People of the Legends
Indigenous People of North America - Navajo
Culture and Customs - Ceremonies and Festivals
There are more than 50 Navajo ceremonies. Most of them are performed by medicine people, or tribal healers.
The role of a medicine person is important for the community because they also understand tribal traditions and can tell myths and stories.
In 2002 an apprenticeship system was created to train young men and women as future medicine people.
Singing and length of ceremonies
All ceremonies involve singing or chanting. A rattle is used in some of them to accompany the singer’s voice.
Some ceremonies take place over several days and nights and some are performed at specific times of the year.
Ceremonies for life events
Some ceremonies are performed for major life events, and are mostly happy occasions. They include:
- When a woman is about 8 months pregnant, a ceremony is performed for protection and a safe birth
- When someone outside the immediately family makes a baby laugh for the first time, a First Laugh ceremony is performed
- When a child starts to walk, a First Footprint ceremony is performed
- When girls and boys are 12 or 13 years old, puberty ceremonies are performed
- When young people are 16 to 18 years old, coming-of-age ceremonies are performed to show they are now adults
- When people get married, a wedding ceremony is performed.
Ceremonies for special needs
Other ceremonies are performed when people need them, including:
- To get rid of the effects of an enemy – the Enemy way
- To remove negativity or evil – the Evil way
- To bring good health to someone who is ill – the Holy way
- To treat someone who has been injured in an accident – the Life way
- To bring good luck and prosperity – the Blessing way
- To bless a house or workplace before people move in – the House Blessing.
Healing ceremonies help to restore balance and harmony to a person. Before some of these ceremonies take place, the person being “sung over” takes a sweatbath to cleanse and prepare themselves. Sometimes medicines made from plants are used in the healing.
Sandpaintings
The medicine person may also create sandpaintings, using sand in many different colours.
The sandpainting draws negative things from the person being sung over and lets good or positive things come through to them.
The sandpainting has to be destroyed at the end of the ceremony, usually before dawn.
Because many sandpaintings are beautiful, people wanted to keep them.
Some of the designs have been changed slightly and used as patterns for rugs and for pictures.
Modern medicine and ceremonies
Some Navajo surgeons and doctors use songs and ceremonies as well as modern medicine to help patients.
They believe these traditional ways can bring comfort and help people get better more quickly.
