Remember the Things They Told Us

Sháá Áko Dahjiníleh
Remember the Things They Told Us


by Luci Tapahonso


1
Before this world existed, the holy people made themselves
visible by becoming clouds, sun, moon, trees, bodies of water,
thunder rain, snow, and other aspects of this world we live in.
That way, they said, we would never be alone. So it is possible
to talk to them and pray, no matter where we are and how we feel.
Biyázhí daniidlí, we are their little ones.

2
Since the beginning, the people have gone outdoors at dawn
to pray, The morning light, adinídíín, represents knowledge
and mental awareness. With the dawn come the holy ones
who bring blessings and daily gifts, because they are grateful
when we remember them.

3
When you were born and took your first breath, different
colors and different kinds of wind entered through your
fingertips and the whorl on top of your head. Within us,
as we breathe, are the light breezes that cool a summer
afternoon, within us the tumbling winds that precede rain,
within us sheets of hard-thundering rain,
within us dust-filled layers of wind that sweep in
from the mountains,
within us gentle night flutters that lull us to sleep.
To see this, blow on your hand now.
Each sound we make evokes the power of these winds
and we are, at once, gentle and powerful.

4
Think about good things when preparing meals. It is
much more than physical nourishment. The way the cook
or cooks) think and feel become a part of the meal.
Food that is prepared with careful thought, contentment,
and good memories tastes so good and nurtures the mind
and spirit, as well as the body. Once my mother chased me
out of the kitchen because it is disheartening to think
of eating something cooked by an angry person.

5
Be careful not to let your children sit or play on tables
or countertops Not only is it bad manners, but they might
have to get married far sooner than you would ever want.

6
Don't cut your own hair or anyone else's after dark. There
are things that come with the darkness that we have no control
over. It's not clear why this rule exists, but so far no one
is willing to become the example of what happens to someone
who doesn't abide by it.


From Sáanii Dahataa The Women Are Singing by Luci Tapahonso, University of Arizona Press.
© 1993 Luci Tapahonso