Cultural Reference

Corn Beetle, also known as Anlt'áni in Navajo, appears in the sandpaintings of some Navajo ceremonials. Early researchers incorrectly translated the Navajo word anlt'áni, which means "ripener," into English as "cornbeetle." In Navajo mythology, ripener insects refer to pollinating insects, specifially lacewing flies and tree crickets, that play a role in ripening corn. Corn Beetle is therefore also associated with fertility and the ripening of corn.

Corn Beetle Girl is often characterized as the female companion to Corn Pollen Boy, both of whom are personifications of the corn pollen required for most Navajo ceremonials, including the Blessingway. Because the Navajo believe the Holy People are present in all the things around them, Corn Beetle Girl is believed to be found in a variety of "ripener" insects.

Corn is a cereal plant, found throughout the Americas, that yields large grains, or kernels, set in rows on a cob. What we call corn today, however, has traditionally been referred to as maize. For many indigenous cultures in the Americas, corn is symbolic of life itself, and everything from its pollen, to its silky tassels, to its husks has symbolic significance. Thus, it becomes possible for a small boy to take scraps of corn husk and create an imaginary insect that turns into a messenger to the gods, which occurs in a Zuni myth retold by Hillerman as "The Boy Who Made Dragonfly." Even the smallest piece of this special plant is powerful enough to not only sustain but also to generate life.

Several of the other ceremonials described in Hillerman's fiction also use corn, its husks and pollen, in order to complete the rituals as per the Navajo Way as the Holy People prescribed.

The bone immediately below the eye socket that sometimes forms a prominent swell. Cheek bones are also known as the zygomatic bone and together with the brow ridge work to protect the eyes in their sockets.

The opposite of harmony, balance, equilibrium, and the Navajo Way, or hózhǫ́. Hózhǫ́ is the state in which all living things are ordered and in balance, walking in beauty. This term encompasses the Navajo world view, one in which all become peaceful and harmonious. The opposite of hózhǫ́ is hóchxǫ́ǫ́, which refers to a disorder and chaos in one’s life. In Hillerman's work, chaos and imbalance manifest as an illness or sickness, an infection obtained from contact with modern, predominantly White culture of the manistream U.S..

An alcoholic beverage, distilled from fermented grains and aged in wooden containers. Whiskey is made in many countries such as Ireland, the United States, Scotland, and Canada. Whiskey from Scotland is known as Scotch.

A rhythmic vocal recitation that is usually intended to provoke a meditative trance, spiritual healing, or to create the aural context for a performance such as a dance or other ceremonial. Chants can also be thought of as prayers that are sung and are often comprised of repeated phrases.

According to Navajo mythology, it is on Earth, full of beauty and balance, that First Man and First Woman have a child, Changing Woman, also known as White Shell woman or Asdzą́ą́ Nádleehé in Navajo. She is associated with sacred items that represent speech and thought, both of which are in a medicine bundle that Changing Woman inherits. Changing Woman is the mother of the Hero Twins, Monster Slayer and Born for Water. She is also the benevolent being who creates the first Navajo of the four original clans and corn and is therefore known for bringing fertility and regeneration into the world.

Ceremonials are ritual, sacred, or spiritual practices found in many cultures around the world, including the Pueblo and Navajo in the American Southwest. Pueblo ceremonials are not homogeneous among the various Pueblo groups, but are instead a shared attribute among them, and includes ceremonials associated with their kiva societies. Pueblo kiva societies nurture the traditions affiliated with specific kachina, who are ancestor spirits and spirits associated with natural phenomena.

In the Navajo tradition, ceremonials are performed by a singer, also known as a hataałii, to address symptoms of imbalance that manifest as mental or physical illness. Navajo cures are targeted at body, mind, and spirit, and can last anywhere from one to nine days. Navajo ceremonials include chants, songs, prayers, lectures, dances, sweat baths, prayer sticks, and sand paintings.

A small, fully enclosed truck, similar to a pickup truck with a shell, except that the "shell" is part of the vehicle's body./cite>

In military or paramilitary organizations, such as police departments, captains outrank, or are higher in an organizational hierarchy, than lieutenants and other rank-and-file members of the given organization.

The general rankings within a police force, depending on its size, is as follows, in order from hightest to lowest rankings:

• Chief
• Deputy/Assistant Chief
• Commander
• Inspector
• Lietenant
• Sergeant
• Trooper
• Police Officer