Ellen

The Drum and the People (oral teaching story, Diné (Navajo) tradition) In Diné tradition it is told that in the early days, when the People began to lose harmony with one another, the Holy People saw that words alone were no longer enough. They gave the People the drum. They said,“When you strike the drum,

The Friend of the Night In many Native homes, when the sun slipped behind the hills and the drums grew quiet, people returned to their tipis to rest —but the owl remained awake with the night. My grandfather once said:“When the village sleeps, the owl keeps watch for us.”The owl never made a fuss.It perched

When Crow Slept Through the Colors (Adapted respectfully from Navajo oral traditions about the Moccasin Game and the giving of colors) Long ago, in the First World, before the earth took its full shape, the Holy People — the Diyin Dineʼé — gathered all the creatures to decide how the world would be.They played the

How Wolf Learned to Live with His People (traditional-style retelling) In the early world, Wolf lived alone. He was strong and fast, but he was restless. He hunted only for himself and wandered without direction. When storms came, he had no one to share warmth with. When he was injured, there was no one to