Native Americans

As most of you know, we lived on the Navajo/Hopi reservation for nine years. So the other night as I was watching the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics, I was extremely impressed to see them include their native peoples and give them such honor and credit. I enjoy learning about our Natives, the different tribes, ceremonies, customs, etc. I learned much while living among them. The Navajos have a saying, "Walk in Beauty." I think this encompass so much.



While living and working there, I met a great friend, Barbara Lombardi from Texas. She had seen a presentation when she was 13 about the Navajo Indians, and so all her life she wanted to work with them and teach school among them. She taught me about their sacred number "four." This little information held me in good stead on many an occassion. I remember once when one of my students had taken something from another student. I asked him. "Did you take ______'s pencil?" He said, "No." I asked him again, "Did you take _______'s pencil?" He replied, "No." I repeated myself again. Same answer. Then I said, "This is the fourth time I'm going to ask you. If you do not tell the truth, you'll be boxed in." So I asked one more time, making sure I said this is the fourth time, and he replied. "Yes, I took it."



I learned that they used the number four for many things. It represented to them the four seasons. They honored the first four clans, their four sacred mountainas and four colors, black, white, blue and yellow.



In most Navajo rituals there are four songs and multiples of four as well as symbolic uses for this multiple. The Navajo are taught that they are nurtured by four values, Life, Work, Social/Human relations and Respect/Reverence. This is what helps keep them to be well balanced people.



The more I learn about different cultures, the more I feel I could implement some of these things in my life and make it better. We are surrounded by rich cultures where we can take the good from them and improve our lives. I believe that we are all on this earth to help one another, to teach and uplift one another. We are here to see the good in people. We are here to help each other.