People of Darkness (1980)

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 dead bodies that require identification or that await autopsies.

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 born to rid the earth of the monsters who were killing the people. They began their task by visiting their father the Sun and, after passing through many trials, were given weapons. The younger twin, Born of Water, was given prayer sticks and told to watch them as the older twin, Monster Slayer, fought the monsters. If the prayer sticks began to burn, Born of Water would know that Monster Slayer was in danger and needed help. Monster Slayer went alone to kill some of the monsters, and Born of Water accompanied him while killing others. The twins serve as a model for young Navajo men today.

A very expensive coat made out of mink pelt. Mink is a small, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammal known for its soft, lustrous fur. Native to Europe and North America, the mink has been hunted in the wild for centuries. In the late 1800s, mink farms were established on both continents by the fur clothing industry to efficiently replace hunting. Mink coats for women are especially highly prized, and are a symbol of wealth, status, and luxury.

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 Goats) clan was a group of herdsmen who subsisted mainly on livestock, especially goats.

A law enforcement attendant who monitors street parking or parking lots, and issues tickets and fines for vehicles that violate parking regulations. The term refers to both male and female attendants.

Mesquite is a spiny, desert legume which grows in two forms: a low-to-the-ground prickly shrub and a tree that grows up to fifty feet tall. Mesquite grows in thickets throughout the Southwest, and due to the dryness of this environment, the roots grow deep in order to reach water. Mesquite wood can be used for furniture and for sweet-smelling firewood. The beans that grow from the plant are sweet and, when roasted and ground into a flour, have comprised a significant food source for many indigenous desert dwelling populations in the region.

A flat-topped hill or plateau of rock with one or more steep sides, usually rising abruptly from a surrounding plain. Commonly found in arid environments, mesas are formed by the erosion of horizontally layered rocks that have been pushed above the surface of the earth by tectonic activity.

A chemical element which at room temperature appears as a silvery metal in liquid state. In nature, it can mostly be found in droplet form in cinnabar (mercury sulfide) ores. Because it is a fair conductor of electricity and easily forms alloys, mercury has been used as catalyst, conductor, and to produce metal amalgams in various products such as thermometers, batteries, and dental fillings. However, mercury is highly toxic, and while it is still used in the industrial chemical industry, as well as in the electric and electronics industries, its common commercial uses have been significantly limited in recent decades.

Mercedes is a German manufacturer of top-end luxury vehicles. Convertibles are iconic automobiles that bring together the freedom of mobility with the expansiveness of open air body styles. Bringing the two together results in a status symbol for the classy "free spirit" who enjoys the reputation of Mercedes' high-quality product coupled with the exuberance of driving with the top down.

An imprint made by the ridges, crests, and arches that adorn the soft pads aon our fingertips. These imprints are created by ridges that are present on the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin) on the palm side at the tips of every person's fingers. When a person touches something, the naturally-occurring oils produced by the skin leave traces in the shape of the ridges of their skin. These imprints are unique to each person, which allows fingerprints to be used as identification during criminal investigations. Some consistent fingerprint patterns have been identified, including double loops, central pocket loops, loops, plain whorls, plain arches, and tented arches.