·strong cultural ties to this area and geographic location affected stories and mythology ·traditional stories about four sacred mountains (each associated with a direction, colour and season) oThis land between these mountains are the traditional homes of the Navajo ·These mountains are: oEast: Blanca Peak ( Sis Naajini) oSouth: Mount Taylor (Tsoodzil) oWest: San Francisco Peaks (Dook’o’oosliid) oNorth: Mount Hesperus (Dibé Nitsaa) ·Another significant mountain was the Gobernador Knob (Ch'ool'i'i) where the cultural figure The Changing Woman was found othought mountains had been placed there for themselves ohad responsibility to care for them and the wildlife around them
Current Geography From: Rissetto, Adriana. "Sacred Mountains as Geographical Markers." Four Sacred Mountains. 1997. 4 May 2009 http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma97/dinetah/geo.html ·Navajo Nation reservation (on traditional Navajo land) is 25,000 square miles and is in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado ·Navajo Nation part of Colorado Plateau (rocky area with a wise range of elevations) ·Land includes wide plains, tablelands, mesas, and mountains oElevations range from 3,500 feet(above sea level)-10,000 + feet ·Three main topographies/climates: oWarm and arid desert (sparse low lying plant life) oIntermediate steppe climate (produces more foliage than desert) oCold mountain climate (pine,oak and other trees that can survive in sub humid weather)
Spiritual Geography
From: Iverson, Peter. "Navajo." Encyclopedia Americana. 2009. Grolier Online. 11 Apr. 2009 <http://ea.grolier.com/cgi-bin/article?assetid=0282610-00>.
· strong cultural ties to this area and geographic location affected stories and mythology
· traditional stories about four sacred mountains (each associated with a direction, colour and season)
o This land between these mountains are the traditional homes of the Navajo
· These mountains are:
o East: Blanca Peak ( Sis Naajini)
o South: Mount Taylor (Tsoodzil)
o West: San Francisco Peaks (Dook’o’oosliid)
o North: Mount Hesperus (Dibé Nitsaa)
· Another significant mountain was the Gobernador Knob (Ch'ool'i'i) where the cultural figure The Changing Woman was found
o thought mountains had been placed there for themselves
o had responsibility to care for them and the wildlife around them
Current Geography
From: Rissetto, Adriana. "Sacred Mountains as Geographical Markers." Four Sacred Mountains. 1997. 4 May 2009 http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma97/dinetah/geo.html
· Navajo Nation reservation (on traditional Navajo land) is 25,000 square miles and is in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado
· Navajo Nation part of Colorado Plateau (rocky area with a wise range of elevations)
· Land includes wide plains, tablelands, mesas, and mountains
o Elevations range from 3,500 feet(above sea level)-10,000 + feet
· Three main topographies/climates:
o Warm and arid desert (sparse low lying plant life)
o Intermediate steppe climate (produces more foliage than desert)
o Cold mountain climate (pine,oak and other trees that can survive in sub humid weather)