Questions tagged [navajo]

For questions about the mythology and legends of the Navajo tribe of western North America.

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How does one become a skin-walker?

Are there any Navajo tales that explain how one becomes a skin-walker? Is it an innate or an acquired ability? Can anyone become a skin-walker, or is there a hereditary element or other constraints?
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What is the significance of the kinds of wood used in sweat lodges?

In The Mountain Chant: A Navajo Ceremony, Washington Matthews describes the construction of a Navajo sweat lodge: At dawn the old man woke them and said: "Go out, my children, and build a sweat-...
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How did horses become integrated into Navajo mythology?

I've been reading a lot of Native American mythology, and I've noticed that horses play a prominent role in several stories. For example: Looking around, she saw a great white horse with black eyes....
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