Navajo Culture: Hozho And Blessingway

To the Navajo people, hozho is the idea of remaining in balance with the entire cosmos. It is more than just a word to traditional Navajo people. They strive to maintain their inherent bond with nature in everything they do. It is seen in their ceremonies and gatherings, but also in every aspect of their day to day life. It can be seen in their work, harvesting methods, and eating habits. The idea of hozho is the foundation of what might be thought of as religion in Navajo culture. However, to the Navajo, religious activities are not limited to weekly gathering to worship a higher power. They place more value in the day to day, minute by minute steps they take to remain in balance with the world around them. This is why the Navajo people …show more content…
A Blessingway can be performed on anyone. It is not a curative ceremony as many sand painting ceremonies are. Blessingways are designed to be preventative. They are intended to invoke positive blessings and protect the Navajo people from misfortune. Often in Blessingway ceremonies, sand will not be used in the creation of paintings. Substances like charcoal and pigments from vegetable products will be used to construct the paintings. Another major type of ceremony is the Enemyway. In contrast to the Blessingway ceremony, the Enemyway is designed to be curative. Enemyways are intended to exorcise evil ghosts, violence and ugliness. Other curative ceremonies include Holyways, Evilways, and Lifeways. Holyways are designed to restore a patient’s health, Evilways are intended to exorcise evil, and Lifeways are meant to heal injuries from accidents (Griffin-Pierce, 40). All of these ceremonies are specifically designed to put the Navajo people back in balance with the universe around them. They all stem from the Navajo idea of …show more content…
The Navajo people believe that everything has male and female parts. This is how the universe stays in balance. In the Kinaalda ceremony, this is represented by the making of the corn cake. The corn grows in the female earth, but the male sun’s rays allow the corn to grow. This balance between male and female parts allows the corn to grow successfully. The corn cake is made in a hole that is dug in the ground during the Kinaalda ceremony. Once the cake is made, everyone is allowed to eat it except for the Kinaalda girl. The Navajo believe that, since the cake was made in the womb of the Earth, it is as if the cake was made in the womb of the Kinaalda girl as well (Lincoln, 262). This further demonstrates the deep-rooted bond the Navajo people have with the universe around them. The beauty and harmony of hozho is also seen in Navajo rug weaving. According to Navajo legend, Spider Woman taught the Navajo people how to weave. In rug weaving, the loom is said to represent the cosmos and the process of weaving is believed to unite the Sky Father and the Earth Mother. Again, this shows the maintaining of balance between the male and female parts of nature. The idea of hozho is seen in the yarn used for weaving as well. The rain from Sky Father fertilizes Earth Mother which allows grass to grow. The sheep eat the grass and produce the wool that forms the yarn. Everything is