Lizard

An Ethnologic Dictionary of the Navajo Language, 1929; The Franciscan Fathers.

Navajo gamblers in the past performed a ceremony introduced by the great gambler. A man desiring supernatural power made a trail of goldenrod pollen from the hole of a green-collared lizard to his right hand, which contained more pollen. If the reptile emerged from its home and ate the pollen, the man was a full-fledged gambler and would always win; but if he flinched or forgot the accompanying songs, he would lose all that he had. The procedure was risky but one used with great effect by the legendary gambler. Pg. 88

Sacred Land, Sacred View: Navajo Perceptions of the Four Corners Region; 1992, Robert S. McPherson.

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