Cultural Reference

This is another way of referring to the A'shiwi, or Zuni, people before they had earned, or learned, their name. This type of naming convention suggests a pre-formative state, as if the A'shiwi had not yet matured enough to know who they were. In fact, that is one of the morals of the Zuni myth called The Boy Who Made Dragonfly, and many other origin stories: the people, whomever they are to become, make many immature and foolish mistakes that often necessitate their having to move from one place, or world, to another. These mistakes and associated journeys comprise the foundational structures of many creation stories, and in almost every case suggest a narrative of maturation as wisdom is gained through a combination of spiritual guidance and mundane experience.

The people known as Zunis call themselves A'shiwi, which translates to "the flesh people." The A'shiwi speak the language isolate called Zuni, and have maintained their unique linguistic integrity for 7000 years. The A'shiwi lived in six different villages before the Pueblo Revolt of 1680, and moved to their present day single location following the revolt. The Pueblo of Zuni lies 35 miles south of Gallup, New Mexico and 150 miles west of Albuquerque. The A'shwi, or Zuni people, fought the introduction of new coal mines in the early 2000s that would have affected the aquifer of Zuni Salt Lake.

The Zuni learned silversmithing from their Navajo neighbors, and artisans are renowned for intricate turquoise stone inlays. Jewelry making, fetish carving and pottery-making are important enterprises for Zuni artists.

The Spanish borrowed Zuni from a Keresan word for the Zuni Pueblo.

A reference to the polytheistic religion of ancient Greek society, which consisted of complex and detailed stories with multiple gods and other heroic figures as main characters. Like that of many societies, the mythology of the Greeks was extensive, believed to be true, and expressed a complex interaction between cultural and environmental conditions and events.

Ancient Greek civilization consisted of a complex group of city states geographically located in the Mediterranean, the area of the modern Greek state. This civilization began in about 1200 B.C. and ended after the death of Alexander the Great in 323 B.C. Ancient Greek culture is considered the bedrock of Western culture.

A flying projectile shot using a bow, a curved piece of wood held in tension by string, gut, or plastic tied between the two ends. Traditionally, an arrow consists of a straight shaft, made of wood, with a stone “arrow head” projectile point attached on the front. Additionally, the back of the shaft is hafted (indented) and covered with feathers to facilitate the flight and direction of the arrow once it is shot. The bow and arrow are primarily used for hunting and the use of this weapon in the Four Corner’s region began during the end of the Basketmaker time period (A.D. 300-800).

Because of the important advantages that the arrow gave to those peoples who mastered their manufacture and use, the arrow also gained symbolic value. Worked onto the surfaces of ceramics and into textiles and sandpaintings, arrows can represent strength, virility, defense, protection, and courage.

In Puebloan culture, fraternities are associated with "medicine," curative powers, and the ability to conjure or control natural phenomena to benefit the health of individuals or the community. In this sense, members of fraternities can be considered traditional, ceremonial, spiritual, and biological healers, who acquired their specific knowledges, traditions, and ceremonies from kachina (spirits) over time. These different knowledges and ceremonials are carefully guarded and maintained by the different fraternities, but their effects are shared broadly throughout the pueblo to benefit the community.

In the Pueblo tradition, one is born into a clan, and that clan may historically associate itself with a specific kiva society, but fraternities transcend the more static social associations of clans and kivas. It is typical for one who has benefited from a fraternal healing to petition to join that fraternity; in part, the specialized knowledge of that healing has been imparted to its benefactor through his or her experience. Many fraternities, therefore, are open to men and women. In addition, one can move between fraternities, or belong to several at once. With their discrete specializations, fraternal participation in the life of the pueblo occurs on almost daily occurrences, as needed. Kiva society ceremonials, on the other hand, tend to have annual cycles, and rather than focusing on treating the symptoms of an individual, they work to maintain natural equilibrium and universal balance.

This term refers to female members of the family Canidae, including wolves, foxes, jackals, coyotes and domesticated dogs. This term first appeared in the 11th century; the Middle English form is bicche. The meaning of this word has been appropriated as an abusive term referring to difficult or spiteful women.

While there are many different versions of the Navajo Origin Myth, the general outlines of the myth are present in all versions, and First Woman (Áłtsé Asdzą́ą́), usually alongside First Man (Áłtsé Hastiin), is present in every version. First Man and First Woman are considered the builders of this world, responsible for creating the four sacred mountains, the first hogan, and the holy figures. First Man then completes a night-long ceremony where he creates beauty, balance, and order. It is into this world that the child of First Man and First Woman, Changing Woman, is born. It is Changing Woman’s twin boys, Monster Slayer and Born for Water, who defeat the monsters in this world and make it safe for the Navajo people to live in. Changing Woman takes over creation duties from First Man and First Woman.

While there are many different versions of the Navajo Origin Myth, the general outlines of the myth are present in all versions, and First Woman (Áłtsé Asdzą́ą́), usually alongside First Man (Áłtsé Hastiin), is present in every version. First Man and First Woman are considered the builders of this world, responsible for creating the four sacred mountains, the first hogan, and the holy figures. First Man then completes a night-long ceremony where he creates beauty, balance, and order. It is into this world that the child of First Man and First Woman, Changing Woman, is born. It is Changing Woman’s twin boys, Monster Slayer and Born for Water, who defeat the monsters in this world and make it safe for the Navajo people to live in. Changing Woman takes over creation duties from First Man and First Woman.

In some versions of Navajo ceremonial traditions, Big Fly, known as Do'tsoh in Navajo, and what Hillerman sometimes refers to as Sacred Fly, or Little Winds, is the guardian of Navajo sandpainting and oftentimes will hover near or land on a person's shoulder while the painter is working. When he sits on the shoulder, Big Fly answers questions sent down by the elders. In this, the Navajo Big Fly shares many similarities with the Zuni dragonfly character, who, similar to Big Fly, manifests as a liaison between the people and their spirit ancestors.

Tony Hillerman uses this phrase to refer to people who are not native to the Southwest and therefore do not understand the variegated geography of the landscape and the associated problems with traveling across it.