An anachronisitic reference to an individual who uses mind-altering substances recreationally.
"Dope" itself is slang for marijuana, so a doper often, but not exclusively, refers to one who smokes marijuana on a regular basis. Depending upon the context, dope can also refer to heroin. Finally, in more contemporary usage, if something is "dope," then it is good, cool, awesome.
An individual who dispatches, or facilitates, the exchange of information, typically via radio transmission. Dispatchers usually work at a central hub of an organization through which the organization's members channel information as it is acquired and processed.
In his Navajo detective novels, Tony Hillerman sometimes uses the anachronism "radioman" when referring to a dispatcher.
The traditional Navajo (Diné) homeland, located in the canyon country of the San Juan River, and marked by the mountains located at each of the four sacred directions directions as outlined in the Navajo creation story (Hesperus Peak to the north, Mount Taylor to the south, Blanca Peak to the east, and the San Francisco Peaks to the west). When the Holy People exited the previous world into this world, they entered Dinétah. In Diné, the word means "among the people."
More often spelled "Diné," Dinee can be translated from the Navajo language as "the People." Diné is also how the Navajo refer to themselves. The Diné are the largest federally recognized Native American group in the United States. Their reservation is spread out throughout the Four Corners region of the American Southwest, and includes portions of the states of Arizona, New Mexico,and Utah.
The Diné base their way of life on a belief that the physical and spiritual world blend together and everything on earth is alive, related, and in equilibrium or ho′zho′. In this light, they observe two primary ceremonials, among many others. The first is the Blessing Way, which keeps them on the path of wisdom and happiness. The second is the Enemy Way, which is meant to discourage evil spirits, eliminate ghosts, and cleanse an individual of elements or affects that have placed her or him out of balance.
An archaeological site in which soil and other organic and inorganic materials are removed during a methodical investigation of the contents of the various historical substrates in the upper layers of the earth's surface.
A tough cotton textile, typically dyed indigo blue. First made in France, where it was called "serge de Nîmes," which is where we get the name "denim," the fabric has been iconically used in the United States since the eighteenth century. First associated with the working class,especially miners during the various nineteenth-century goldrushes, denim has also attained cult status as a fashion statement in and of itself.
Because of its prevalence throughout the Southwest, Hillerman is probably referring to the mule deer, named for its ears, which are large like those of the mule. There are several additional subspecies of deer, including the black-tailed deer. Unlike the related white-tailed deer, mule deer are generally more associated with the land west of the Missouri River, and more specifically still with the Rocky Mountain region of North America.
In many Native American cultures, dancing is a common part of spiritual, communal ceremonies. Dancing can be a form of supplication to spirits or deities, for purposes that includes seasonal festivities, celebratory events, healing rituals, or the blessing of certain feats such as important battles or hunting trips. While dance is a common practice among various Native American groups, the form these dances take changes between cultures, as do traditions regarding who is permitted to perform them.
Among the Pueblo peoples of the Southwest, some of the most common dances are the masked kachina dances. Kachinas are guardian spirits, often associated with dead ancestors, who are believed to reside in a separate but parallel realm. According to traditional lore, kachinas return to the pueblo villages during special ceremonies. Ritual dances, in which the dancers don sacred kachina masks and embody the kachina spirit, are performed in order to invite and please the spirits. The dances often involve offerings and reverence for which the kachinas, in return, would guarantee protection and sustenance for the community, especially through bringing the rains needed for raising crops. In Puebloan cultures, both men and women can participate in ceremonial dances, although women are often excluded from surrounding spiritual practices, such as kiva societies' gatherings. Little boys who are initiated into kiva societies are often taught the dances before they have a chance to even learn the prayers.
Most likely a fictional title for a Navajo ceremonial invented by Tony Hillerman for his 1978 Navajo detective novel Listening Woman. According to the novel, the Calling Back Chant was passed down patrilineally through a single family and holds the answers to how the current world will end and become the next world as per the Navajo Origin story.
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 corridors, such as the Rio Grand, bringing the bird into contact with many of the extensive and disparate cultural landscapes of the Southwest. The crane is also one of the spiritual beings in the Navajo creation story within the present world.
Crane (or First Crane) volunteered to help Frog spread water to put out the fire in the world started by Coyote when he stole fire from Fire Man to bring the People warmth. The Navajo believe that because of this teamwork between frog and crane, this is why these animals live closely to one another in their water environments.