Cultural Reference

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 Zuni phrase Halona I'tawana translates as the "Middle Place," and was so named by the Zuni because of its significance as the temporal, spatial, and ceremonial center of Zuni life. The Middle Place is the current site of Zuni Pueblo in western New Mexico, a place that has been continuously inhabited by the Zuni since the water spider K'yhan'asdebi flexed his legs in six directions (the four cardinal directions and up and down). The center of the Middle Place was delineated by the spot where K'yhan'asdebi's heart lay over the land.

Zuni myth recounts that the original Zuni people, or A'shiwi, traveled from the western lands of their gods and the spirits of their ancestors to dicover the Middle Place. After a long and arduous journey of many trials and tribulations, the A'shiwi or Zuni finally discovered the Middle Place. Having learned much along their travels, the Zuni were prepared to settle and build a properous and peaceful life.

The term was initially used to describe a confrontation between three individuals, each of whom had a gun. In a duel, which occurs between two individuals, the person with the fastest draw, or who can get off the first shot, tends to have the advantage. In a Mexican standoff, however, the second person to fire a shot has the advantage, because unless the first person to draw and shoot is so fast that she can get off two shots before her opponents can draw and fire their guns, the first shooter and her intended target are occupied with each other, leaving the third individual "free" to shoot at the other two who are otherwise occupied, even if only for a split second.

The termis more commonly used to refer to a situation between any number of opponents where outside circumstances create a situation where none of the opponents can seem to gain an advantage, resulting in a stalement.

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.

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.

A written account of any criminal wrongdoings committed by a person under the age of 18. These records are private and not available to the general public. Moreover, these records can be sealed at the request of the petitioner, who may be either the subject of the records or someone speaking on his or her behalf. Before 1889, children were tried as adults in court and subject to the same punishments given to adults. With the advent of the Juvenile County System, juveniles are now tried in a special court and sent to Juvenile Detention, not adult prison.

Medicine man is an Anglicized term that refers to traditional Native American healers. However, each tribe has unique understandings about the roles and responsibilities of their healers, who may also double as spiritual leaders. In the Navajo culture, there are four categories of healers: listeners, hand tremblers, and stargazers, who may be consulted about sickness, identifying witchcraft, dreams, lost items or any unusual happenings. But it is the haatali, or singer, who fills the position of medicine man in Navajo culture.

Traditionally called a haatali, or "singer," in Navajo, this healer performs ceremonial cures that are targeted at body, mind, and spirit. There are nearly 100 Navajo chants of varying range and intricacy. Originating from the Navajo Creation Story, they are so nuanced and complex that a medicine man learns only one or two sings over many years of apprenticeship. Ceremonies last anywhere from one to 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.

In the context of Native American belief systems, "medicine" is an Anglicized term referring of a range of concepts that focus on the connections between an individual or group and both the natural and the spiritual worlds. These connections at times seem to be harnessed to affect positive change that is generally discussed in terms of healing or reparation. To work or make "medicine" often entails a holistic approach that promotes balance, harmony, and equilibrium, but that also, and very pragmatically, accepts that balance, harmony, and equilibrium may manifest in a time, place, and manner other than that requested.

Generally speaking, in most indigenous traditions, including the Pueblo and Navajo cultures, when a dancer dons a mask for a specific ceremony, that dancer becomes the god represented by the mask, just as the mask becomes animated by the god as it is worn. The boy or man who prepares to wear a mask for a specific ritual actually becomes, or personates, the god whose semblance is captured by the mask. During the ceremony, the wearer does not impersonate or merely act like the god, but rather, he is the god.

Masks are sacred objects that facilitate communication and connection between man and gods. Even when not worn during ceremonial dances, masks are revered objects that are fed and taken care of, for example by Pueblo kiva societies or clans, who are responsible for the masks' well-being as if, and because, they are vital, dynamic, and sentient things.Masks are sacred objects that facilitate communication and connection between man and gods. Even when not worn during ceremonial dances, masks are revered objects that are fed and taken care of, for example by Pueblo kiva societies or clans, who are responsible for the masks' well being as if, and because, they are vital, dynamic, and sentient things.