The Boy Who Made Dragonfly (1972)

A mythic being who helped the Zunis in their search for the Middle Place, or what is now understood as Zuni Pueblo. Water striders are graceful-looking insects that, when they extend their long legs, can walk on water. Because the Zuni live in a high, arid desert environment, water and those beings associated with it, such as water striders and dragonflies, play roles having cultural and spiritual significance.

This U.S. born ethnologist and anthropologist spent five years among the Zuni, from 1879-1884, when his advocacy for keeping the Nutria Valley within Zuni boundaries angered Illinois Senator John Logan and funding for his position was cut. He continued to work for the Bureau of American Ethnology, sponsored by the Smithsonian Institute, until his early death in 1900. Cushing developed a new anthropological research technique, that of the "participant observer." The anthropologist was fully embroiled in Zuni Society and was initiated into The Priesthood of the Bow warrior society, taking the name "Tenatsali" which means medicine flower. Cushing later conducted research on the Hopi and worked with the Cheyenne to record signed language.

This is the written Torah, the sacred text of the Hebrews, and signifies the first five chapters of the Old Testament written by Moses. Often written and preserved on prayers scrolls and read aloud, the Torah or Pentateuch forms the basis for Jewish communal life and religious tradition. Considered a covenant with God, the scrolls define a set of moral and religious laws and obligations.

This biblical canon of Christians and Jews is composed by many authors over the course of centuries, and is based on the 39 canonical scriptures of the Hebrew bible. The work is designed for the instruction of values and morality, and relates the story of the nation of Israel before the coming of Jesus Christ. Judaism views the historical text as a record of God's promises, beginning with the covenant of Abraham. For Christians, the Old Testament is a prophecy promising the advent of Christ the Savior.

Springs are areas on the landscape where groundwater is pushed by gravity or pressure to the surface through unconsolidated sediment or fractures in the bedrock. Springs often manifest as ponds or seeps of water on the surface.

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.