A rhythmic vocal recitation that is usually intended to provoke a meditative trance, spiritual healing, or to create the aural context for a performance such as a dance or other ceremonial. Chants can also be thought of as prayers that are sung and are often comprised of repeated phrases.
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.
Tony Hillerman's references to "cedar" probably refer to one of the many Juniperus species found throughout the Southwestern United States. Hillerman's cedar references could point to Utah Juniper (Junipers utahensis), Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum), Alligator Juniper (Juniperus deppeana), or Oneseed Juniper (Juniperus monosperma), all of which can be found in or near the Four Corners region.
Another word for "round," or the combination of bullet (the projectile point), the gunpowder, and the shell that holds the round together. When a firearm is discharged, the shell of the cartidge is expelled and discarded in the process.
A small, fully enclosed truck, similar to a pickup truck with a shell, except that the "shell" is part of the vehicle's body./cite>
In military or paramilitary organizations, such as police departments, captains outrank, or are higher in an organizational hierarchy, than lieutenants and other rank-and-file members of the given organization.
The general rankings within a police force, depending on its size, is as follows, in order from hightest to lowest rankings:
A general reference to much of the Four Corners region of the U.S., whose geological distinctiveness is in great part derived from the riddles of canyons, large and small, that break the terrain of this part of the country into a series of interlinked canyon systems, fragmented watersheds, and iconic geologic formations.
An adjective referring to something that is authentic, frank, straight forward, objective, or non-edited.
A pickup truck, van, or other vehicle outfitted with sleeping and sometimes cooking facilities. Campers range in sophistication from trucks fitted with "toppers" to luxury recreational vehicles (RVs) and motor homes.
The effect or practice of concealment. Camouflage can consist of actual artifice, for example wearing a mask or a costume or of covering one object with another. Camouflage also occurs naturally, enabling animals, including humans, and plants to blend into their surroundings, either to facilitate hunting or hiding, depending upon which end of the food chain it is.