book chapter

A note on star-lore among the Navajos

Journal of American folk-lore21 • Published In 1908 • Pages: 28-32

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

Abstract
This is a short but extremely interesting account of the symbolism of perforations on a gourd rattle prepared during the Night Chant. On the basis of informants declaring that these represented constellations, the author compared them with scientific charts of the skies, and found that the Navajo possessed an accurate knowledge of the stars depicted. Alfred M. Tozzer, a curatior of Middle American archaeology at Harvard's Peabody Museum, was an instructor in archaeology at Harvard at the time he prepared this paper, which was read at the Nineteenth Meeting of the American Folk-Lore Society in Chicago.
Subjects
Decorative art
Musical instruments
Ethnometeorology
culture
Navajo
HRAF PubDate
2004
Region
North America
Sub Region
Southwest and Basin
Document Type
book chapter
Evaluation
Creator Type
Archaeologist
Document Rating
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Katchen S. Coley ; 1951
Field Date
no date
Coverage Date
1900s
Coverage Place
southwestern United States
Notes
Alfred M. Tozzer
The reader will find a chart making comparisons of Navajo knowledge of the skies and constellations in categories 531, 534, and 821.
This document consists of excerpts
Includes bibliographical references
LCCN
17028737
LCSH
Navajo Indians