Cultural Reference

An object that is given in thanks, generosity, or even supplication, often to a higher power. An offering usually consists of something that is precious, of symbolic significance to a culture, or perhaps is even rare or exotic. Animals and humans have also been used as offerings. Cannonical world texts, such as the Old Testament, offer evidence of the deep tradition of great sacrifice associated with offerings, and most cultures around the world have left a record of a range of sacrificial practices through which offerings have been made. Offerings, similar to tithes, are also collected as a sort of obligatory spiritual gesture and social donation, with the collected wealth being distributed to those in need within the community.

A French dish that literally means "eggs in jelly." The dish is composed of a poached egg encased in savory, broth-infused gelatin, in which smoked salmon, sweet peas, asparagus, or baby carrots may also suspended. The process of making oeufs en gelée, which are usually served either for breakfast or as the first course of a full dinner, is long and involved, requiring carefully-chosen ingredients and advanced cooking skills.

A reference to a long heroic journey with many tasks and adventures that often changes the fortune of the traveler. A reference to the epic poem, The Odyssey, written by the Greek author Homer. This poem retells the travels and adventures of Odysseus, the King of Ithaca, as he returns home from fighting in the Trojan War.

A naturally occurring mineral derivative that was, and remains, in use by many indigenous peoples around the world as a pigment for marking bodies, hand tools, ceremonial objects, animals, and cave walls or other ceremonial spaces. The two most often used ocher colors are red and yellow. The red is derived from hematite and the yellow from limonite, both of which are iron rich minerals.

French for "object of art" or "art object." An objet d'art is usually small, possesses unique artistic value, and is cherished for its beauty or special artistic meaning. A term that is sometimes used in a patronizing, or cynical, fashion to describe the objects displayed by a dilettante, or pretentious, collector.

The Shalako Ceremony is one of the most significant religious ceremonies for the Zuñi people and occurs near the winter solstice as the ceremonial year draws to a close. Those participating in it begin their preparations for it months in advance. In his 1973 Navajo detective novel DANCE HALL OF THE DEAD, Tony Hillerman selects a chapter heading that is a date late in November, signaling to the reader the imminence of the approaching dances and feasts of the Shalako ceremony.

The Shalako festival, on or about December 1, is a remarkable sacred drama, enacted in the open for the double purpose of invoking the divine blessing upon certain newly-built houses, and of rendering thanks to the gods for the harvests of the year.

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 address mental uneasiness and nervousness (Reichardt 12).The Mountain Way, similar to other Navajo ceremonials, address individual unease in addition to antisocial tendencies, thereby bringing the group that participates in the ceremonial, including patients and their extended families, into an harmonial accord, or balance (Kluckhohn 169)

Navajo cures are targeted at body, mind, and spirit, calling on the patient, his kin, singer, and divine people to restore his harmony with the world. Before a singer, or medicine man (they are seldom women), is called, a hand trembler, or ndilniihii (often a woman), will diagnose the source of illness. Through prayer, concentration, and sprinkling of sacred pollen, her hand will tremble and pinpoint the cause, which then determines the proper ceremonial cure. Then a medicine man, or hataałii, meaning "singer," who knows the proper ceremony is called and preparations are set in motion.

There are nearly 100 Navajo chants of varying range and intricacy. Originating from the Creation Story, they are so nuanced and complex that a medicine man learns only one or two ways over many years of apprenticeship. Ceremonies last anywhere from one to nine days (the Mountain Way Chant lasts nine days) and include chants, songs, prayers, lectures, dances, sweat baths, prayer sticks, and sand paintings. In order for a ceremony to be effective, everything must be done as prescribed in the legends.

An popular and iconic American newsmagazine that began its circulation in 1933 and was created by former Time magazine foreign-news editor Thomas J. C. Martyn. This magazine focused originally on politics, and only in 1961 did it begin to incorporate popular culture in its pages. As of 2013, this magazine ceased printing and adopted an all-digital format.

A reputable morning daily newspaper based out of New York City that was first published in 1851. The New York Times is known for its editorial excellence and reporting. The paper is available daily with an extra Sunday issue with additional content. The New York Times won a Pulitzer Prize in 1972 for publishing a series of articles about leaked top secret Pentagon papers on the U.S.’s involvement in Vietnam, prior to and during the Vietnam War. While the government officials tried to stem the leak by halting production of the paper, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the newspaper 6-3, citing freedom of the press. The leaked reports are known as the “Pentagon Papers”.

The male children of one's siblings. Nephew is also a traditional term of formal endearment, one that signifies the relationship of affinity and mentorship that exists between an elder and a younger male member of the Navajo community.