Winter is storytelling time for Navajo

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

CHINLE — During the long nights of winter, when snow blankets the mesas and canyons and a quiet hush falls over the world, the family gathers inside the hogan where oral tradition is observed through the telling of winter stories, the foundation of Navajo life.

In Johnson Dennison's case, it was his father who was a storyteller. "Most of the elders his age were storytellers as well, and they heard it from their parents and grandparents," Dennison said Tuesday.

Dennison, coordinator for the Office of Native Medicine at Chinle Comprehensive Health Care Facility, was the featured storyteller Wednesday at Chinle High School, where he wove tales surrounding "Navajo Emergence." A practitioner of native healing for 23 years, Dennison specializes in the Navajo Wind Way.

He also will be a guest speaker at "Winter Stories, the Foundation of Navajo Origin," to be held Jan. 20-21 at Greyhills High School in Tuba City (English version), and another session Jan. 27-28 at Navajo Nation Museum in Window Rock for Navajo speakers.

When Dennison was growing up, TV and radio were unheard of in his home. Storytelling was a form of entertainment, he said, "but at the same time, it was for teaching the moral standards, and also the teachings of the world creation from a Navajo perspective."

"All of the traditions, the things that we do today are based on the oral traditions. It is a way of expanding the imagination. It's mainly for children that they have these, but of course it's not limited to the children. Everybody gets to listen," he explained.

According to the Navajo belief system, Dennison said, "the reptiles and the bears are in hibernation (during this time) and they aren't supposed to hear. The Thunder People, they're hibernating," Dennison said.

It's the perfect time to throw another log on the fire and watch the lamplight flicker across the face of an elder as he tells the sacred stories of the Diné passed down to him through generations, stories about the beginning of the creation of the four worlds and the emergence, the post-emergence, the Changing Woman, the Coyote stories, the development of Navajo ceremonies, and the development of the human being.

"The Coyote stories are many chapters," Dennison said, then proceeded to tell of Coyote and the Mountain Lion.

"Coyote was trotting down the road and then he found the Mountain Lion. The Mountain Lion was sleeping. The Mountain Lion saw Coyote and Coyote, the Trickster, saw the Mountain Lion."

"Oh, him again. I don't want to deal with this guy. I know he's up to something, something no good," the Mountain Lion said. Then the Coyote came around and said, "Hey, My Uncle."

"My Nephew," the Mountain Lion relied.

"You're lazy and you're not doing anything. All you are good for is sleeping. It's good to have some play, some entertainment, play together," said Coyote.

And the Mountain Lion said, "You leave me alone. You are no good person to play with. Just leave me alone and get out of here."

The Coyote continued to insist and say, "I want to play a game with you. I want to play a game with you." Coyote saw that Mountain Lion didn't have claws.

Finally, the Mountain Lion gave in and he said, "OK, What kind of game do you want to play?" And then Coyote said, "Let's play this game called Scratching Each Other's Back." (Laughing, Dennison said it reminded him of politicians.)

Then the Mountain Lion said, "How do you play this Scratching Each Other's Back?"

"Well, you scratch my back and I'll scratch your back," Coyote said. "It's just a little game to see who has the sharpest claws."

The Mountain Lion figured out what was going on. He got up and said, "Why don't you scratch my back, and then I'll scratch your back?"

The Coyote jumped up and said, "OK, I'll scratch your back."

He started scratching the long back of the Mountain Lion. He scratched and scratched, and scratched and scratched, and then he got tired. The Coyote said, "I'm tired now. Now you scratch my back."

He kind of smiled, thinking that the Mountain Lion doesn't have claws. But when he brings the claws up, he has real sharp claws, Dennison said.

When the Coyote sat up, the Mountain Lion came around, and from his neck on down to his tail, he pulled down all the skin.

The moral of the story, Dennison said, "is never underestimate a person by his or her look."