Culture+ABCD

by Savannah ,Alina

The Navajos had many gods,and all of them were very amazing.One of them was Spider Woman or Changing Woman who they believed taught them how to weave. There was also the Sun God who had twin sons,the Monster Slayers,with Spider Woman.Other two gods were the Black God,who represents fire and the light of the stars. And, last but not least,Coyote who was just mean. Those are some, but not all, the gods Navajos believe in.

The Dine had a good amount of celebrations. Sings were ceremonies to heal the sick or bring blessings in or around the hogan. It lasted up to nine days long and they sang complicated songs. They believed mistakes in the song brought bad luck. They also celebrated girls coming of age. This celebration was four days long and it was called "Kinaalda". The girls ran toward the rising sun,and got massages.

Navajos had beautiful and outstanding artwork. One of then was weaving, which they learned from the Pueblo tribe. They used the wool from the sheep to make yarn. The Navajos used symbols of the land around them, and they used bright geometric patterns. Another type of artwork was sand painting. It was used in ceremonies and it was made by the singer. The paintings taught the Navajos about their history. The singer made it out of sand, pollen, and crushed rock powders, and he he destroyed it after the ceremony. Another type of artwork was making silver jewelry. The Navajos learned if from the Mexicans. They used a squash blossom design in many pieces of jewelry. Navajos used turquoise, silver, and semi-precious stones.

The Dine had lots of interesting instruments and wonderful music. They sang songs and oral chants. Navajos also taught sacred songs. Some instruments that they had were rattles, water drums, flutes and whistles. These were fascinating instruments and music, don't you think?