GTA poofs us to Diné Bikéyah (the Navajo
Nation)., three times the distance we were
expecting.
continued from page 1
The very moment we walked through the green
door, the same feeling I had during the Guardians
speech came over me. Disorientation combined with that awful poofing
feeling - but this poof was so much more
intense. It was almost like riding a rollercoaster
at 100 times the normal speed. We found ourselves standing on the side of
the road, confused and just a bit sick to
our tummies. "That is the first time
I have ever poofed from one spot in Real
to another", Mela finally
L-R - Tory,
Mela and Craftie
arrive in the
Navajo Nation
said. She was right. I had never poofed from one
place to another in Real either; just from
Real to Moove and back. "That was very
wierd", We began pulling the leeches off our legs
when Craftie asked softly. "Does anyone
know where we are?" "I think I have been here before",
I answered, but I knew I had not. It was
just a feeling, like a deja vu. "We
are in the Navajo Nation in Northern Arizona,
I am sure of it", I told Mela and Craftie.
"I have no idea how I know this, but
I just do" "Well, little Miss Know-It-All, does
your amazing sense
of blondness tell
you
what we are to do
now", Mela said
half-jokingly. "As a matter of fact, yes it does",
I answered. "We go this way towards
Turkey Flat", I added and I headed Southeast
like I actually knew where I was going. My
two friends followed me believing that I
actually knew where I was going too".
I did not. It was just a sense, or a feeling
or maybe even a destiny
Ya' at'eeh
In my language,
ya'at'eeh expresses "it
is good"
as in "it is good to meet
you,"
or "it is good to see you."
I am a weaver. Some of my special traditional and
contemporary
Navajo rugs are included here
to illustrate
the different styles of rugs
I design and
weave.
Weaving is
very important to the Navajos.
Our weaving
techniques have been passed down
for hundreds
of years. I began weaving as
a young girl
in Tselani, Arizona because
my mother always
told me “these hands are
for weaving”.
The weaving
process includes
raising my
own
churro sheep,
then shearing,
cleaning, carding,
dyeing, and
spinning the
wool. Churro
sheep
are bred for
their long,
lustrous and
greaseless
fleece and
are unique
to the Navajos.
I have
a particular
preference
for the exquisite
quality of
the fine texture
and color of
the black wool
from my churro
sheep.
Besides the
natural black wool from the churro
sheep, the various other colors used in my rugs are
achieved by
experimenting with natural dyes.
I enjoy collecting
plants, roots, berries,
bark, fungi,
insects, cacti, nuts, and any
other material
that produces interesting
colors. I use
some dyeing recipes from books
but most of
all I experiment with the material
and dyebaths
to attain subtle and brilliant
shades of color
for my wool.
Please feel
free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing one of my creations for your
home, office,
museum, a gift, or even a fancy
saddle blanket
for your horse! I can assist
you in selecting
colors, style, size, and
type of wool
for a custom designed Navajo
rug. Prices
vary depending on size and style.
Each Navajo
rug I weave is uniquely different
and special,
so you can be assured of owning
a one-of-a-kind
D.Y. Begay original.
We walked down the deserted highway silent
for awhile. I think
we all were trying
to
get our bearings
and shake that cloudy
confusion
that filled our minds. Mela finally spoke and asked me if I knew
anything about the
Navajo and surprisingly
enough, I did. "Navajo, or Dine -as they call themselves,
is the largest tribe
of North American
Indians.
Centuries ago, the
ancestors of the
Navajo
lived in Northwestern
Canada and Alaska.
More than 1,000 years
ago they began to
migrate
south and eventually
reached the southwestern
part of the United
States". "They met the farming peoples known
as Pueblo Indians,
and the Navajo began
to
settle near them
and learn from them.
The
Pueblo taught the
Navajo how to plant
corn,
beans, squash, and
melons. The Navajo
also
began to learn to
weave like the Pueblo,
making clothing and
art" "After the Spanish settled in the 1600’s,
the Navajo began
to steal sheep and
horses
from them and used
the animals in their
daily
lives". "They used the sheep for its wool to
make clothes, blankets,
and rugs and also
for food. They used
the horses to travel
longer distances
and in time used
them to
begin trading. The
Navajo began making
items
to trade in towns.
They also built trading
posts on the reservation
to sell their handmade
crafts, such as pottery
and blankets".
"The Navajo reservation is currently
the largest in the
United States. It
has
over 140,000 people
with 16 million acres
most of which are
in Arizona. They
still
weave from wool and
use natural vegetable
dyes for color".
"Most Native Americans believe that
in the universe there exists an Almighty,
a spiritual force that is the source of all
life. The Almighty belief is not pictured
as a man in the sky, but is believed to be
formless and exist in the universe. The sun
is viewed as the power of the Almighty. The
Navajo do not worship the sun, but they pray
to the Almighty, and the sun is a sign or
a symbol for that, much like a Rosary in
the Catholic religion. "
The Navajo
Nation of the
proud Navajo
peoples.
"Native Americans show less interest
in an afterlife than Christians. They assume
the souls of the dead go to another part
of the universe where they have a new existence
carrying on
The Navajo
have a unique
and geometric
eye
for art
everyday activities like they were still
alive. They are just
in a different world." "The Navajo eventually developed reputations
with their neighbors
as thieves and raiding
marauders. This was
only an annoyance
and
minor problem as
long as there were
few Navajo
around the region".
"As the Navajo population increased,
however, this was
to become a grounds
for
continuing disputes
with some of their
neighbors,
like the Ute. As
the tribe grew, and
their
range spread, the
Navajo came into
repeated
conflicts with the
Ute tribes."
"The traditional Ute lands ranged through
New Mexico, parts
of Colorado, and
into Utah.
The Ute nation was
also mobile, and
took
pride in its hunting
traditions. The Ute
didn't care for the
attitude of the Navajo.
Using natural
dyes and fabrics,
this Navajo
Pow Wow garment
is a blast
of color and
movement.
Once the Europeans arrived, and when they
attempted to actually
settle the West over
the next couple of
centuries, the Ute
occasionally
worked with Whites
in attempts to tame
the
Navajo. The Ute and
Navajo peoples often
came into open conflict."
"Although Navajo-Ute relations were
generally bad, the
Hopi usually managed
to
ignore the minor
raids on their territory
by these neighbors,
as long as the Navajo
were not too numerous.
The peaceful Hopi
seldom took any action
against enemies.
Eventually, through the centuries, as the
Navajo population
increased, and competition
and conflict worsened,
the Hopi would appeal
to their supposed
protectors in Mexico
or
Washington for help,
usually with little
result." "With a balance of potential food sources,
the Navajo nation
was able to prosper and
grow. The populace
was expanding steadily
well into the 17th-Century,
when a disaster
struck. At the
Craftie Lady,
Tory and Mela
on the road
to
Turkey Flat
same time that the Spaniards were moving
into New Mexico,
and temporarily occupying
Hopiland, successive
waves of drought would
hit the region. Navajo
crops failed, and
even the wild plants
of the prairie did not
grow. With little
vegetation, the game animals
disappeared. The
Navajo became much more
bold in their raids
on their neighbors".
"The Hopi in their own minds associated
the near-simultaneous
arrival of the Spaniards
and the start of
the raids by the
Navajo.
Thus, the Hopi came
to blame the Whites
for
the start of the
Navajo Troubles.
The Navajo raids on the Utes also worsened
at this same time.
The Navajo population
had grown to the
size where they would now
permanently have
to rely on raiding to help
survive. The
Tory explaining
how she knew
about the Navajo
in front of
Ship Rock near
Cortez, Colorado
Southwest was undergoing major changes at
this time. The arrival of the Spaniards, their depredations
on the indigenous
peoples, disruption
of
their traditional
economies, and the
introduction
of large new stocks
of domestic animals,
with their food requirements,
would all combine
to change lifestyles
of the Native peoples
forever." Today, The Navajo Nation extends into the
states of Utah ,
Arizona and New Mexico
,
covering over 27,000
square miles of unparalleled
beauty. Diné Bikéyah,
or Navajoland, is
larger
than 10 of the 50
states in America. Visitors from around the world are intrigued
and mystified when
they hear the Navajo
language
– so, too, were the
enemy during World
War
II. Unknown to many,
the Navajo language
was used to create
a secret code to
battle
the Japanese. Navajo
men were selected
to
create codes and
serve on the front
line
to overcome and deceive
those on the other
side of the battlefield.
Today, these men
are recognized as
the famous Navajo
Code
Talkers, who exemplify
the unequaled bravery
and patriotism of
the Navajo people.
Tory, Mela
and Craftie
Lady realizing they
were not going
to hitch a
ride.
Mela stopped and looked at me. "How
in the hell do you
know all of that",
she asked, giving
me a look as if I
was some
creature from outer
space. "I do
not
know", I answered.
"I just know
it". It was then we saw the sign pointing us to
Six Mile and we turned South and began trudging
down a dusty dirt road to our unknown destination.
As we turned a bend in the road, we saw an
old abandoned farm house. We knocked on the
door to see if anyone lived there, but it
was obvious by the junk in the yard and the
smell from the farm house that no one had
lived there in a very long time. "I
wonder if that old car runs", I thought
out loud, eyeing the beat up red and white
junk heap from a bygone era.
Tory using her hidden power to unlock the
old car used to get them close to Turkey
Flat.
The three of us walked over to the rusting
car and discovered it was locked. "I
can pick the lock", I found myself blurting
out loud for no apparent reason. Mela
Mela and Tory
getting butt
naked and enjoying
the waterfall
looked at me once again like I was an outer
space creature that had come to conquer Earth. I began to wiggle a rusty piece of wire
I found on the ground in the lock and within
20 seconds the sound of pop was heard and
the lock pushed up. I crawled into the passenger
seat and found the keys in the visor. "Wanna bet that whoever owned this car
locked the keys inside and forgot about it.",
I asked Mela. "Maybe', Mela replied,
"but it could also be a psycho-killer-cannibal
who is watching us right now". That
was enough to get Craftie into the car and
Mela followed and we fired up the old automobile
and sped down the dirt road towards Turkey
Flat. The old car gave out about two miles from
Turkey Flat, and we pushed it into the bushes
just in case we were wanted in Arizona as
well as Nevada for the fire at the Mandalay
Bay. Craftie went off to the powder room
behind a huge rock and discovered a waterfall
pouring into a pure fresh mountain lake.
"Anyone want a bath", Craftie asked
us.
Tory letting
the waterfall
cleanse her mind
and body
The members
of Angel Kiss
finding refuge
at a camp set
up for three.
Mela leaned over a picked up a flat stone
and began peering at it carefully. "We
are suppose to be here," Mela finally
said softly. "The meals and the bed
rolls are meant for us". "How do
you
If viewed closely,
you can make
out an angel
on the left,
and two guitar
players on the
right. This
ancient petraglyph
convinced
us to stay
the night and
eat the meals laid
out for us.
know", I asked. "It is on this
rock. There is a petraglyph about us - here
look", Mela handed me the flat stone.
It was faint and hard to see, but sure enough,
there were the three of us with guitars and
even my wings, which I had left behind at
the Mandalay Bay. After convincing ourselves that the meals
were meant for us, we sat down and enjoyed
lamb, fresh corn and a beet / onion salad.
At each of our settings was a small pottery
plate with a greenish flat chip made from
some sort of plant. Just as Craftie was about to put the first
green chip in her mouth, I blurted out, "Craftie,
that is Peyote" "How do you know
that", Mela asked. "I dunno, but
I just know", I answered. Craftie popped the green peyote button into
her mouth, laughed and said, kewl, I will
see you on the other side then". Not
wanting to be rude, Mela and I joined in
and we ate nearly all the Peyote buttons.
Peyote has a long history in the Navajo culture.
Peyote, also known as Mescal Button or the
Divine Cactus, is a small, spineless cactus.
When combined with appropriate set and setting,
peyote is reported to trigger states of deep
introspection and insight that have been
described as being of a metaphysical or spiritual
nature. At times, these can be accompanied
by rich visual or auditory effects.
Slowly everything became crystal clear, and
I felt I was becoming one with Mela and Craftie...heck
it felt like I was becoming one with everything,
including the three headed pink and blue
raccoon that wandered by and sang me a Green
Day song in Navajo. The visions began to grow in intensity and
soon the three of us were Eagles with a mission
to reach the Navajo Healer, named Rolling
Bears. We were no longer Avatars, but glorious
bald eagles in control
of the cobalt blue
skies. "We must
go and see the Healer",
Mela gave me a thought
as we caught a warm
updraft and gained
altitude. "Yes, I know", Craftie and I both
sent our thoughts back to Mela. Our thoughts
were one, and we, the three Angel Kiss members,
all knew that the greatest adventure yet
lay before us.........continued next issue
Navajo Pride
Please Turn
off music at
the top of the page
before viewing.
Information on the Navajo Peoples and Culture
Courtesy of About.com
Copyright 2007/2008 - TorLa Inc
This Site is an independent affiliate of
Morning Glory Industries
All Coding except where noted is owned by
TorLa or is used by permission
Telluride, Colorado 81435
Contact Us: CrystalAngelFashion@earthlink.net
continued from 
weaver. Some of my special traditional and
contemporary
Navajo rugs are included here
to illustrate
the different styles of rugs
I design and
weave. 
various other colors used in my rugs are
achieved by
experimenting with natural dyes.
I enjoy collecting
plants, roots, berries,
bark, fungi,
insects, cacti, nuts, and any
other material
that produces interesting
colors. I use
some dyeing recipes from books
but most of
all I experiment with the material
and dyebaths
to attain subtle and brilliant
shades of color
for my wool.
purchasing one of my creations for your
home, office,
museum, a gift, or even a fancy
saddle blanket
for your horse! I can assist
you in selecting
colors, style, size, and
type of wool
for a custom designed Navajo
rug. Prices
vary depending on size and style.
Each Navajo
rug I weave is uniquely different
and special,
so you can be assured of owning
a one-of-a-kind
D.Y. Begay original.
