Earth Is My Mother, Sky Is My Father: Space, Time, and Astronomy in Navajo Sandpainting / Edition 1

by Trudy Griffin-Pierce, N. Scott Momaday

Overview

To the Navajo, sandpaintings are sacred, living entities that reflect the interconnectedness of all living beings—humans, plants, stars, animals, and mountains. This book, now available in paperback, explores the circularity of Navajo thought in sandpaintings, Navajo chantway myths, and stories reflected in the celestial constellations.

Beautifully illustrated by the author, this well-documented book explores the spiritual world of the Navajo, their ceremonial practices, and their conceptions of time and stellar motion. Griffin-Pierce shows how the images of sacred sandpaintings not only communicate the temporal and spatial dimensions of the Navajo universe but also present, in visual form, Navajo ideas about relationships among nature, self, and society.

"Griffin-Pierce's approach is highly original, bringing this material together in an innovative and creative manner while grounding it holistically within the context of Navajo world view."—M. Jane Young, author of Signs from the Ancestors: Zuni Cultural Symbolism and Perceptions of Rock Art

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780826316349
Publisher:	University of New Mexico Press
Publication date:	03/01/1995
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	240
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.71(d)

About the Author

Trudy Griffin-Pierce (1949-2009) was an associate professor of anthropology at the University of Arizona. She was the author of several books on American Indian cosmology.

Editorial Reviews

"A valuable introduction to the Navajo regard for the unchanging order of the sky."

From the Publisher

Explores the circularity of Navajo thought through an analysis of sandpaintings, chantway myths, and stories reflected in the celestial constellations. Illustrated with line drawings and eight color paintings. Griffin-Pierce (anthropology, U. of Arizona) also reviews Navajo history and ethnography. N. Scott Momaday contributes a short foreword. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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