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Navajo Cosmology

navajocodetalkersadmin on June 4, 2014 - 2:00 pm in Navajo History

Navajo cosmology gives emphasis on the making of the world by Black God. In Navajo, they believe that he is the one who created the first man and woman in the earth and teach them the standard of living for the people or Dineh in Navajo language. The story of the creation Dine Bahanme provides information about the spirits or Gods as well as the features of the universe of Navajo. In the story is the outline of command of the world that is reflected in Hogan, the place of a Navajo household as well as in the sand painting ceremony and treating rituals which recreate the bigger command of the world in a small scale.

Navajo Creation Beliefs

One major ordering belief of a Navajo’s family, along with another group of Native Americans, is the idea of fairness that for them was propitious because it represents the equality of dual pairs of contradictories. At the beginning of the world, according to the principle of Navajos, there are 4 worlds; of that out is the most recent, bounded by four holy mountains, (the 4 volcanic peaks are situated in the whole region of the Navajo, San Francisco, Hesperus, and Blanca as well as Taylor peak). The universe is assumed to be surrounded by four powerful beings such as Darkness Woman, Evening Twilight Woman, Horizontal Blue Man and Dawn Man. Some accounts state other four groups, all related to the 4 colors red, blue, black and white, four holy plant tobacco, corn, beans as well as squash.

As explained by Harry Walter, a Navajo elderly, each and every Sacred Hills as well as the four courses have their individual Holy being that is either female or male, each are paired. The sacred being on the east is male and known as the Talking God and matched with Hogan a female God that represent the West. The scared person on the south is female also known as Born of Water and is matched with the sacred being of the North known as Monster Slayer who happens to be a male. There are also pairs of hills in the four holy mountains and face each other as well as keeping the balance in order to sustain peace and tranquillity and balance or known as alchisila.

Overview of Cosmology in Navajo Culture

Navajo cosmetology shows the combination of marker peaks the 4 colored spirits of the sphere and the God of the sky from people of the Navajo. The 4 primary colors in the Gods of the sky include yellow or sun, blue or moon and the two holy people at the corner of the earth as well as the four sacred mountains which come with the basic directions. Cosmic rainbow as well as father sky is above the Mother Earth. Navajo also believed that Hogan was consisted of 4 elements, white shell, turquoise, abalone as well as obsidian. They described the sky as having 4 layers Moon, Sun, stars as well as the opening of the sky. Navajo only recognized two seasons the winter or Hai and summer or Shi, however, each and every season is divided into four classifications.

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