NAVAJO NIGHT DANCES

Year Published: 1957

Creator: walter-lewisohn-associates-the-national-council-of-american-indians-coronet-films

Description: Dating to 1957, "Navajo Night Dances" was part of the Cultural Heritage Series, produced by Walter Lewisohn Associates in cooperation with The National Council of American Indians and distributed by Coronet Films. It presents Navajo dances that are part of the nine day Mountain Chant Ritual. The setting is established with wide shots of Monument Valley, showcasing its iconic buttes and mesas, with scenes of Navajo people traveling through this landscape, some on horseback and others in horse-drawn carriages. The narrative then transitions to daily life activities around a camp setting. Here, we see preparations for meals, particularly the making of fry bread, with women kneading, shaping, and frying dough. This communal activity involves various family members, from children to elders, highlighting social bonds and traditional food preparation. The film then captures parts of the Mountain Chant's rituals: Great Feathered Arrow Dance: Four men, adorned with eagle feathers, perform a ceremonial dance involving arrows, symbolizing perhaps purification or protection. They move in unison, performing intricate movements with the arrows. Feather Dance: A young girl, with eagle feathers, performs a dance where feathers on a rug are animated by movements from behind the scenes, suggesting a spiritual or magical element where the feathers themselves "dance." This is accompanied by chanting and drumming, emphasizing the connection between dance, music, and spiritual practice. Fire Dance: Men dressed in white with painted faces dance around a large bonfire at night. This dance possibly represents endurance, transformation, or purification through the interaction with fire, as they light their torches from the bonfire. The film concludes with the dawn over Monument Valley, symbolizing the end of the night's rituals and the return to daily life, with people packing up and moving out in their wagons. This natural cycle from night to day is metaphorically linked to the cycle of the ritual. The closing credits reaffirm the cultural and educational intent of the film, part of a series aimed at preserving and sharing Native American cultural heritage. 0:35 - The narrator mentions traveling to a place called "Beautiful" in the mountains. 0:39 - The ancient inhabitants, referred to as Dina, meaning "the people" in their language, are introduced. 0:52 - Music plays. 1:04 - The journey passes by "Circle of Rat" and later by "Wing Around a Rock." 1:13 - More music. 2:13 - Discussion about ancestors being taught by gods to make beautiful blankets, and the significance of turquoise and other sacred ornaments. 2:42 - Explanation of why they camp in a circle under piñon trees to hear the gods. 3:03 - Annual gathering after the first frost to seek help from the great spirit, including making "slap again" bread. 3:44 - Description of marriage customs, particularly the interaction between mother-in-law and son-in-law. 4:13 - Description of the Mountain Chant ceremony, including the dance of the great feathered arrow. 5:27 - Reflection on the long tradition of building homes in circular designs to connect with nature. 6:10 - Mention of the magical teachings from gods that have been passed down. 6:32 - Prayers for health, good crops, and rain, which are part of the ceremonies. 6:51 - Introduction of the Feather Dance within the Mountain Chant ceremony. 7:36 - Description of how eagle feathers move during the dance, symbolizing connection to different directions. 9:25 - The Sacred Fire Dance is introduced, where dancers in white perform acts of endurance with fire, symbolizing the transformation from evil to good. 10:53 - As the ceremony concludes with the dawn, the people prepare to return home, with poetic descriptions of the beauty of the daybreak.

Complete Record: Dating to 1957, "Navajo Night Dances" was part of the Cultural Heritage Series, produced by Walter Lewisohn Associates in cooperation with The National Council of American Indians and distributed by Coronet Films. It presents Navajo dances that are part of the nine day Mountain Chant Ritual. The setting is established with wide shots of Monument Valley, showcasing its iconic buttes and mesas, with scenes of Navajo people traveling through this landscape, some on horseback and others in horse-drawn carriages. The narrative then transitions to daily life activities around a camp setting. Here, we see preparations for meals, particularly the making of fry bread, with women kneading, shaping, and frying dough. This communal activity involves various family members, from children to elders, highlighting social bonds and traditional food preparation. The film then captures parts of the Mountain Chant's rituals: Great Feathered Arrow Dance: Four men, adorned with eagle feathers, perform a ceremonial dance involving arrows, symbolizing perhaps purification or protection. They move in unison, performing intricate movements with the arrows. Feather Dance: A young girl, with eagle feathers, performs a dance where feathers on a rug are animated by movements from behind the scenes, suggesting a spiritual or magical element where the feathers themselves "dance." This is accompanied by chanting and drumming, emphasizing the connection between dance, music, and spiritual practice. Fire Dance: Men dressed in white with painted faces dance around a large bonfire at night. This dance possibly represents endurance, transformation, or purification through the interaction with fire, as they light their torches from the bonfire. The film concludes with the dawn over Monument Valley, symbolizing the end of the night's rituals and the return to daily life, with people packing up and moving out in their wagons. This natural cycle from night to day is metaphorically linked to the cycle of the ritual. The closing credits reaffirm the cultural and educational intent of the film, part of a series aimed at preserving and sharing Native American cultural heritage. 0:35 - The narrator mentions traveling to a place called "Beautiful" in the mountains. 0:39 - The ancient inhabitants, referred to as Dina, meaning "the people" in their language, are introduced. 0:52 - Music plays. 1:04 - The journey passes by "Circle of Rat" and later by "Wing Around a Rock." 1:13 - More music. 2:13 - Discussion about ancestors being taught by gods to make beautiful blankets, and the significance of turquoise and other sacred ornaments. 2:42 - Explanation of why they camp in a circle under piñon trees to hear the gods. 3:03 - Annual gathering after the first frost to seek help from the great spirit, including making "slap again" bread. 3:44 - Description of marriage customs, particularly the interaction between mother-in-law and son-in-law. 4:13 - Description of the Mountain Chant ceremony, including the dance of the great feathered arrow. 5:27 - Reflection on the long tradition of building homes in circular designs to connect with nature. 6:10 - Mention of the magical teachings from gods that have been passed down. 6:32 - Prayers for health, good crops, and rain, which are part of the ceremonies. 6:51 - Introduction of the Feather Dance within the Mountain Chant ceremony. 7:36 - Description of how eagle feathers move during the dance, symbolizing connection to different directions. 9:25 - The Sacred Fire Dance is introduced, where dancers in white perform acts of endurance with fire, symbolizing the transformation from evil to good. 10:53 - As the ceremony concludes with the dawn, the people prepare to return home, with poetic descriptions of the beauty of the daybreak.

Transcription

[Music] he [Music] we are going to a place called Beautiful in the mountains our ancient ones those who lived here first spoke of themselves as Dina which in N means the people [Music] [Music] our wagon trail passes a place known as circle of rat [Music] stones and after that one call Wing Around a rock [Music] for [Music] [Music] God taught our ancestors how to with beautiful blankets and even better kind than you see us wear Gods always used to dress themselves in Sacred Stones of turquoise necklaces earrings coral and shells just as we do when they come near it sounds like rustling of dry leaves in the wind for this reason we like to camp in big circle near some pinion trees so we can hear the gods come close [Music] each year sometimes after first Frost many families gather together to ask help from our great spirit at supper time women make bread we call slap again it gets named from way dough is passed back and forth from one hand to the other sometimes we mix Cedar ashes in the dough then it is put into the frying pan men over there soon get married to daughter of woman who cooks when they marry we have our custom mother only supposed to visit when daughter's husband is not there husband never supposed to have any words with his mother-in-law in this this way all is peaceful in the whole G our ceremonies often last many days during the last night of mountain chant we have dance of great feathered Arrow each dancer holds Arrow up high with his right hand and after fourth cry he takes Arrow between thumb and forefinger and makes this sound you hear he says this far will I swallow [Applause] it then he puts Arrow slowly down his throat when Arrow seemed to be stuck way down he dances round and round in circle [Applause] finally each dancer takes his Arrow out of his mouth and holds it high for all to see for long long long time we neverhood always built place to live around just like the world itself this way we come close to everything when we sing and dance we become part of the wind lightning the Earth must Mountain corn and coyot and all the animals the gods taught our people many magic things which are still passed on today without the God's help we might easily have been captured or destroyed we pray that they will cure many diseases of our people and also that they give to us good crop and rain as part of the mountain chant ceremony we have another magic dance this we call feather dance eagle feathers are put in a basket or on a rug [Music] [Applause] [Music] then feathers start to rise and dance to the song We Sing little girl you see dancing with feather is daughter of our medicine man she dances to the gods of the four corners of the Earth to the east we asked the Gods for sunlight in life to the north we ask the gods the magic blanket of the Northern Lights to the West we ask the gods for his breath for our life to this South we ask the gods our nourishment from the young plants in growth and to the center of our life as we built a sacred fire which is the vein of the sunlight and warm when she dances towards the east the feather leans [Music] East when she dances North the feather leans North when she dances West the feather leans West when she dances to the South the feather leans [Applause] South and when she is into the center of Life the feather rest back to the blanket most important ceremony is the sacred fire dance out of the darkness they come all dressed in white prach cloth and moccasins except for their leader Spirit man dressed in Deer skin their bodies are painted with white clay these are the men of the fire Society with each dancer exposing himself to the great heat of fire they di their torches into the flame they burnt off the tips from the eagle feathers for the purpose of turning black to white evil to good some Rush toward the fire and Retreat others try to catch sparks flying in the air with their torches they never stop until all have succeeded some dance into the fire it is a task of endurance finally the Flames die down the glow of the sunrise soon lights up the sky our people break camp and start for home the curtain of Daybreak is hanging the daylight boy is hanging from the land of the day it is hanging before him as it Dawns it is hanging before him in Beauty it is hanging from his voice in Beauty it is hanging [Music] head [Music]

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