book chapter

Notes on religious ceremonials of the Navaho

Putnam anniversary volume, anthropological essays presented to Frederic Ward Putnam in honor of his seventieth birthday, April 16, 1909, by his friends and associatesNew YorkPublished In 1909 • Pages: 299-343

By: Tozzer, Alfred M. (Alfred Marston).

AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This article, by the well-known archaeologist, Alfred M. Tozzer, is a brief survey of some of the main aspects of Navajo ceremonialism. Tozzer points out the influence of early Pueblo religion on Navajo ritual, compares it with current Pueblo practice, and suggests the rituals which may have been developed by the Navajo independently. In particular, the author examines the details of a Night Chant he witnessed and compares it step by step with the one described by Washington Matthews in 'The Night Chant: A Navajo Ceremony,' (MEMOIRS OF THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY, Vol. V, 1902). In his discussion of this chant, and in a briefer discussion of various minor ceremonials, Tozzer stresses the fact that although the Navajos borrowed the idea of sand-paintings from the Pueblo peoples, they have successfully developed them into an elaborate and fixed ritual of their own.
SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
Representative art
Visual arts
Sacred objects and places
Prayers and sacrifices
Ritual
Organized ceremonial
cultureCulture name from the Outline of World Cultures (OWC)
Navajo
HRAF PubDateThe date HRAF published the document
2004
RegionThe area the document pertains to
North America
Sub RegionThe more specific area the document pertains to, which is located within the Region
Southwest and Basin
Document TypeMay include journal articles, essays, collections of essays, monographs, or chapters/parts of monographs
book chapter
Evaluation
Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
Archaeologist
Document Rating A ranking done by HRAF anthropologists based on the strength of the source material on a scale of 1 to 5, as follows: 1 - poor; 2 - fair; 3 - good, useful data, but not uniformly excellent; 4 - excellent secondary data; 5 - excellent primary data.
5: Excellent Primary Data
AnalystThe HRAF anthropologist who subject indexed the document and prepared other materials for the eHRAF culture/tradition collection
Katchen S. Coley ; 1951
Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
1901
Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
1883-1901
Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, United States
NotesAdditional notes
Alfred M. Tozzer
This document consists of excerpts
Includes bibliographical references
LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
10011191
LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
Navajo Indians