Browse by Title: M
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Macaw Clan Although macaws are not native to the American southwest, they are an integral part of Zuni culture. The Macaw Clan is one of the sixteen clans of the Zuni totemic… |
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machine-pistol Also spelled "machine pistol," the machine-pistol is a relatively small, concealable handgun with a high rate of fire. Machine pistols are self-loading automatic… |
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mackinaw A work jacket used mostly by men, made of densely-woven, heavy wool. Mackinaws usually come in a plaid pattern, and have large breast and waist pockets for carrying… |
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magic Magic is the ability to influence natural objects and events through the mastery of supernatural or occult forces. In general, magic tends to fall in the realm of… |
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magna cum laude Four distinctions of Latin honors can be awarded to undergraduate, and occassionally graduate, students who have achieved high academic standing. These honors can be… |
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maiden A woman who has not yet married. The word comes from the Old English word mǣden with the same definition. |
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male rain In traditional Navajo belief, a thunderstorm with torrential rain is considered a male rain. A gentle, slow-moving rain, accompanied perhaps by low clouds and mist,… |
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malpais A Spanish term meaning “the bad country,” used by early Spanish settlers in the Southwest to describe regions that have a rough barren landscape covered in un-eroded… |
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manila folder An iconic off-white file folder with an extended tab commonly used for holding and organizing documents. Such folders were originally made of manila hemp, and the name… |
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Manki Cayon, New Mexico A fictional canyon mentioned in Listening Woman, published in 1978, the third novel in Tony Hillerman's Navajo detective series. In this novel, Joe Leaphorn drives… |
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Many Farms, Arizona Also known as Da’ah’eh Halani in Navajo, Many Farms is a small, primarily Navajo community about 15 miles north of Chinle, with a trading post, chapter house, and… |
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Many Goats Clan The Navajo (Diné) tribe is comprised of more than forty family lineages, or clans, that claim common ancestry. According to traditional lore, the T ł 'ízí lání (Many… |
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Many Ruins Canyon, Arizona Also known as Chinle Wash, Many Ruins Canyon is the repository for the various tributaries of Canyon de Chelly in northeastern Arizona. The red sandstone walls… |
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marble Marble is a metamorphic rock that forms when limestone is subjected to heat and pressure underground, for example during the regional shifting of the Earth's crust or… |
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Marine Corps The smallest uniformed branch of the United States Armed Forces and part of the U.S. Department of the Navy. The Marine Corps is a mobile combined-arms task force for… |
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Maryland A small state located in the east-central coast of the United States of America, named after the wife of the British King Charles I. This state was one of the… |
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mask Generally speaking, in most indigenous traditions, including the Pueblo and Navajo cultures, when a dancer dons a mask for a specific ceremony, that dancer becomes… |
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mastodon Large mammals, related to elephants, that lived in the Americas unitl the late Pleistocene era, which ended about 12,000 years ago. Mastodons were smaller and less… |
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McKinley County, New Mexico McKinley County is located in the northwest portion of the state of New Mexico atop the San Juan Plateau. It was created in February 1899 and named for William McKinley… |
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meadow A relatively level area of natural land that is covered with grass and often wild flowers. Meadows can be found in low as well as high altitudes, and in a variety of… |
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medical examiner An officer of the law who is in charge of post-mortem investigations when cause of death is under suspicion or during homicide cases. Medical examiners are… |
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medicine In the context of Native American belief systems, "medicine" is an Anglicized term referring of a range of concepts that focus on the connections between an… |
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medicine bag A small pouch, usually made of deer skin, which contains a few items that have totemic, spiritual, or ceremonial value. These items can consist of small objects such… |
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medicine bundle People of various Native American tribes often carry with them a small pouch, usually made of deer skin, which contains a few items that have totemic, spiritual, and… |
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medicine man Medicine man is an Anglicized term that refers to traditional Native American healers. However, each tribe has unique understandings about the roles and… |