Cultural Reference

Hózhǫ́ is the state in which all living things are ordered, in balance, and walking in beauty. The opposite of hózhǫ́ is hóchxǫ́ǫ́, which refers to disorder and chaos in one’s life. In Hillerman's work, chaos and imbalance manifest as as physical or mental illness, an infection obtained from contact with modern values of the mainstream U.S. culture.

A television weather forecaster who worked for KOAT-channel 7, a TV station based in Albuquerque, NM, for 28 years, from 1971 to 1999. Morgan was a familiar and popular TV personality in New Mexico, and was known for his sense of humor and his artistic talents.

A vernacular expression for playing, fooling, or screwing around, a usually innocuous but sometimes boisterous activity engaged in by individuals to pass time and expend energy. Horsing around often, although not always, leads to minor property damage or personal injury.

The Navajo creation story describes the emergence of the Navajos people into this world. The Holy Wind (Niłchʼi Diyin) arose through the darkness to animate and bring purpose to the Holy People (Diyin Dineʼé) in the different three lower worlds. The Holy People began journeying through the different worlds, learning important lessons in each one before moving on to the next.

In the final world, which is the world we live in now, a virgin gave birth to the Horned Monster (Déélgééd in Navajo). The baby was born without a head, and therefore the mother was counseled to abandon it. Instead of dying where she left it, the baby survived and became known as the Horned Monster, as the mother had used animal horns to pleasure herself when she was alone in the previous world.

In Navajo, Déélgééd also refers to the rhinocerus.

The Hopi are a Native American tribal people, who comprise a sovereign nation located in northeastern Arizona. They are also known as one of the Pueblo peoples, as named by the Spanish colonizers in the 1500s because of their clusters of modular dwellings, which reminded the Spanish adventurers of their own small towns, or pueblos, back on the Iberian peninsula. Hopi is a shortened version of Hopituh, meaning "Peaceful ones," and in earlier periods were also called the Moqui, most likely named as such by another tribe. As a Puebloan group, the Hopi are considered traditional agriculturalists and farm a mixture of maize, squash, beans, chili peppers, and onions. Hopi life is situated around ceremonials, of which each village has its own variations, that consist of the veneration of some 300 kachinas.

Many Hopi people live on the Hopi reservation, which is encompassed by the Navajo Reservation. The Hopi reservation consists of twelve villages located on three mesas: First Mesa, Second Mesa, and Third Mesa, all of which are located upon the even larger Black Mesa. The Hopi consider this land sacred and part of their tribal history and origin.

In many tradtional cultures, the Holy People are immortal beings who can take the form of ancestor spirits, universal guides, landscape elements, animals, plants, and celestial bodies. When things become imbalanced and sickness or discord manifests, the Holy People can be summoned through ceremonies with rituals and prayers. If the ceremony is performed in the correct way and the Holy People are pleased, then they, through the concept of reciprocity, feel obliged to right the wrong that is disrupting the harmony the Navajo seek in their daily lives, restoring order, health, and hózhó.

the act of skipping, avoiding, leaving, or refusing to participate in an event or activity. One plays hooky by not attending school, for example.

The hippie movement emerged from the tumultuous 1960s in North America and Western Europe. Hippies were often teenagers, college students, or young adults that were either of the baby boomer generation or that generations' subsequent offspring. Hippies possessed a core set of beliefs that revolved around the values of peace, love, and respect for nature as being essential in an increasingly globalized, technological, and violent society. Hippies were often associated with non-violent demonstrations and were especially visible in the U.S. during the Vietnam War era, when they organized countless anti-war marches throughout the country. Hippies sometimes formed communes, choosing to live in rural settings, away from urban environments. Hippies were also considered non-conformists, critical of and often rejecting the constrictive dogmas of the status quo, including mainstream disapproval of recreational drug usage. There is a stigma of drug abuse attached to the movement that is prevalent to this day, specifically the use and abuse of marijuana and hallucinogens.

The police division of the state of Arizona that is responsible for enforcing laws and regulations concerning driving, transportation, and road safety.

The Hero Twins, Born of Water and Monster Slayer, are the twin sons of Changing Woman and were born to rid the earth of the monsters who were killing the Diné, or the Navajo people. Monster Slayer is the elder twin, known as Nayénzgan in Diné, and Born of Water is the younger twin, known as Tobadzîschíni in Diné.

They begin by visiting their father the Sun and, after passing through many trials, are given weapons. The younger twin, Born of Water, is given prayer sticks and told to watch them as the older twin Monster Slayer goes out to fight the monsters. If the prayer sticks begin to burn, he will know that Monster Slayer is in danger and needs help. Monster Slayer goes alone to kill some of the monsters and Born of Water accompanies him while killing others.

Sometimes Monster Slayer is referred to as The Hero Twin (singular), probably because he does most of the fighting. However, because of their perseverance, both twins become warriors and so serve as a model for young Navajo men today.