essay
Hogans, sacred circles and symbols: the Navajo use of space
Navajo religion and culture : selected views • (17) • Published In 1982 • Pages: 128-137
By: Kent, Susan.
AbstractBrief abstract written by HRAF anthropologists who have done the subject indexing for the document
This study examines the relationship between sacred and non-sacred space in the hogan and the various ramifications of this relationship. The circular hogan is considered to be a sacred building, and one in which various religious ceremonies are performed. To the Navajo, the circular shape represents the cosmos, and both the hogan and the cosmos are divided into male and female areas, and in that sense is sex specific, in contrast to ramada and other space. This use of space (i.e., within the hogan) vis-a-vis everywhere else is therefore spoken of as an example of symbolic reversal or inversion which functions as an aid in maintaining a distinct boundary between sacred and secular space (p. 135).
- SubjectsDocument-level OCM identifiers given by the anthropology subject indexers at HRAF
- Dwellings
- Building interiors and arrangement
- Sacred objects and places
- Gender status
- Cosmology
- 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
- essay
- Evaluation
- Creator TypeThe type of person writing the document, e.g. Ethnographer, Missionary, Archaeologist, Folklorist, Linguist, Indigenous Person, and so on.
- Ethnologist
- 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
- John Beierle ; 1986
- Field DateThe date the researcher conducted the fieldwork or archival research that produced the document
- 1978
- Coverage DateThe date or dates that the information in the document pertains to
- 1978
- Coverage PlaceLocation of the research culture or tradition (often a smaller unit such as a band, community, or archaeological site)
- Navajo Mountain area, Utah; Kaibito and Shonto, Arizona; United States
- NotesAdditional notes
- Susan Kent
- Includes bibliographical references (p. 136-137)
- LCCNLibrary of Congress Control Number
- 81086446
- LCSHLibrary of Congress Subject Headings
- Navajo Indians