BackSeasons & Months
View all products related to this legend
The traditional
Navajo year follows the rhythm of the seasons as natural, cosmological order directs
specific activities associated with each month for all forms of life on earth.
The year begins with Ghaaji' (October), which marks the "dividing of the
seasons": hai not only means "winter" but also means "the
parting of the seasons," signifying the division between winter and summer.
(The information on the seasons is based on material developed by Andy Bia in
Roessel [1981:108-111]). In Ghaaji' the leaves turn to orange and yellow; animals
grow shaggy winter coats and prepare of hibernation; birds migrate or store food;
humans prepare for winter camp by harvesting and storing corn and other food and
collecting wood and warm clothing. Nilch'it'osi (November) is the month for hunting
and for the gathering of grass and plant seeds that will be ground into flour
for bread cakes to be eaten in the winter. The sun's light grows dimmer as the
winds become colder and frost and snow increase. Nilch'itsoh (December) is a time
of heavy snow and intense wind as both animals and humans hibernate or seek shelter.
Traditionally, planting sticks are prepared this month so that the wood will be
smooth and well-seasoned when planting time arrives in the spring; women tan hides
and make moccasins. Winter games - moccasin games and string games - are played
to develop right thinking; stories are told to instruct children in the right
way to live; and winter ceremonials are held. In Yas Nilt'ees (January) there
are more ceremonials; preparations are made for the planting of corn; coyotes
breed. 'Atsa Biyaazh (February) is the month of changeable winds as the "first
chief of the winds" shakes the earth to awaken sleeping plants, bears, lizards,
and snakes, and the first plants emerge from the earth. The ground and ice crack,
as of the eagle's eggs. This is the last month in which it is proper to tell the
sacred stories. In Woozhch'iid (March) white thunder begins to sound for summer
rain as all living beings awaken from their long winter rest: animals give birth;
birds sing once again in the canyons; and leaves burst forth. Ceremonials are
held to bless the fields in preparation for planting. T'aachil (April) begins
shi, summer, and is a time of growth and emergence as the days grow longer and
warmer and the sun's light becomes stronger. Baby birds grow feathers; the sheep
grow more wool; and plants sprout. Early T'aatsoh (May) is planting season, a
time of rain and spring snow, wind, and thunder. Flowers blossom, plants produce
pollen, and young birds learn to fly. In Ya'iishjaaschchili (June) the stories,
songs, and prayers center on agriculture. Ya'iishjaatsoh (July) is a time of gathering
seeds and guarding fields and of asking the earth and Holy People to bless the
plants; the deer give birth. In Bini'ant'aats'ozi (August) wild fruits - strawberries,
cholla berries, and yucca fruit - are gathered. The final month of the year, Bini'ant'aatsoh
(September), marks the beginning of harvest as the first foodstuffs are stored
for the coming of winter. . . . . . . . The seasons divide the year into halves,
each with its own characteristics. In hai, winter, the earth and beings that live
on its surface rest or die; in shi, summer, the earth and its inhabitants become
active once more as they are restored to life. Changing Woman, who embodies the
earth's powers of rejuvenation, goes through the same cycle of old age and restoration
to beauty and youth, while Sky goes through his own seasonal changes. Again, we
see the concept of dynamic order, or order being continuously recreated through
time, as well as the pairing of complements, both essential to the order of the
Navajo universe. Pgs. 77,78
|
