A Monument to Je-nskin Nídizhchí
By ice rivers
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It's as if someone touched a magical monolith in 1939 as motion pictures broke through with color and sound and special effects and gave us three of the most influential and beloved movies of all time; Gone With the Wind, Wizard of Oz and Stagecoach.
John Ford directed Stagecoach and introduced the world to John Wayne. Even vastly more significant than Wayne perhaps, Ford introduced us to Monument Valley with its stunning natural beauty and iconic rock formations which have been featured in many movies over the years and become a symbol of American majesty. In Stagecoach stunning vistas serve as a breathtaking backdrop to the story of a group of travelers making their way through the Old West.
Monument Valley is located in the land of the Navajo near the village of Kayenta. Kayenta is located near several important natural features, including towering sandstone spires and mesas that are sacred to the Navajo people.
Of course Monument Valley and the Navajohave been around much longer than John Ford and movies.
Let's go back a couple hundred years.
1739
It was in and around the village of Kayenta that an epic battle occurred between a cave dwelling demon Dibe Nitsaa a gaunt, skeletal spectre with long, bony fingers of fate responsible for causing sickness and disease versus a skinwalker who emerged from a peyote induced vision of a young female haatali named Ashkii.
An haatali is what we white folk have come to call a medicine man and yes folks, the Navajo also had medicine women and they were also called haatali.
Ashkii had been troubled by a recurring vision in which a dark figure appeared to her bringing the sickness and destruction that had caused the near decimation of her village. Today we know that catastrophe as the outbreak of smallpox.
Ashkii feared that the demon in her dream was a shape shifting. skinwalker. Ashkii took her concerns to the hogan of Donc-ognio who was renowned for his poetry, healing abilities and wisdom. Donc-ognio had been practicing traditional Navajo healing for many decades,and had learned many powerful ceremonies and rituals over the course of his long life.
His hogan was located on a plateau overlooking Monument Valley, surrounded by the surreal landscape of red rock formations, desert terrain and spirits both good and evil. The very same landscape that would draw John Ford and John Wayne two hundred years in the future.
Inside the hogan, a fire burned in the center, casting an orange aura over the space. The walls were decorated with blankets and traditional Navajo art, and a sacred altar stood at the east end of the room.
Donc-ognio listened attentively to the vision of Ashkii. Donc-ognio was very familiar with skinwalkers. A skinwalker possesses the ability to shapeshift into an animal as well as the ability to mimic human voices, possess superhuman strength and agility and control the minds of their victims.
Donc-ognio recognized the validity of Ashkii's vision but offered another interpretation. Since he belived that the disease had been caused by ta demon, Ashkii's vision was not of a skinwalking destroyer but rather a healer with the strength and power to confront and diminish the demon.
A demon is a malevolent supernatural being in cahoots with the devil. Donc-ognio identified Dibe Nitsaa as the demon responsible for the illnesses and the skinwalking vision of Ashkii as the healing, human hope capable of vengeance upon the demon. While skinwalkers possess supernatural powers that can be used for good or evil, Donc-ignio believed a benevolent skinwalker might have a duty to use their powers for the greater good of their people.
Since the Navajo culture places a strong emphasis on the importance of community and kinship, and it is believed that individuals have a responsibility to protect and care for their family and community members, Ashkii's envisioned skinwalker would feel a strong sense of duty to protect his people, which would motivate him to face the powerful demon in battle to not only put an end to the outbreak but also to protect the tribe from future devastation, pestilence and plague
Donc-ignio and Ashkii gathered a group of trusted elders and began the ceremony to summon the skinwalker They chanted and prayed for hours until they felt the presence of the demon in their midst. Then, they began to perform a series of powerful healing rituals, using their knowledge of traditional Navajo healing to counteract the skinwalker's dark energy.
The elders left Donc-ignio's hogan under a full moon.
The skinwalker who appeared to Ashkii and the older haatali was a great surprise. Je-nskin Nídizhchí a powerful female poet known for her ability to heal, ispire and protect the community entered the hogan. She wore traditional Navajo clothing adorned with intricate beadwork and feathers, and her raven hair was braided with strands of turquoise. As they prepared for the summoning ritual, Je-nskin stood in the shadows and instructed the healers on the correct prayers and chants to use. Together, they offered up their voices in a hauntingly beautiful melody, calling forth the skinwalker's powers to protect the community from the demon responsible for the smallpox outbreak.
With each chant, Je-nskin's power grew stronger, and soon she emerged from the shadows to stand before them. Her spirit was kind and gentle, unlike other malevolent skinwalkers, and she agreed to help defeat the demon and heal the community.
While Doc-icnozio and Je-nskin Nídizhchí prepared for the battle by gathering powerful healing herbs and crystals, which they would use to weaken the demon's hold over the community. Ashkii, who was known for her ability to communicate with the spirits called out Dibe, daring him to come forward.
Together, the three of them performed a series of powerful rituals and incantations, invoking upon spirits of the earth and sky to help them in their battle. As they chanted and prayed, the demon appeared before them, ready to do battle.
At first, the two supernatural beings circled each other warily, each trying to find a weakness in the other. The demon taunted Je-nskin Nídizhchí promising that she would never be able to defeat it. Dibe seemed amused that the best they could do to save their tribe was to summon a "squaw".
As the battle began,Je-nskin transformed into a powerful wolf, fur gleaming in the moonlight. The demon responded by growing to an enormous size, towering over the wolf and unleashing waves of dark energy in her direction. Bolts of lightning crackled, vortexes swirled as the demon attempted to overcome his enemy with the immensity of negative energy emanating from its evil core. All of the dark energy was meant to inspire fear and dread but the skinwalker was quick and agile, darting around the demon and biting and clawing at the demon's flesh whenever she could.
The battle raged on throughout the night, neither side gaining the upper hand. Je-nskini refused to yield, her fearless indomitability and love for her people fueling her every move. Finally, at the break of dawn and with a mighty roar, she launched herself at the demon and sank her teeth deep into its neck.
With a thunderous scream of agony, the demon began to fade away, its dark energy dissipating into the vanishing night. Je-nskin bayed in triumph, ensuring that her people would be safe from harm for years to come.
The smallpox retreated from the village.
From that day forward, she was celebrated as a hero, and her legend lived on among the Navajo people for generations. Before her death, she made one last prophecy.
In 200 years, magic white skinned people would come to the site of the great battle and the wide world would learn to love and treasure this spot where good had vanquished evil.
John Ford showed up in 1939.
Destiny was manifest.
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Comments
Powerful vivid evocation
Powerful vivid evocation woven into the psychology of the way Navajo people thought back then. and the wild beauty of the enviroment they lived in.
You've captured skillfully, a restless community that were beguiling and aware of the natural world that surrounded them.
It was a pleasure to read your story ice.
Jenny.
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