Browse by Title: C
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Corn Maidens The Corn Maidens of Zuni personify the bounty of life giving corn that grows in six colors. The Seven maidens made corn seeds from rubbing the flesh off their body.… |
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Corn Mountain, New Mexico Also known as Dowa Yalanne in the Zuni language, Corn Mountain is the mesa located southeast of the current Zuni pueblo in central New Mexico. The mesa has historical… |
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cornmeal In many indigenous cultures throughout the Americas, cornmeal is used as a prayer offering. In Zuni culture, for example, the meal is sprinkled over corn planted at… |
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Corona, New Mexico A village near the base of the Oscura Mountains located in Lincoln, New Mexico along U.S. Route 54. The area of Corona was initially settled by Spanish sheep and cattle… |
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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… |
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corpse hole Navajos have strict taboos regarding death, as it is believed that contact with the deceased can can place the living in contact with the roaming spirit of the dead,… |
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corpse powder Corpse powder, also known as corpse poison, is reputedly derived from the remains of a dead human body and used by Navajo witches to produce sickness in intended… |
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corral An enclosed area generally made of wooden planks that prevent stock animals, such as sheep, goats, and cows from escaping. Corrals are generally associated with… |
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Cortez, Colorado A city in southern Colorado located along the Dolores River. This city was named after the Spanish conquistador Hernán Cortés, who conquered the Aztecs in Mexico. Many… |
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Cossacks The Cossacks are peasant people of various Eastern European ethnic origins (mostly Ukrainian and Polish) who, in the 15th century, formed independent, military… |
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cottonwood Cottonwoods are tall deciduous trees of the genus Populus that are native to North America and Western Asia. These trees can reach up to 148 feet in height and can be… |
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Cottonwood Flats, Arizona A colloquial reference to a grazing allotment near Chinle, Arizona, on the Navajo Reservation. Because of Chinle's proximity to Canyon de Chelly, a prominent system of… |
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Cottonwood, Arizona A small town located on the Navajo Indian Reservation in northeastern Arizona. The community, which was established around a trading post, still functions as a modest… |
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Council of the Gods In the Zuni tradition, the Council of the Gods consists of a dynamic grouping of significant deities, each representing a powerful natural phenomenon or a cardinal… |
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counterfeit A forgery of an object; a fake intended to be perceived as authentic. To counterfeit something is to operate with the intention to deceive. |
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country western A style of American music that originated in the rural parts of the South and the West, and was developed by white farmers and laborers, primarily English, Scottish,… |
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courtesy light A small light installed inside a car, usually in the center of the vehicle's ceiling, which comes on automatically when the door is opened. In older car models, there… |
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Cow Springs Trading Post, Arizona This trading post was located off of Highway 160, formerly Navajo Route 1. It was established in 1882 by George McAdams and was acquired by the Babbitt Brothers Trading… |
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cowboy The name given to an individual who tends to and manages livestock on ranches in North America, and sometimes transports them from one place to another. The American… |
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coyote In his Navajo detective novels, Tony Hillerman refers to both the regular dog-like wild animal found throughout the contiguous American continents and to Coyote, the… |
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Coyote Canyon, New Mexico A canyon located in McKinley County, New Mexico. Its Anglicized name is based on the Navajo one, Mą'ii Tééh Yítłizhí, meaning "Where Coyote Fell Into Deep Water," which… |
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Coyote People In some versions of Navajo cosmology, there are stories and songs about a group of Coyote deities, who are also referred to as Holy People. Coyote, known as First… |
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Coyote Song One of a set of 17 songs that is performed during the Enemyway ceremony. Coyote is the trickster figure in Navajo cosmologies and is often referred to as First Angry or… |
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crane A long-legged, long-necked bird that lives in swampy, shallow water areas. The sandhill crane follows seasonal migration routes along the Southwest region's water… |
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crazyquilt More commonly spelled "crazy quilt." A crazy quilt is a patchwork quilt made with swatches fabric of varying sizes, shapes, and colors. Crazy quilts may be "crazy"… |