Quote:
Originally Posted by Gypsy
GC, beautiful pictures. What did he share regarding Rainbow Bridge?
Ahem...I'm a bit too old for homework.  |
Before answering that, let me preface by saying that "lost in translation" is an understatement for many things which go from Navajo to English.
Someone can look at an idea written on a chalkboard, and say "that's just a bunch of fragmented calcium sulfate and gypsum adhering to a slab of slate."
They would be technically correct, but would be missing the point.
Navajo history, religion, medicine, education, etc. don't compartmentalize in the same way as contemporary America.
The language expresses ideas in a radically different way than English, involving a different type of thinking, so it's not easily translated.
Meanings are highly dependent upon context.
Without being fluent in the language, it is difficult to understand the context.
Given that long-winded caviat, I'll try to relay what I was told.
**
Rainbow Bridge was formed when coyote ran across a beautiful rainbow, which turned the beautiful rainbow to stone.
My friend explained this as coyote being a "smart-ass" and going where he wasn't supposed to go.
Coyote's careless lack of self-restraint resulted in permanent destruction of the beauty (and left the record of his misdeed).
**
Posted at the end of the trail are signs which state that the monument is sacred to many tribes and should not be walked through nor approached.
My friend said that if people do walk through, they should walk back through the same way (not going around), and in exactly reverse order in the case of more than one person.
Doing otherwise disrupts their "hózhǫ", or "balance" in their life.
The admonitions against walking through aren't just about preserving the site.
They are genuinely meant to be warnings for the benefit of the visitor.
The "walking through in order" was the part my friend used for instructing his sons.
He spoke to them in Navajo, and didn't translate to me how he connected that idea to doing home work properly.
I know my friend and his sons, and have tutored his oldest in math.
Given that context, I can understand the idea, but can't really relay it effectively.
On the trip up, looking at the canyons and lake, we discussed geology, history, and religion.
Lake Powell is an amazing place.
We've known each other for nearly a decade, are close friends, and speak which each other almost every day.
The Navajo have a rich culture and history, much of which is locked behind (and arguably protected by) a difficult language barrier.
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