Browse by Title: M
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missile An explosive warhead, propelled by a rocket, that reaches its target by using a guidance system. When a missile is used underwater it is known as a torpedo, and when it… |
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Moab, Utah A small town known for its access to some of the most popular hiking, mountain biking, and rafting areas in the Southwestern U.S. including Canyonlands and Arches… |
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moccasins A type of shoe or boot traditionally worn by Native American peoples. Moccasins were hand-made, using leather made of deer, moose, elk, or bison skin, and could have… |
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mockingbird A bird (Mimus polyglottos) that mimics the songs of other birds and that can reproduce up to 20 different songs in a short amount of time. The mockingbird is a gray… |
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Moenkopi Plateau, Arizona The Moenkopi Plateau is located to the west and southwest of the Hopi Mesas in north-central Arizona. Near the communities of Tuba City and Moenkopi, this vast… |
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Moenkopi Wash, Arizona A tributary of the Little Colorado River, the Moenkopi Wash is a 90-mile long stream that runs through the Moenkopi Plateau in northern Arizona, along the border… |
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Moenkopi, Arizona Moenkopi, in northeastern Arizona, is a Hopi cultural stronghold embedded within the Navajo Reservation. Moenkopi has been an agricultural center for the Hopi people… |
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Mogollon Rim, Arizona A vast rugged escarpment that stretches over about 200 miles along the southern edge of the Colorado Plateau in east-central Arizona. The Mogollon Rim was named after… |
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mole The mole is a small burrowing rodent, an industrious and persistent tunneler that is sensitive to light, sound, and vibration. … |
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monosyllabic Words with only one syllable. Monosyllabic can also refer to a person who speaks only in one-syllable words. |
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Monster Slayer Known as Nayé̆nĕzganĭ in Diné, Monster Slayer is the eldest of the twins born of Changing Woman. In Navajo mythology, the twins Monster Slayer and Born of Water were… |
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Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, Utah Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park, called Tse'Bii'Ndzisgaii in Navajo, is a Tribal Park located within the Navajo Reservation on the Arizona-Utah border near the Four… |
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Moor of Venice A reference to the character of Othello in Shakespeare's tragedy of the same name. Othello, who was referred to as "the Moor of Venice" in the play, was a black… |
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morgue A room, usually in a hospital, where the bodies of deceased people are kept refrigerated until they are taken to be buried or cremated. Hospital morgues also hold… |
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Mormon Ridge, Arizona A south-southeast trending ridge near the edge of the Kaibab Plateau in northern Arizona. This ridge is north of Crooked Ridge and northeast of Echo Cliffs and is… |
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morphology laboratory A laboratory room dedicated to the examination of morphology, which is a branch in biology and medicine that studies the form and structure of organisms. In medicine… |
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mortuary A mortuary, sometimes referred to as a funeral home, is a funeral service agency that specializes in planning and conducting burials, cremations, and memorial… |
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Mother of Seed At the end of Hillerman's 1973 re-telling of the Zuni origin story The Boy who made Dragon Fly, when the wise boy claims that some day his little sister will become… |
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Mount Sinai, Egypt In the Old Testament, Mount Sinai was where God appeared before Moses, gave him the Ten Commandments, and instructed him on how to lead the Israelites, who were on… |
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Mount Taylor, New Mexico At 11,306 feet, Mount Taylor is the highest peak in the San Mateo range, located about 15 miles northeast of Grants, New Mexico. In the winter its snow-capped peak is… |
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mountain lion Also known as cougar or puma, the mountain lion is a large wild cat native to the Western Hemisphere. Mountain lions can be found in a variety of habitats across… |
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Mountain Way Chant The Mountain Way, or the Mountain Chant, refers to a Navajo ceremony, performed by a singer or medicine man (called a hataałii in Navajo), that is performed to… |
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Mounties The informal name for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's police force, which operates on both the federal and provincial levels. The force was founded in… |
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Mud Clan The Mud Clan originated with Changing Woman, one of the most important and benevolent deities in the navajo cosmology. By rubbing the skin from various parts of her… |
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Mudhead Clowns In several Pueblo traditions, the Mudhead Clown is a masked figure who works as disciplinarian, joker, and village cryer. The early Hopi variation of this figure is… |