Browse by Title: W
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White Corn Maiden The White Corn Maiden is one of the younger Corn Maiden sisters of Zuni tradition, representing the direction of the east and the white color of the milk one drinks at… |
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White Sands Proving Grounds, New Mexico An area in New Mexico used by the U.S. Army for rocket testing, White Sands is part of the largest military complex in the U.S., one which includes Holloman Air Force… |
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wildebeast Also called gnu, the wildebeest is a genus of antelope, found in its natural habitat in the savanna, bush lands, and woodlands of eastern and southern Africa. It has a… |
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willow A type of deciduous shrub or tree that can be used for medicinal purposes, for erosion control, or timber, in addition to many other uses. Willows are located… |
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winch A winch is a machine used for pulling or hauling objects and can be mounted on the front of vehicles. A winch consists of four major parts: a hook, a long metal cable,… |
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Wind Children Wind is an important concpet in the belief system of many traditional cultures. Wind is considered the basis for a person’s temperament and behavior and the reason a… |
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Wind People In the Navajo origin story, when the First Man, First Woman, Dawn Man, Dawn Woman, Sky Blue Man, Sky Blue Woman, Twilight Man, Twilight Woman, Darkness Man, and… |
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windbreaker A light-weight casual jacket, usually made of synthetic fabric, designed as an outer layer to protect the wearer from wind and light rain. Windbreakers are not… |
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windmill Windmills are structures that use spinning vanes, sales, or blades in order to convert the force of wind into energy and/or power. Different versions of the windmill… |
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Window Rock Navajo Police Department Located in the southern portion of the Navajo Nation Reservation, Window Rock Police Department serves as the headquarters for the Department of Public Safety of the… |
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Window Rock, Arizona A small settlement located on the Navajo Nation Reservation in northeastern Arizona, close to the New Mexico-Arizona state line. Window Rock, which was established in… |
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Winged Monster According to the Navajo Creation Myth, in the process of emerging from the underworlds and settling on their land, the People (Diné) faced many dangers from the natural… |
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Winslow, Arizona A small town located just off of Highway 40 in eastern Arizona, about 58 miles east of Flagstaff. The settlement was established in 1880 around a railroad terminal. Its… |
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winter hogan It is not uncommon for the Navajo to have a summer and winter dwelling. A hogan is a traditional Navajo home. Hogans are generally round (female) or, less commonly,… |
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Wisconsin A U.S. state located in the north-central part of the country, in the Great Lakes region, bordered by Lake Michigan in the east, Lake Superior in the north, and the… |
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witch Witches are people, men or women, who practice witchcraft. In many cultures witches are typically believed to be female. In Navajo societies, witches are most often… |
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witchcraft A word used by Hillerman to refer to the work of people known in some Native American traditions as witches. In the Navajo tradition, about which Hillerman wrote most… |
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witchery A word that can be substituted for witchcraft, witching, sorcery, or magic, used by Tony Hillerman to refer to the work of people known in some Native American… |
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witchskin In the fictional world of Tony Hillerman's Navajo detective series, witch skin is a reference to the wolf skin or other animal pelt an alleged skinwalker, Navajo Wolf,… |
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witness A person or persons who have knowledge of, or see, a crime being committed. If identified, they can be compelled to give a statement under oath in a court room or to… |
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witness stand Raised seating next to the judge in a court of law where a witness in a criminal or civil suit sits while providing testimony that is given under oath. … |
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wolf The ancestor of modern dogs, a wolf is a carnivorous mammal that walks on all fours and hunts in groups known as packs. There are three species of wolves: Canis lupus (… |
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wolf skin In some indigenous traditions, it is taboo to kill certain animals, such as bears, coyotes, wolves, and cougars, and their pelts are forbidden from being used.… |
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wood mouse The wood mouse, known scientifically as genus Apodemus, is a small burrowing rodent that is native to Europe and Africa. The equivalent mouse species common to the… |
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World War II Known as the largest "total war," the Second World War, lasting between the years 1939 and 1945, was in some ways a continuation of the First World War, which had ended… |