The Navajo Seasons in Time
2002 Boaz Rauchwerger
I recently viewed a video produced by PBS called "The Seasons Of The Navajo." In that film I learned that the Navajo are a remarkable people. I also learned about the Navajo prayer to the dawn – "Today I will live well."
This was the sensitive story of a traditional Navajo family, the Naboyas, that embodies this simple truth. Their vision of "living well" means unceasing hard work and kinship with the earth through the cycle of the seasons.
In the opening scene, the father of the family, speaking in his native tongue, states, "There are several things that are important. These are our livestock, our sheep, and our land. These hold the family together and make it strong. The earth is truly our mother. Whatever she has, she gives. And that becomes our bodies. Every day one works with the land. This is what we learned in the presence of our forefathers. Today we who are older follow the same patterns."
What a beautiful and simple way to look at life. Why have we gotten so busy these days that many of us forget to simply "live well" today? These Navajos, living in northeastern Arizona, seem far removed from the stresses of our 21st Century. Yet, in their perspective, they seem much closer to a peaceful life.
As the seasons unfold, the Navajo family in the film travels from the high ground of Defiance Plateau to the lush green canyon floor where they grow corn along the riverbank. In order to find the best places for grazing, the Navajo move their livestock with the seasons. They are attuned to what the land will yield at different times of the year.
More than 160,000 Navajos live on this reservation, which comprises 16 ½ million acres of northeast Arizona and parts of New Mexico and Utah. The Naboyas have three simple homes. Not out of luxury, but out of necessity. They move according to the season to provide continuous grazing for their animals. The ties to family and tradition are strong.
They appreciate having animals. Mr. Naboyas comments, "If we don't have animals, how can we live life? How great it is to have animals. All through my life I'm used to having animals. If I run out of animals, I don't know how I would feel."
During the winter, the Navajos live up on the mesa. In the spring, the sunshine warms the narrow canyon below. That's when the grass becomes green and the river runs. That's where the Navajos take their animals to graze.
As they guide their sheep and horses down steep rock cliffs, we see the Navajo people showing quiet patience and a touching love for their animals. Their gentle, humane philosophy is a great lesson in cooperation. While the animals are individually owned, they are cared for in common. Sheep have been a part of Navajo life since the 1600's. They are a symbol of a family's well being.
The Navajos are famous for the lovely rugs that come from the wool of their beautiful, long haired sheep. It is spun into thread, dyed with the colors of flowers and leaves and then hand woven into rugs.
The Navajo traditions exemplified in this film are simply beautiful. We see strong ties to family as grandparents teach children, and impart the ancient "blessings of kindness." These people have the right idea. They are preserving a unique culture that is based on solid values. They seem untouched by the modern world.
One of their elders states their philosophy this way, "If one wants to be healthy and live a good life, one should get up early and greet the sunrise. With corn pollen, you say a Prayer to the Dawn - Today I will live well."
Corn, after thousands of years of cross breeding, is now completely dependent on human cultivation. The corn is an important symbol to Navajos, of their interdependence with the earth, their mother. The corn only survives with their care and, in turn, nourishes them.
In the summer, the Naboyas drive their sheep and horses up the mountain to a place called Black Rock, where there is plenty of grazing land at that time of year. There are also flowers and walnut leaves, which make beautiful dyes for the rugs to be woven.
This is also where the "Sweathouse" exists. A sweathouse is a little teepee-shaped, dirt-covered log place. Stones are heated in a fire next to the sweathouse and then placed in the middle of it. The doorway is covered in order to keep the heat inside. Mr. Naboya enters the sweathouse to make an offering to the spirits of earth, wind and water.
In Navajo mythology, the holy people, symbolizing thought and language, gathered in a sweathouse to sing the universe into being. Every dimension of this world – trees, rivers, the sky, the seasons, the mountains – were organized and given life in the songs. Mr. Naboya reenacts that moment of creation in the sweathouse.
Thank you for letting me share this glimpse through a window in time. Maybe the Navajos, through their wonderful views of life, possess the real secret. It is not a matter of having more. It's a matter of finding simple ways to live well each day.
A Daily Affirmation for Living Well
I understand that living well means appreciating simple things. Today I will live well.
Article reproduced with permission from Boaz Rauchwerger. You may reprint any of these articles in any publication or Web site so long as you credit Boaz Rauchwerger as the author and include this Web site address, www.Boazpower.com.