According to the Navajo legend of creation, the Navajo people (the Diné) passed through three different worlds before emerging into this world, The Fourth World, or the Glittering World. In Navajo spirituality, the Navajo people believe there are two classes of beings, the Earth People and the Holy People. It is believed that centuries ago the Holy People taught the Navajo how to live the right way and how to conduct themselves in everyday life. They were taught to live in harmony with Mother Earth, Father Sky and the many other elements such as animals, plants, and insects. The Holy People are believed to have the power to aid, harm and teach the Earth People. Since the Earth People of the Navajo are considered an integral part of the universe, it is their belief that they must do everything they can to maintain harmony or balance on Mother Earth.
Traditionally, the Navajo belief system is centered around the Navajo word, hozho. There is no literal translation for the word hozho, but rather it represents a combination of many ideas and values and is a central principle of Navajo aesthetics, religion and philosophy. It expresses the intellectual state of order, the biological state of health and well-being, the emotional state of joy and the artistic characteristics of harmony and balance.
Navajo spirituality is unique in that it must be practiced in a certain geographical area, known as the Dinetah, which is the traditional Navajo homeland. This area is the land that lies between four sacred mountains, which are located in Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. To the north lies Hersperus Peak, to the east is Blanca Peak, to the south is Mt. Taylor and to the west are the San Francisco Peaks. In the Navajo culture there are four directions, four seasons, the first four clans and four colors that are associated with the four sacred mountains. These colors are:
North- Jet Black
East- White Shell
South- Turquoise
West- Yellow Abalone
In most Navajo rituals there are four songs and multiples thereof, as well as many other symbolic uses of the number four.
When there is disorder in a Navajo's life, such as an illness, they may seek the assistance of a medicine man who will use herbs, prayers, songs and ceremonies to help with healing. A qualified medicine man is a unique individual who has the abilities and knowledge to diagnose a person's problem, to assist with the healing of an illness and to help restore harmony to the person who is ailing.
There are many different kinds of ceremonies that may be used in the Navajo culture, which are performed at various times for a specific reason. For example, the Navajo celebrate a girl’s coming of age with a Kinaalda ceremony. This ceremony is based on the myth of the first Kinaalda ceremony performed by and for Asdząąn nádleehé
or Changing Woman, who is the female deity identified with Earth and the natural order of the universe. During the ceremony the Kinaalda (the word is used interchangeably for both the ceremony and the girl who is coming of age) learns that the universe must be kept in perfect order, that the earth is mother of all life and that everything on the earth must be valued and conserved.
Sandpaintings are a very important part of nearly all Navajo ceremonies and all rituals are passed down through oral tradition. Many of them are very lengthy and complex in nature so, because of this, few medicine men will know more than two or three complete ceremonies. The creation of a sandpainting during a ceremonial ritual is not regarded as a work of art but rather as a way to restore the relationship between a person’s physical and spiritual world. During most of these ceremonies, a person will sit upon the sandpainting and in this way stimulate a closer relationship between themselves and the Holy People represented in the sandpainting.
