue Fox are mentioned a few times in the Navajo origin story. However, it appears that the larger gray fox or desert fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) can sometimes be associated as a Skinwalker or were-animal. Clyde Kluckhohn in Navaho Witchcraft asserts that, along with bear, owl, and crow, witches can take on the form of desert foxes.

A sub-field of anthropology that focuses on the study of human cultures, including their religion, laws, worldviews, food, and folklore.

A group of five stars that create the major constellation also known as Ursa Major. These stars appear to rotate around the North Star, also known as Polaris. For the Navajo, the Big Dipper and the North Star are a part of the same constellation known as the Whirling Male, as a reference to the fact that the Big Dipper revolves around the North Star.

A component in an automobile that is used either as a brake for emergency stopping or keeping a car in place when parked on a steep slope. This brake is engaged by pulling a hand-lever that is generally located next to the driver.

A pistol that uses the force of the recoil to reload and re-position the hammer gun after each shot. Only one bullet is released per shot, meaning that the trigger must be pulled repeatedly to fire additional shots.

A sling for a firearm, usually made of leather or canvas, worn either around the shoulders with the gun resting just under the armpit area, or around the waist.

Also called hardpan, this is a hardened layer of soil formed by calcium deposits. Caliche develops over thousands of years in arid and semi-arid regions when calcium from groundwater collects as the water evaporates.

An animal or human who consumes the flesh of a member of the same species. In animals, cannibalism occurs regularly in a number of species for population control or to maximize genetic offspring. The term "cannibal" is the anglicized version of a word used by the Spanish for a West Indies tribe, the Carib. European colonizers reported that this tribe practiced cannibalism by eating their war enemies. However, the Carib may not have engaged in cannibalism, and Europeans likely fabricated the accusation to defend their own actions. Evidence does exist, however, that human cannibalism has been practiced at different times in history at various locations for various purposes.

The wife of Othello in William Shakespeare’s play OTHELLO, THE MOOR OF VENICE. Othello murders Desdemona after he is convinced by the villian, Iago, that she is being unfaithful. This play is one of the most famous tragedies written by William Shakespeare.

In the tragic play, THE TRAGEDY OF HAMLET, PRINCE OF DENMARK, written by William Shakespeare between 1599 and 1601, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, returns home because his father has died. Hamlet then learns that his mother, Queen Gertrude, has married his uncle, Claudius, only months after his father’s death, and that Claudius is now the king. Later on in the play, the ghost of his father warns Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius. During the course of the play, Hamlet plots his revenge against his uncle and the play ends in tragedy. Hamlet is most famous for the soliloquy, "To be, or not to be: that is the question" (Act III, Sc. I).