Natural Environment Reference

Sedimentary rock consisting of sand or quartz grains consolidated and compacted together, typically reddish in color, although yellow and brown versions are also common. Rock formations composed of sandstone are relatively porous, allowing for percolation of water and dynamic erosion by both water and wind.

Sandstone often forms dramatically colored and shaped cliffs and other geologic formations, such as the iconic stone monoliths in Monument Valley, Utah. The rock outcropping of El Morro, on the Zuni Reservation, is composed of yellowish-gray white sandstone known as Zuni Sandstone.

Also called shearling, a sheep's cured hide with the wool still attached.

A hard mass, or stone, that amasses in the gallbladder. Consisting of a concretion of cholesterol, gallstone can cause immense pain to the patient.

The badger is known for its strength, perseverance, and ferocity. A burrowing animal with large claws for digging and the ability to navigate underground, the badger is often associated with profound knowledge, insight, and the wisdom that emerges from deep introspection. It is also affiliated with the cardinal direction south. Because of its association with strength and mystical insight, for a human to be affiliated with the badger is a sign of prestige, power, and protection.

Also spelled whip-poor-will, which is a colloquialization of a bird species commonly referred to as the nightjar. The whip-poor-will is a bird from North and Central America, whose name is an onomatopoeia, or the verbalization of the sound, of its song, which, in English, sounds like "whip poor Will." There are two species of this bird in North America, the Eastern whip-poor-will (Antrostomus vociferus) and the Mexican whip-poor-will (Antrostomus arizonae). The Mexican whip-poor-will, which is found throughout the Southwest, is a medium sized nightjar that lives in wooded habitats and nests on the ground.

A sound an animal makes, similar to a howl or a loud growl. Most often associated with canids, including wolves, coyotes, foxes, and the domesticated dogs.

When one desires to delay something, or to keep some amount of distance between oneself and another, one can work to keep something "at bay." This saying derives from the fraught relationship between a baying hound, for example, and its prey, and the desire of the prey to remain as far away from capture as possible.

A natural material consisting of the processed fat of cattle, sheep, or horses. (The rendered fat from pigs is called lard.) Tallow, or suet, as it is also called, may be used to make candles, soap, and lubricant.

More commonly known as snakeweed in English, it is also known as “big dodge weed” in Navajo (Ch’il diilyesiitoh). This grass is a woody perennial plant that grows in arid open climates and is found throughout the western United States.

A perennial grass that grows in mixed grass stands throughout North America and Eurasia. The grass can grow up to 30 inches in height, and the head of the stalk has rough golden seeds. It is known as “Sweet Grass” because of its sweet fragrance. It can be burned as incense, or made into bowls, baskets, and mats.

A large, black bird from the genus Corvus, which also includes ravens and jackdaws. Crows are omnivorous birds that consume carrion (dead animal flesh), berries, and insects. Crows are also one of the most intelligent and social animals on the planet, having the ability to form and use tools, engage in sports, and demonstrate the ability to recognize individual facial features and expressions in humans.

Because crows are found on almost every continent, they have a place in many cultural traditions around the world. In some versions of the Navajo tradition, for example, crows are considered dangerous because they eat the flesh of dead animals, which is taboo. On the other had, the ancient Greeks believed that crows could tell the future. In Tibetan Buddhism, the protector of the Dharma takes the form of a crow.