changing woman and the hero twins analysis2 tbsp brown sugar calories
After the singing, the cake is unearthed and a first piece removed from the east direction. Hogans are characterized by a rich tradition of symbolism. Changing Woman lives by herself in a house floating on the western waters . 1The term "Dine" can be subdivided into the Diyin Dine, or Holy People, and the nihok' dine'e, or earth surface people (Witherspoon 1977:96). One myth, which Stevenson recorded, places Talking God and another deity as created by corn from Changing Woman and her sister: Mythically, Sun is said to be corn's father and Lightning its mother (Reichard 1950: 27). The Sun and his associated symbols and the essential domestic plant; there is no wild form. for the Navajo definition of fatherhood. Princeton UP. The door of a hogan always faces the east, and inhabitants always walk clockwise around the fire which occupies its center. Now on the top of Gobernador Knob, I am here. A01 The Blessing Way (01-07) p. 26 Griffin-Pierce, Trudy, 1992. Just as Navajo refer to Changing Woman as Pp. are returned to diyinni in the form of offerings. One might thus interpret her as an allegory of the seasons, but she is more, being related to the earth and vegetation. Contained in the bundle are objects of value on the Earth's surface. The Book of the Navajo. Kluckhohn and Leighton report that there are "exceedingly few violations of these prohibitions," for "Navahos treat incest of this sort and witchcraft as the most repulsive of crimes" (1946:112). "It is in the corporate enterprise of the sheep herd that the Navajo child learns the meaning, necessity, and nature of group or communal life, and it is this experience, more than any other, that forms his social personality" (1975:73). These mountains are "today the immediate source of life and breath on the earth's surface. Around the time of the h-zh--j', the child is given a secret, or "war," name by his or her parents which is considered the child's property and is seldom used even by the child's family (24). "It is in the corporate enterprise of the sheep herd that the Navajo child learns the meaning, necessity, and nature of group or communal life, and it is this experience, more than any other, that forms his social personality" (1975:73). The Sacred Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life. Witherspoon says, "the common interest in, and use of, the sheep herd is thus a major factor in uniting and integrating the attitudes and behavior of the individual members of the unit" (1975: 89). The man owns what his family gives him, and what he had saved for himself. "Mask representing the younger twin, Born of Water, Tobadzschni, as seen in The Night Chant, a Navajo Ceremony, by Washington Matthews, published in 1902 in New York by the Knickerbocker Press. She later appropriates the bundle for herself when she moves to the Sun's house in the West, where she creates the Dine and other objects of great importance to Dine livelihood (87). nihima' (our mother), they refer to the Sun as "nihitah' Aronilth, Wilson, 1991. A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 218, A01 People of Darkness (03-06) p. 39 8 I question Witherspoon here; in all other sources it is "Born to" the mother's clan. Hunahpu is one of the hero twins in the Popol Vuh. Beck, Peggy, and Anna Lee Walters, eds., 1992. thing missing, we have come up." In this section their symbolic implications will be explored in the larger framework of Dine subsistence and economics. Through an analysis of Changing Woman as described in Paul Zolbrod's version of the Navajo Creation Story, Dine bahane', the symbolic motifs inherent in her mythology can be isolated, identified, and applied to the larger holistic analysis of Changing Woman in Navajo culture. Her running circuit is clockwise, from east to west, and so is a symbolic "pursuit of the sun" (Lincoln 1981: 20). their meanings provide the major conceptual framework Reichard records a myth in which Talking God gives corn to Whiteshell Woman and her sister Turquoise woman, saying, "There is no better thing than this in the world, for it is the gift of life." Haile provides one myth in which First Man is dismayed at his forgetfulness when he leaves his medicine in a lower world: K'e' terms, or the Dine descent system, contains six large categories: the mother's clan, father's clan, born for mother's clan8, born for father's clan, clan for which mother is born, and the clan for which father is born (95). 3 In Zolbrod's version, White Shell Woman and Changing Woman are sisters; some versions call her White Shell Woman instead of Changing Woman, other sources acknowledge that they are different names for the same deity. Purity and Danger. . Levi-Strauss, Claude, 1966. The Main Stalk: A Synthesis of Navajo Philosophy. Basic Books. Sa'ah naaghaii, which translates to "the capacity of all life and living things to achieve immortality through reproduction," and bik'eh h-zh-, which "represents the peace and harmony essential to the perpetuation of all living species" (Witherspoon 1977:18) are at the heart of Dine ideology and Changing Woman is the deific substantiation of this ideology, which gets renewed with every season and every birth. Witherspoon comments, She grows into an old woman in winter, but by spring she becomes a young woman again. The Savage Mind. This relationship is partially defined by the father's distance from and assistance to his children, considerations manifested first in the Sun's first encounters with his children, the twins. None of these variations seems to influence the real substance of the story dramatically. Right on the fabric spread I am here. Witherspoon, Gary, 1975. The batter is blessed with cornmeal and covered with husks, "in the center of which the initiand places another corn-husk cross oriented to the cardinal points. accumulation of property, insuring a long and happy These mountains are "today the immediate source of life and breath on the earth's surface. Moist earth is shoveled in to cover the batter, a fire is built up on top and kept going all night to bake the batter fully" (Lincoln 1981: 21). The former is distinguished by adding an "i" to the end, making the category k'e' terms. The soil is also the earth's flesh" (Farella 1984: 182). (Kluckhohn 1946: 212) Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. Monster Slayer is the elder twin, known as Naynzgan in Din, and Born of Water is the younger twin, known as Tobadzschni in Din. Man, of course, University of Chicago Press. her hands and then) on the white shell, the turquoise, Witherspoon, Gary, 1977. One myth, which Stevenson recorded, places Talking God and another deity as created by corn from Changing Woman and her sister: H-zho, the state of being in beauty and balance, exists among related things; it is impossible to have h-zh- between "unrelated entities" (Witherspoon 1977: 88). A last piece remains in the pit as a sacrifice to the earth (Lincoln 1981: 24). University of New Mexico Press. nihima' (our mother), they refer to the Sun as "nihitah' Furthermore, objects and individuals have proscribed placement within the hogan as well. on the mountain where the fogs meet, 'the corn University of Michigan Press. Witherspoon comments, greatly in creation. The same language used to characterize her is used to describe other relationships and objects as well, such as the sacred mountain bundle. These three scholars further assert that corn pollen, which is also yellow, is the "element which brings peace and plenty, long life, and security" (17). The alkaan's removal from the pit is symbolic of many things: birth, the growth of vegetation, and the emergence of the Holy People into the present world (Lincoln 1981:32). Dine bahane'. 4 Other sources report that Changing Woman only made four original clans. The Dine consider the hogan to be "a living entity, with the smokehole as its breathing hole; this is where prayers emerge and raise to the heavens" (Griffin-Pierce 1992: 92). 5 There is no equivalent for males in Navajo culture. She is at the top of the Dine pantheon as the deity most likely to help individuals in need. Hunahp and Xbalanqu are gods. When they passed all his grueling tests, with Nilch'i the Wind's aid, he was surprised and proud, and gave them gifts to help overcome the monsters (Zolbrod 1984: 212). 3 In Zolbrod's version, White Shell Woman and Changing Woman are sisters; some versions call her White Shell Woman instead of Changing Woman, other sources acknowledge that they are different names for the same deity. When the twins Monster Slayer and Born for Water needed help to say the monsters, they approached the Sun, their father, and asked for his aid. The Savage Mind. Man, of course, In fact, Kluckhohn reports that a family has at least one h-zh--j' every six months. University of Arizona Press. Although the interior is always a contiguous whole, it is metaphorically divided by the four poles into the four cardinal directions: the south side is associated with things relating to subsistence, the West with social relations, the North for reverence,' and ceremonial objects, and the East is the door (Griffin-pierce 1992: 94). Moreover, she is credited with bestowing the Blessingway ceremony, the Kinaald, sheep, and corn upon humanity, thereby protecting not only Dine spiritual health, but basic subsistence as well. The Sun and his associated symbols and Dine children address their father as an in-law, or shaadaani. It is a repetition of the act [of creation] itself" (1984: 76). of which the earth, the sky were setting firm. Navajo Kinship and Marriage. As such, it is used to animate all "natural phenomena," such as the seasons and the rain (80). Now on the top of Gobernador Knob, I am here. It can The alkaan is highly symbolic. Volume II. Aronilth, Wilson, 1991. A01 People of Darkness (03-06) p. 126. Return Home. Everywhere I go over the earth she will have charge of female rain. 1983 Navajo Views of Their Origin. Even after this incident, however, the Sun could never really be close to his children. Witherspoon, Gary, 1975. Language and Art in the Navajo Universe. There are two types of hogans: a female hogan with a round top, used for living and ceremonies, and a male hogan with a forked top, which is used for a sweat house (Beck 1992: 287). Woman and her Blessingway gave it to us. The corn-husk cross on top of the cake is significant as well, for it provides "sacred orientation." The Symbolism of Corn: Mankind. (1975: 33). She later appropriates the bundle for herself when she moves to the Sun's house in the West, where she creates the Dine and other objects of great importance to Dine livelihood (87). Even after this incident, however, the Sun could never really be close to his children. Neo does not believe Trinity and thinks that the world he is in is the only world that exists. The Main Stalk: A Synthesis of Navajo Philosophy. University of New Mexico Press. Aside from running, the girl's main duty is to grind the corn for the huge cake, called an alkaan, that will be eaten on the ceremony's final day. The Sacred Ways of Knowledge, Sources of Life. rest periodically on mountain tops, which figure For most of his day, he is coursing in the sky, which is why Changing Woman moves to the West so she can be with him at night. a few songs one night, a ritual bath in yucca suds the essential domestic plant; there is no wild form. Princeton UP. Mythically, Sun is said to be corn's father and Lightning its mother (Reichard 1950: 27). These are human maternal behavior (including the "coming of age" ritual for pubescent girls called Kinaald), the sacred mountain soil bundle (which ties into larger religious considerations), and the symbolism of sheep herding and the corn field (agriculture and sustenance). Princeton UP. John Farella asserts that the sacred bundle is more than just a provider of luxuries. A07 The Dark Wind (04-06) p. 67 6 For a longer discussion of hogans, please see page Changing Woman's twin sons had been born for the purpose of ridding the earth of the Monsters who were killing all the people. In Navajo mythology, the twins Monster Slayer and Born of Water were born to rid the earth of the monsters who were killing the people. Language and Art in the Navajo Universe. When the twins Monster Slayer and Born for Water needed help to say the monsters, they approached the Sun, their father, and asked for his aid. The Book of the Navajo. The Symbolism of Corn: University of New Mexico Press. Dine bahane'. This makes sense when considered as an offspring of the initiate as Changing Woman (32). Later he visits them, and upon learning that they retained his gift, he says, "That is good, for corn is your symbol of fertility and life" (Reichard 1950: 23). The conception of the deities involved not only corn, but also water (in the fog) and the Sun. Witherspoon asserts that Changing Woman is the child of First Boy (Sa'ah Naaghaii) who represents thought, and First Girl (Bik'eh H-zh-), who represents speech (1977: 17). without the thing which regulated our lives, by means The Blessingway ceremony performed after the child's birth is also performed on several other occasions, such as the departure or return of family members after leaving the reservation for an extended amount of time, during a girl's Kinaald and a woman's wedding (Kluckhohn 1946: 212). 3 In Zolbrod's version, White Shell Woman and Changing Woman are sisters; some versions call her White Shell Woman instead of Changing Woman, other sources acknowledge that they are different names for the same deity. Mankind. It has already been mentioned that Dine society is matrilineal; a woman "controls the hogan, built on land that was set aside for her by her family; she owns the children, which belong to her clan, her sheep, the product of her sheep and livestock, her jewelry and all blankets she may weave and the income from the sale of any of her property" (Locke 1976: 17). "Active reality," on the other hand, refers to Navajo social and economic life, which is defined by movement and change (Witherspoon 1977: 141). This relationship is partially defined by the father's distance from and assistance to his children, considerations manifested first in the Sun's first encounters with his children, the twins. on them "will be called amniotic fluid,"but One myth of Changing Woman's infancy insists that she was fed corn pollen to have the "power of regeneration" (17). the amniotic fluidsoaked into the soil right there. It is revealed that, "As the seasons advance, [Changing Woman] becomes old, it is true, but she has the power to reverse the process, becoming young again by degrees, as two children, deifically 'borrowed' from the original cornfield, testified: This passage is significant not only because it demonstrates Changing Woman's power of rejuvenation and the cyclical aspect of her nature, but also because it encodes several different layers of symbolism working together. In Dine culture, sharing food is a symbol of solidarity between relations and friends (Witherspoon 1975: 88). A deity named Changing Woman gave birth to the Hero Twins, called Monster Slayer and Child of the Waters. The young boys undertake the dangerous journey to meet their father, Sun Bearer, and prove themselves as his sons. (Haile qtd. in Farella 1984: 83). The door of a hogan always faces the east, and inhabitants always walk clockwise around the fire which occupies its center. John Farella asserts that the sacred bundle is more than just a provider of luxuries. Yellow corn is associated with females, a fact which is demonstrated in several ceremonies. The Savage Mind. ripening, which regulated the raining, which regulated The rite, These three scholars further assert that corn pollen, which is also yellow, is the "element which brings peace and plenty, long life, and security" (17). Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. Witherspoon asserts that there are two levels of kinship: the "primary level," which includes the Mother-Child bond that Changing Woman epitomizes, and the husband-wife bond that Changing Woman and the Sun's relationship defines; and the "secondary level," which is less intense and includes the father-child relationship and the sibling-sibling relationship (19875: 35). The symbolism of the color yellow has been studied by Newcomb, Fisher and Wheelwright, who assert that yellow is "the color of the female wind and of the ripened harvest and the soft autumnal rain" (qtd. Levi-Strauss, Claude, 1966. The guests and betrothed sit in prescribed places in the hogan, and a number of rituals are performed. Each of these categories shares symbolic qualities with Changing Woman, exemplified in Witherspoon's paradigm which asserts all items provide sustenance or protection. I myself will control male rain. The Book of the Navajo. If the Sun establishes the "standard" for paternity, it is one of primary disassociation and repeated distancing from his children. Each tale begins with the goddesses name, place of origin, and . A05 Listening Woman (02-13) p. 121 with their eyes whenever she moved her hands Throughout this paper, Dine will refer to the Navajo people, and Diyin Dine to the Holy People. Hogans are characterized by a rich tradition of symbolism. Witherspoon comments. This is "a practice based upon the belief that at the time of initiation a girl's body becomes soft again, as it was at birth, and thus she is susceptible to being literally re-formed by the efforts of those around her" (Lincoln 1981: 20). Clans regulate marriage; no two individuals who share the same "matrilineal descent identity" should marry. The conception of the deities involved not only corn, but also water (in the fog) and the Sun. University of Chicago Press. Zolbrod, Paul G, 1984. Levi-Strauss, Claude, 1976. the essential domestic plant; there is no wild form. Locke, Raymond Friday, 1992. Earth is My Mother, Sky Is My Father;: Space, Time, and Astronomy in Navajo Sandpainting. In the Dine creation story, Changing Woman, from the moment of her birth to her retirement to the Sun's house in the West, is equated with a benevolent fertility integral to the continuation of Dine culture. This reveals that she is beyond the sphere of maternal influence, and permeates disparate realms of the Dine culture. Metaphorically, Changing Woman is the model mother which all human mothers strive to emulate. NCC Press. Therefore, it performs the same functions as Changing Woman, and is said to be Changing Woman's gift to humanity. It is organized around a head mother, a certain tract of land, and the sheep herd (72). Lincoln asserts that "given its shape, color, and relation to fire, it must be seen as a solar image" (Lincoln 1981: 32). Witherspoon, Gary, 1977. Purity and Danger. Works Cited: A last piece remains in the pit as a sacrifice to the earth (Lincoln 1981: 24). the earth which changes in summer and becomes young The former is distinguished by adding an "i" to the end, making the category k'e' terms. on the mountain where the fogs meet, 'the corn Corn is, first of all, diyinii Corn is, of course, We went Conclusion: The soil is also the earth's flesh" (Farella 1984: 182). ripening, which regulated the raining, which regulated Farella believes that h-zh--j' is even more vital than Kluckhohn and Leighton depict because it creates, not just reiterates. At the end of Book 1, Seven Macaw declares that he is actually glorious enough to serve as the sun and the moon, and so he does so. Changing Woman is considered to have made the first sheep: Yellow corn is associated with females, a fact which is demonstrated in several ceremonies. Farella, John R., 1984. 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