Words and Places

For this post I will be exploring the Web resource parentseyes.arizona.edu/wordsandplace/. The website is titled Words and Place native literature from the American southwest. As many of you know from veiwing some of the videos for the "Native Voices" assignment, they are focused on oral traditions through songs and stories. I think this resource was used for this course for a few reasons. All of the programs were produced "with the permission, cooperation and support of the Indian communities". So we know we are receiving accurate information free of propaganda and sterotypes. Each story demonstrates an American Indian recounting their own oral history in their communities. The videotapes were created at the University of Arizona and received funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities. I very much enjoyed the video "By This Song I Walk: Navajo Songs" with Andrew Natonabah. I found it so interesting that "Navajos view the universe as a dangerous place which contains good and evil elements". The goal of the Navajo is to maintain this balance and a lot of the time this can be done by song or Chantways, which are "the longest, the most potent, and the most profound Navajo songs". Travelling and motions are frequent themes in Navajo culture. "It is estimated that there are over 350,000 distinct conjugations of the verb 'to go' in Navajo". I think this is so incredible. Travelling must be a very religious and important experience for the Navajo. They are always in motion. Travelling is a way to communicate with "holy people" and move in balance with the world.

parentseyes.arizona.edu/wordsandplace/

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