| Earth Is My Mother, Sky Is My Father: Space, Time, and Astronomy in Navajo Sandpainting Contributor(s): Griffin-Pierce, Trudy (Author), Momaday, N. Scott (Foreword by) |
|
 |
ISBN: 0826316344 ISBN-13: 9780826316349 Publisher: University of New Mexico Press OUR PRICE: $29.65 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: March 1995 Annotation: To the Navajo, sandpaintings are sacred, living entities that reflect the interconnectedness of all living beings - humans, plants, stars, animals, and mountains. This book explores the circularity of Navajo thought in analyses of sandpaintings, Navajo chantway myths, and stories reflected in the celestial constellations. Beginning with an introduction to Navajo history and ethnography, the author explores the spiritual world of the Navajo, their ceremonial practices, and their conceptions of time and stellar motion. The Navajo depict the heavens in a group of sacred sandpaintings, and Griffin-Pierce shows how these images not only communicate the temporal and spatial dimensions of the Navajo universe but also present, in visual form, Navajo ideas about relationships among nature, self, and society. Beautifully illustrated by the author, this well-documented book is based on six years of fieldwork with Navajo chanters and on the author's twenty-year friendship with a Navajo family. Earth Is My Mother, Sky Is My Father is an engaging study for anyone who wants to better understand modern Navajo philosophy and sacred practices. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Social Science | Ethnic Studies - Native American Studies |
| Dewey: 299.782 |
| LCCN: 92015470 |
| Lexile Measure: 1320 |
| Physical Information: 0.71" H x 5.99" W x 8.99" (1.01 lbs) 240 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Southwest U.S. - Cultural Region - Western U.S. - Ethnic Orientation - Native American - Geographic Orientation - Arizona - Geographic Orientation - New Mexico |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: To the Navajo, sandpaintings are sacred, living entities that reflect the interconnectedness of all living beings--humans, plants, stars, animals, and mountains. This book, now available in paperback, explores the circularity of Navajo thought in sandpaintings, Navajo chantway myths, and stories reflected in the celestial constellations. Beautifully illustrated by the author, this well-documented book explores the spiritual world of the Navajo, their ceremonial practices, and their conceptions of time and stellar motion. Griffin-Pierce shows how the images of sacred sandpaintings not only communicate the temporal and spatial dimensions of the Navajo universe but also present, in visual form, Navajo ideas about relationships among nature, self, and society. Griffin-Pierce's approach is highly original, bringing this material together in an innovative and creative manner while grounding it holistically within the context of Navajo world view.--M. Jane Young, author of Signs from the Ancestors: Zuni Cultural Symbolism and Perceptions of Rock Art |
Contributor Bio(s): Griffin-Pierce, Trudy: - Trudy Griffin-Pierce (1949-2009) was an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona. She was the author of several books on American Indian cosmology. |