Cultural Reference

An old slang term that refers, usually in a disparaging way, to a Native American person. The term "Red Skins" originated in letters and reports of white European settlers in North America in the early 1700s, and it is not clear if it was based on the skin color of Native Americans, or on red pigments used by some tribes to paint their faces and bodies. Over time, as tensions and conflicts between Europeans and Native peoples intensified, the word took hold as derogatory, racist slang indicating primitivism and savagery, and was used freely in a variety of contexts, including many popular films made in the 1940s and 1950s. In the late 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement and the American Indian Movement provided the social and cultural background for a widespread protest of the use of racist slang, and public expressions containing the term declined and nearly disappeared.

Although these days the word "redskin" is generally no longer in use, controversy still surrounds it. A major focus for the controversy involves the Washington, D.C. National Football League team the Washington Redskins, whose mascot is the image of a Native American warrior dressed in traditional Plains Indian regalia. Despite much criticism, the team still holds on to its name and trademark, and protests from various civil rights and academic organizations have not as of yet convinced the team to change its name. While many critics and commentators take offense at the use of the term, others believe it is a benign expression that does not mean or cause harm.

A school that trains police cadets to work in the police force. In the U.S. there are federal and state police training courses and different states have different programs. Cadets must pass background checks, polygraph tests, drug tests, and physiological tests. Additionally, cadets are trained to drive safely and learn to use a firearm.

In the Navajo Nation, police officers are trained at the Navajo Police Academy. The cadets must be at least 21 with a high school level education and have no criminal record.

A large armchair that can be tilted back for greater comfort. Recliners often also have a built-in adjustable footrest.

A real estate agent who manages buying, selling, and leasing private and/or commercial property.

A person who owns, manages, or is in charge of a ranch.Throughout much of the rural Southwestern U.S., which remains predominantly rural, there are many traditional, family-owned cattle and horse ranches, but some wealthy investors from outside the state have built large ranches on newly-acquired land.

Rainbow Man is a yé’ii, or supernatural being, found in Navajo mythology, often employed as a symbol of harmony by signifying an attentiveness to Talking God, the grandfather yé’ii. The curved symbol of the yeii who controls the rainbow, often appears in jewelry, healing ceremonies, and sand paintings.

One of the members of the Zuni Council of the Gods, Sayatasha, or Longhorn, wears a mask that bears a long sweeping horn. The horn is evocative of the trailing walls of rain and virga that accompany the monsoonal flows that swing around from the North in the American Southwest, making the horned appearance of Sayatasha one associated with life-giving force and deep appreciation, rather than one of monstrosity.

The Prostitution Way is a Navajo ceremonial that protects people against frenzy witchcraft, which is a form of witchcraft believed to cause people to lose their minds. Women and children are not supposed to listen to or talk about this ceremonial, unless they have previously been cured by the Prostitution Way or the Mountain Smoke portion of the Blessingway ceremonial. The Prostitution Way lasts five nights and includes the use of datura, which has been gathered by the ceremonial healer, known as a singer, or hatáli in Navajo. The Prostitution Way ceremonial also involves the use of prayer sticks and sandpaintings and often ends with the Blessingway ceremony.

An individual who is authorized to perform as a mediator between the people and a transcendent power. The priest's authority enables him or her to perform in both a spiritual and administrative capacity within his belief system's influence and jurisdiction.

The indigenous peoples of the U.S. Southwest each have some version of a rain dance ceremonial. This dance is meant to honor the relationship between the people and the kachinas (or spirit beings) responsible for rain. At many points throughout Tony Hillerman's Navajo detective series, various phrases will be used interchangeably to reference the blessings and prayers for rain, calling to mind the variety of beliefs that the people of the Southwest region have with regard to rain in their desert environments.