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The Navajo Religion

The Navajo Religion.

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The Navajo Religion

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  1. The Navajo Religion • 'Our way of life is our religion, and our teaching. If we are relocated byforce, we will die slowly. The people would not be in balance with MotherEarth and Sky Father and the spiritual people. In every way, here we areconnected to the land. We belong here.'Mary T Begay, Navajo Elder

  2. The Sacred Four • The Navajo people believe in a supernatural spirit of “wholeness and balance” that is revealed by through a combination of the “sacred four:” • 4 Directions: East, West, South, and North • 4 Ceremonial colors: white, yellow, blue, and black • 4 seasons: Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall • 4 Mountains: represents the boundaries of the Navajo Nation

  3. The Navajo Way • The Hoz’ho • The Navajo rely on four main concepts to attain their “harmony of life.” • Beauty, Peace, Happiness, and Righteousness. • They have a strict code of behavior and customs to help maintain their Hoz’ho, these codes and customs are known as the Navajo way. • They believe that if people act carelessly and break these codes, that turmoil and possibly judgment from the “Holy People” will occur.

  4. The four sacred mountains • The Navajo believe that their creator placed them on the land between 4 sacred mountains. The Blanca Peak in Colorado, Mount Taylor in New Mexico, the San Francisco Peaks in Arizona, and Hesperus Peak in Colorado. They have been instructed by their creator to never leave this sacred place. • “In our traditional tongue, there is no word for relocation. To relocate is to move away and disappear.” Pauline Whitesinger, Big Mountain Elder

  5. The Sacred Hogan of the Navajo • The Navajo know that they will not be able to maintain this “harmony of life” all of the time, but they believe that it’s important to try…they use spiritual songs and chants to bring harmony. • The hogan is known as the spiritual center and shelter of the Navajo people. It was a gift from the holy people. It’s doorway faces the East to honor the rising sun. Most of the Navajo rituals and ceremonies happen within the hogan. With these rituals they believe that they can heal their physical problems and gain forgiveness if they have violated any Navajo codes.

  6. The Sacred God of the Navajos • The Navajo are one of the few tribes without a supreme being. • The closest thing to a supreme being is “Changing Woman” and her sister “White Shell Woman.” In numerous Navajo legends, they are the same Holy Person and were either directly or indirectly responsible for the creation of life. • Recently, it has been discovered that the Navajo Shaman actually did have a supreme being, but his name was so scared that it was rarely ever spoken. To speak his name to any outsider was considered taboo. They believe that if they spoke his name to anyone else, it could lead to the end of the world. • Today, if any Navajo knows the name of this supreme being, they only refer to him as “The Glorious One Who travels Alone.”

  7. “Our offerings places are sacred to us, and the spiritual beings take care of us. We know the land, the spiritual beings know us here. If we leave our offering places, we will not be able to survive.” Jack Hatathlie, Navajo Medicine Man

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