Medicine Man Wanted: Navajo Traditional Apprentice Project Trains Youth In Sacred Ceremonies

Preserving Navajo Ceremonies: A Cultural Urgency

Ceremonies and the healing knowledge of the Navajo people are in danger of dying out. There is work being done to pass on these traditions through training young people through the Navajo Traditional Apprentice Project.

They note that the Navajo Nation is in danger of losing sacred ceremonies and knowledge if it is not passed on.

The purpose of the Navajo traditional Apprenticeship Project is to train apprentices of Navajo traditional healing ceremonies most in danger of being lost

The organization provides assessment tests to match up those interested in learning with an apprentice opportunity. This includes an understanding of the Dine language and familiarity with the culture.

The Sacred Role of Medicine Men in Navajo Culture

Wally Brown of Navajo Traditional Teachings describes the calling of a medicine man and their important role in a family. He describes how his grandfather traveled to one of the sacred mountains to receive the power and authority to be a service to people.

This was a life time of learning that is similar to becoming a doctor. He learned the ceremonies and the timing of when they were to take place. Over time the medicine man develops a small bundle that is a result of all his learning.

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He learned important ceremonies These ceremonies indicate the origins of the Dine people. Some should be done in the day and some in the night and they correspond with the stars seen in the southern skies.