Elder Brother's Maze
As I understand it, the Oʼodham people are Native Americans who reside primarily in Arizona and northern Mexico. Two branches of this family are the Tohono Oʼodham (meaning "Desert People") and the Akimel Oʼodham, (meaning "River People").
Both of these branches have legends or beliefs about a good-spirited creator god who is known by various names: Iʼitoi or Iʼithi or Se:he -- or Elder Brother. He is said to live in a cave below the peak of Baboquivari Mountain, in a labyrinth he constructed at the beginning of the world, and so he has acquired yet another name: The Man in the Maze.
Both of these branches have legends or beliefs about a good-spirited creator god who is known by various names: Iʼitoi or Iʼithi or Se:he -- or Elder Brother. He is said to live in a cave below the peak of Baboquivari Mountain, in a labyrinth he constructed at the beginning of the world, and so he has acquired yet another name: The Man in the Maze.
In the beginning of the world, a great flood drowned all but three beings: Earth-maker, Iʼitoi, and Coyote. Each of these three attempted to re-populate the world, and I'itoi was successful. He took the name Elder Brother.
At first, Elder Brother was good to the people he created, teaching them the arts. But then he grew mean and mistreated them. One spring day, they rose up and killed him in his cave.
But he didn't stay dead. After four days, he used his immense power to rise from the dead.
Then Elder Brother travelled to the other side of the world (or some say underground) and raised an army of warriors. When he returned to the lands of the people he had made, he conquered and subjugated them.
Now he needed a safe place to live in. So, he turned his cave into a maze.
Elder Brother’s enemies could see the entrance to his home, but when they entered and tried to find him, they got lost in the dark maze, lost in its labyrinthine passages, and they died deep within the mountain. They never reached Elder Brother's hideout in the center.
The symbol of the Man in the Maze appears frequently in the arts and crafts of the Southwest. It is found in silver rings and necklaces, and in baskets and pottery.
Some say the maze image is a map that Elder Brother made so his friends could reach him. Others say the twists and turns of the maze are a symbol of our journey through life and into ourselves -- the experiences we have -- some sad, some joyful; the people we meet; and the choices we make.
What happens when you reach the center? Some say you can look back on the choices you made and the path you took. Some say you find your dreams. Some say the Sun god blesses you and you pass into the next world.
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Kachinas
The word Kachina means at least three different things.
At the highest level, Kachinas are spirit-beings revered by most Pueblo Indians, including the Hopi and the Zuni. The Zuni believe that the Kachinas live in the mythical Lake of the Dead, while the Hopi place them in Arizona’s San Francisco Peaks. Several times a year, these powerful spirits visit the native villages to guide their people and to bring them life-giving rain.
These supernatural visits are portrayed by Kachina dancers, men who dress in elaborate costumes and bring the tribe's religious beliefs to life in the Bean Dance, the Home Dance, the Night Dances, and others.
Then there are the Kachina dolls, usually carved of cottonwood root and intricately painted. Some of these dolls are given to native children to teach them about their culture, and some are sold to tourists and collectors.
Some say there are more than 200 Kachinas; each pueblo community has its own pantheon. A Kachina can represent anything from an animal to a revered ancestor, a location, a quality or concept, or a natural phenomenon such as: the sun, the stars, thunderstorms, wind, corn, insects, etc. Kachinas have relationships similar to humans: they may have uncles, sisters, grandmothers, spouses, and children.
Kachinas are not worshipped, but they are venerated. Each is viewed as a powerful being who, if given proper respect, can use his particular power for human good, bringing rainfall, healing, fertility, or protection. One observer wrote: "The central theme of the Kachina [religion] is the presence of life in all objects that fill the universe. Everything has an essence or a life force, and humans must interact with these or fail to survive."
The Hopi were the original Kachina Doll carvers, using a single piece of cottonwood root for each. The Navajo began carving in their own creative way, adding leather, feathers, beads and turquoise. Each artist interprets each Kachina as the spirit moves him (or her).
The following Kachinas were mentioned in the novel, Defense Mechanism:
At the highest level, Kachinas are spirit-beings revered by most Pueblo Indians, including the Hopi and the Zuni. The Zuni believe that the Kachinas live in the mythical Lake of the Dead, while the Hopi place them in Arizona’s San Francisco Peaks. Several times a year, these powerful spirits visit the native villages to guide their people and to bring them life-giving rain.
These supernatural visits are portrayed by Kachina dancers, men who dress in elaborate costumes and bring the tribe's religious beliefs to life in the Bean Dance, the Home Dance, the Night Dances, and others.
Then there are the Kachina dolls, usually carved of cottonwood root and intricately painted. Some of these dolls are given to native children to teach them about their culture, and some are sold to tourists and collectors.
Some say there are more than 200 Kachinas; each pueblo community has its own pantheon. A Kachina can represent anything from an animal to a revered ancestor, a location, a quality or concept, or a natural phenomenon such as: the sun, the stars, thunderstorms, wind, corn, insects, etc. Kachinas have relationships similar to humans: they may have uncles, sisters, grandmothers, spouses, and children.
Kachinas are not worshipped, but they are venerated. Each is viewed as a powerful being who, if given proper respect, can use his particular power for human good, bringing rainfall, healing, fertility, or protection. One observer wrote: "The central theme of the Kachina [religion] is the presence of life in all objects that fill the universe. Everything has an essence or a life force, and humans must interact with these or fail to survive."
The Hopi were the original Kachina Doll carvers, using a single piece of cottonwood root for each. The Navajo began carving in their own creative way, adding leather, feathers, beads and turquoise. Each artist interprets each Kachina as the spirit moves him (or her).
The following Kachinas were mentioned in the novel, Defense Mechanism:
Kokopelli -- Kokopelli is a hunch-backed flute player, a fertility god who presides over childbirth, agriculture, and the reproduction of game animals. He is a seducer of young girls, and a baby-maker. Some say Kokopelli carries a bag of presents to give to the women he seduces; the Hopi say that the bag contains unborn children which he distributes to women. Full of the spirit of music, Kokopelli's flute-playing chases away the winter and brings about spring. Many tribes, such as the Zuni, also associate Kokopelli with vital rains.
Badger -- Badger is a healing Kachina who cures the sick; he knows the secrets of medicinal roots and therapeutic herbs.
Coyote -- Coyote (above) plays various roles in the mythologies of many Native American tribes. He is often a creator god, and a trickster comparable to both the Scandinavian Loki and the Greek Prometheus. Both Coyote and Prometheus stole fire from the gods and gave it as a gift to mankind. To the Navajo, Coyote is a contradictory figure, a revered troublemaker who creates, teaches, heals, and controls rain. He is a seducer of women. The Navajo say that Coyote is a bad omen: if Coyote crosses your path, turn back and do not continue your journey.
Mountain Lion Guard -- Mountain Lion Guard (above) is a powerful hunter. He is associated with the color yellow and always faces north. To the Hopi, he is a guardian of the tribe, a deity who guides them in troubled times.
Warrior Maiden -- Tradition says that many years ago some Hopis were living outside the main village. The men and boys, peaceful farmers, had gone into the fields to tend their corn, while the women stayed behind to grind the corn and bake bread. The mother of one household was putting up her daughter's hair, and had only finished one side (the hair on the other side still hanging loosely) when they saw enemies sneaking toward the village. The daughter snatched up a bow, quiver, and arrows from the wall and raced toward the village to warn the people. She then led the defense until the men in the fields could return and rout the enemy.
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The Clowns
They are known by several names: Koshari, Koyala, Hano, or Tewa. The Clown figures are both sacred and profane. In the Hopi tradition, the Clowns frequently disrupt some of the most essential and serious rituals. When there are pauses in the Kachina dances, these jesters amuse the audience with their inappropriate actions, loud conversations and gluttony. |
The Koshare (plural) play tricks, act out absurd pantomimes, and mimic spectators. The clowns satirize Hopi life by exaggerating improper behavior, reminding the people of acceptable standards of conduct within the Hopi community.
They are frequently shown gorging themselves on watermelon, and are often drummers for dances.
* * *
Navajo weaving
The Navajo people (who call themselves the Dine') are the descendants of hunter-gatherers who travelled southwards from Alaska and Canada until they reached the Four Corners region of the United States around 1000 A.D. This region, where four western states meet (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico), was already inhabited by the Pueblo Indians. Once there, the nomadic Navajo reinvented themselves by copying some practices of the more sedentary Pueblos, such as planting corn, cotton and other crops.
Experts are divided about whether the Dine' also borrowed weaving from the Pueblos, or whether Navajo weaving arose independently. According to tradition, a spiritual being called "Spider Woman" taught Navajo women how to build the first loom from exotic materials including sky, earth, sunrays, rock crystal, and sheet lightning. Then "Spider Woman" taught the Navajo how to weave on this loom.
Before the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500s, the Navajo wove with cotton; later, they began to use wool. In the late 17th century, the Navajo acquired the Iberian Churra, a breed of sheep, from Spanish explorers and bred these animals into a unique variety called the Navajo-Churro. These sheep are well suited to the climate in Navajo lands and produce a useful long-staple wool.
The original function of Navajo weaving was to produce utilitarian items such as clothing and blankets. They fashioned cloaks, dresses, shirts, breechcloths, and a variety of belts, shoulder robes, sashes, hair ties, and garters. At first, the Navajo used simple stripes in their patterns, but after a while, they introduced slight complications: different widths, different numbers of stripes, etc.
The opening of the Santa Fe Trail around 1822 brought increased commerce to the region. In the early 1880's, railroad service reached Navajo lands, resulting in a considerable expansion of the market for Navajo woven goods. Weavers began to switch from making lighter blankets and clothing to heavier rugs for tourism and export.
Although most buyers used these rugs as floor coverings, a significant number began using them as decorative wall hangings. The weavers soon began to experiment with stripes within stripes, outlines in contrasting colors and geometric shapes. Many of these decorative rugs were now considered beautiful works of art, crafted with great technical skill, and they began to command high prices from collectors and museums.
There are many styles of Navajo rugs, including: Chinle, Eye Dazzler, Germantown
Sandpainting, and Storm Pattern. Two of those styles appear in my novel, Defense Mechanism:
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Navajo EYE DAZZLER rugs
In the late 1800's, new, inexpensive yarns poured in from mills around Germantown, Pennsylvania, and these helped to stimulate a renaissance of artistic expression among the Navajo. Around the 1890's, Navajo weavers began experimenting with non-traditional designs that used brilliant colors and stunning geometric shapes to dazzle the eye. The wavy lines, diagonals, diamonds, and triangles they wove into their rugs mesmerized the viewer in patterns called Eye Dazzlers.
My novel, Defense Mechanism, features an Eye Dazzler pattern. Can you guess how it is used?
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navajo storm pattern rugs
In Defense Mechanism, Colonel Sam Sawyer has a Storm Pattern rug hanging on one wall of his office. He bought it at an estate sale on the Three Spinners Ranch, and he always felt -- right from the minute he saw it -- that it had been woven with him in mind.
The basic design of the Storm Pattern is simple. There are five rectangles -- one at each corner, and one in the center. Zig-zag lines connect each corner rectangle with the central rectangle.
The Storm Pattern is one of the few Navajo designs that tell a story, but it is a story that is open to interpretation. To me, and probably to most, the four corner rectangles represent the Navajo's four sacred mountains: Mount Blanca or Blanca Peak (in Colorado), Mount Hesperus (also in Colorado), Mount Taylor (in New Mexico), and Mount Humphrey, among the San Francisco Peaks (in Arizona). They form the border of Dinetah, the traditional Navajo homeland. To me, the rectangle in the center is a hogan, the traditional dwelling of a Navajo family -- located in the center of the storm. Some say it is the weaver's hogan. To me, the zig-zag lines represent lightning bolts coming in from the mountains to the center.
Some people say that the central rectangle represents the Lake of Emergence. To them, the rug tells a Creation story illustrating how the Navajo people, and indeed all living things, emerged from the underworld, through the Lake of Emergence, into this earth. Others say the central rectangle represents the center of the Navajo Universe.
An alternate interpretation of the corner rectangles is that they stand for the four directions, or the four winds.
As to the lightning, some say it flows from the center of the storm out to the sacred mountains. Others say the lightning bolts carry blessings back and forth between the mountaintops and the hogan, bestowing good spirits on the weaver and her household.
If you ever see Navajo rugs woven prior to 1930, you might be surprised to learn that some of them contain swastikas. The use of these symbols by the Navajo (and by many ancient cultures) had nothing to do with the Nazi party, but was meant to represent swirling water, or whirlwinds, or whirling logs. The symbol's identification with the Nazis, and with their racism and antisemitism, led to its elimination from Navajo rugs during the 1930's.
Other symbols sometimes seen on Storm Pattern rugs are snowflakes, centipedes, water bugs, pinon beetles, and arrows.
Where did the Storm Pattern originate? Was it an ancient, traditional design? The first hard evidence of the pattern's existence can be found in the catalogs of a western trader named John Bradford Moore.
J.B. Moore was born in Texas in 1855, and moved to Narbona Pass, New Mexico in 1896. There he built a log cabin, called it the Crystal Trading Post, and proceeded to buy Navajo items and sell them to the Eastern US; in turn he sold to the Navajo the goods and supplies they needed or wanted. In the winter months, he hired Navajo weavers, and soon gained a reputation for producing quality rugs.
In 1903 and in 1911 Moore published mail-order catalogs, soliciting business from across the United States. In those catalogs we can see the first known images of the Storm Pattern rugs. Some say that the style and imagery of those rugs were not found anywhere else in the history of the Navajo. In the catalogs, Moore specifically attributes this design to the family of one weaver named “Dug-gau-eth-lun bi Dazhie”. He states that the design was rooted in Navajo mythology, and that for superstitious reasons this woman and her clan family were the only people who would weave it.
Others have suggested that the Storm Pattern Rug originated in the Western part of the reservation near Tuba City and Kayenta (Arizona); they say that J.B. Moore and his weavers did not create it but developed it and promoted it.
The first of these rugs were black, white, grey, and red, but today one can find them in a wide variety of colors. The Navajo Storm Pattern rugs are extremely popular and valued; they can be found in museums, art galleries, and on Sam Sawyer's wall.
You can learn more about many Navajo rug styles at these two websites:
https://www.canyonroadarts.com/quick-guide-to-navajo-rugs/
and
https://www.navajorug.com/pages/navajo-rug-styles
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Orpheus and Eurydice
The story of Orpheus and his bride Eurydice is a sad one, and Sam's dream touches on it.
In Ancient Greece, Orpheus was a gifted singer and musician, skilled with the lyre. It is said that no person or thing could resist his beautiful melodies -- humans, animals, even trees and rocks. His mother was the muse Calliope, and his father was either the god Apollo or a Thracian king named Oeagrus, depending on which version you prefer.
Orpheus fell in love with the beautiful wood nymph Eurydice and married her. While walking in the tall grass at their wedding, she was chased by a woodland god (or satyr?) by the name of Aristaeus. In her efforts to escape, Eurydice fell into a nest of vipers and suffered a fatal bite on her heel.
When she died, Orpheus was overcome with grief, and played such sad and mournful songs on his lyre that all the nymphs and gods wept. On their advice, Orpheus travelled to the underworld in hopes of finding his wife and bringing her back to the land of the living.
His music charmed Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the gates of hell. On his way down into the darkness, Orpheus passed by the ghosts and souls of many. Finally, his songs softened the hearts of King Hades and Queen Persephone, who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth. But there was one condition: Orpheus should walk in front of his wife, and not look back until they both had reached the upper world, or he would lose her forever.
Sounds a little hokey, right?
Well, Orpheus, with Eurydice following him, set off on the long and twisted journey out of the underworld, up toward the light of day. There were times, along the dark path, when he could not hear her behind him, but he kept climbing. As soon as he reached the upper world, Orpheus was overjoyed that he had made it out of the infernal caves, and he turned to look at his wife. But Eurydice had not yet reached daylight, a fact which he realized too late. Paying the penalty for husband's mistake, Eurydice vanished -- died -- for the second time, and this time forever.
Orpheus tried to return to the underworld, but was refused re-entry. Some say he started playing a mourning song with his lyre, calling for death so that he could be united with Eurydice forever. He never had a happy minute after that; wandering day and night in total despair, shunning other women from then on. Furious over his rejection of them, a group of Thracian Maenads, the female followers of Dionysus, ripped him to shreds. Some say the Muses decided to save his head and keep it among the living people to sing forever, enchanting everyone with his lovely melodies and tones. Kind of creepy, right?
Some see a resemblance to the Biblical story of Lot's wife -- while escaping from Sodom, she turned to look back at the wicked city and was transformed into a pillar of salt. Then there's Satchel Paige's wise advice, "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you."
Some ancient writers say that the rulers of the underworld only "presented an apparition" of Eurydice to Orpheus. Plato seemed to think he was a coward, unwilling to die in his wife's place.
So why do I think Orpheus looked back at Eurydice after he was warned not to? Read Defense Mechanism. You might learn the answer.
* * *
In Ancient Greece, Orpheus was a gifted singer and musician, skilled with the lyre. It is said that no person or thing could resist his beautiful melodies -- humans, animals, even trees and rocks. His mother was the muse Calliope, and his father was either the god Apollo or a Thracian king named Oeagrus, depending on which version you prefer.
Orpheus fell in love with the beautiful wood nymph Eurydice and married her. While walking in the tall grass at their wedding, she was chased by a woodland god (or satyr?) by the name of Aristaeus. In her efforts to escape, Eurydice fell into a nest of vipers and suffered a fatal bite on her heel.
When she died, Orpheus was overcome with grief, and played such sad and mournful songs on his lyre that all the nymphs and gods wept. On their advice, Orpheus travelled to the underworld in hopes of finding his wife and bringing her back to the land of the living.
His music charmed Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guards the gates of hell. On his way down into the darkness, Orpheus passed by the ghosts and souls of many. Finally, his songs softened the hearts of King Hades and Queen Persephone, who agreed to allow Eurydice to return with him to earth. But there was one condition: Orpheus should walk in front of his wife, and not look back until they both had reached the upper world, or he would lose her forever.
Sounds a little hokey, right?
Well, Orpheus, with Eurydice following him, set off on the long and twisted journey out of the underworld, up toward the light of day. There were times, along the dark path, when he could not hear her behind him, but he kept climbing. As soon as he reached the upper world, Orpheus was overjoyed that he had made it out of the infernal caves, and he turned to look at his wife. But Eurydice had not yet reached daylight, a fact which he realized too late. Paying the penalty for husband's mistake, Eurydice vanished -- died -- for the second time, and this time forever.
Orpheus tried to return to the underworld, but was refused re-entry. Some say he started playing a mourning song with his lyre, calling for death so that he could be united with Eurydice forever. He never had a happy minute after that; wandering day and night in total despair, shunning other women from then on. Furious over his rejection of them, a group of Thracian Maenads, the female followers of Dionysus, ripped him to shreds. Some say the Muses decided to save his head and keep it among the living people to sing forever, enchanting everyone with his lovely melodies and tones. Kind of creepy, right?
Some see a resemblance to the Biblical story of Lot's wife -- while escaping from Sodom, she turned to look back at the wicked city and was transformed into a pillar of salt. Then there's Satchel Paige's wise advice, "Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you."
Some ancient writers say that the rulers of the underworld only "presented an apparition" of Eurydice to Orpheus. Plato seemed to think he was a coward, unwilling to die in his wife's place.
So why do I think Orpheus looked back at Eurydice after he was warned not to? Read Defense Mechanism. You might learn the answer.
* * *
The triple goddess (with Greek and Roman names):
-- Goddess of the hunt -- Artemis / Diana
-- goddess of the moon -- Selene / Luna
-- goddess of hell -- Hecate / Hekate
the three fates
The three Fates or Moirai:
- Clotho (/ˈkloʊθoʊ/, Greek Κλωθώ [klɔːˈtʰɔː] – "spinner") spun the thread of life from her distaff onto her Spindle. Her Roman equivalent was Nona, (the 'Ninth'), who was originally a goddess called upon in the ninth month of pregnancy.
- Lachesis (/ˈlækɪsɪs/, Greek Λάχεσις [ˈlakʰesis] – "allotter" or drawer of lots) measured the thread of life allotted to each person with her measuring rod. Her Roman equivalent was Decima (the 'Tenth').
-
- Atropos (/ˈætrəpɒs/, Greek Ἄτροπος [ˈatropos] – "inexorable" or "inevitable", literally "unturning",[19] sometimes called Aisa) was the cutter of the thread of life. She chose the manner of each person's death; and when their time was come, she cut their life-thread with "her abhorred shears".[20] Her Roman equivalent was Morta ('Dead One').
What do these weird sisters have to do with the novel? Well, Sam Sawyer bought his storm pattern rug at the Three Spinners Ranch, at an estate sale. And he always felt that it had been woven with him in mind. Also, the quotes section at the end of the book, after the novel proper, is called: Strands - Found in a Knitting Basket at the Three Spinners Ranch.
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* * *
More good stuff to come, including:
Transformation Masks
Sand Painting
Native Pottery
Native Dresses
Native Jewelry
Transformation Masks
Sand Painting
Native Pottery
Native Dresses
Native Jewelry
Copyright © Steven J. Maricic 2019