The cleansing of Navajo witches in 1878 was a significant event in the history of the Navajo people. During this time, the Navajo Nation faced a series of hardships, including drought and disease, which they attributed to the presence of witches in their midst. In response, the Navajo community organized a large-scale cleansing ceremony to rid themselves of these witches and restore balance to their society. The belief in witches, or "skinwalkers," has been deeply ingrained in Navajo culture for centuries. According to Navajo tradition, these witches possess the ability to transform into animals and cause harm to others through various means. They are often believed to be responsible for illnesses, accidents, and other misfortunes that befall the Navajo people.
Unicode: Rune ᚠ
Runic Script were used for several rune alphabets around year 150 to 1500.
Rune alphabets was used to write various Germanic languages before the adoption of the Latin alphabet.
Germanic languages includes:
- North Germanic: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Icelandic, Faroese.
- West Germanic: English, German, Dutch.
- East Germanic (extinct): Gothic.
4 major Runic alphabets are:
- Elder Futhark. Used around year 100 to 800.
- Anglo-Saxon runes. Used around year 400 to 1100.
- Younger Futhark. Used around year 900 to 1100. It has 2 variants, called Long-branch and short-twig.
- Medieval runes. Used around year 1100 to 1500.
Note, there's also Tokien rune. It is based on Anglo-Saxon rune and used in the novel the Hobbit. Reference: 11096r-n4013r-runic-additions.pdf
Elder Futhark
ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚨ ᚱ ᚲ ᚷ ᚹ ᚺ ᚾ ᛁ ᛃ ᛈ ᛇ ᛉ ᛊ ᛏ ᛒ ᛖ ᛗ ᛚ ᛜ ᛞ ᛟ
Anglo-Saxon Runes
ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚩ ᚱ ᚳ ᚷ ᚹ ᚻ ᚾ ᛁ ᛄ ᛇ ᛈ ᛉ ᛋ ( ᚴ ) ᛏ ᛒ ᛖ ᛗ ᛚ ᛝ ᛟ ᛞ ᚪ ᚫ ᚣ ᛡ ᛠ
Younger Futhark, long-branch
ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚬ ᚱ ᚴ ᚼ ᚾ ᛁ ᛅ ᛋ ᛏ ᛒ ᛘ ᛚ ᛦ
Younger Futhark, short-twig
ᚠ ᚢ ᚦ ᚭ ᚱ ᚴ ᚽ ᚿ ᛁ ᛆ ᛌ ᛐ ᛓ ᛙ ᛚ ᛧ
Medieval Runes
ᛆ ᛒ ᛍ ᛑ ᚧ ᛂ ᚠ ᚵ ᚼ ᛁ ᚴ ᛚ ᛘ ᚿ ᚮ ᛔ ( ᛕ ) ᛩ ᚱ ᛌ ᛋ ᛐ ᚢ ᚡ ( ᚢ ) ᚥ ᛪ ᛦ ( ᚤ ) ( ᛨ ) ᛎ ᚦ ᛅ ᛆ ᚯ
Runic Silver Animal Head.
Half of a gilt silver mount. Length: 18.8 cm. With a uninterpretable (cryptic or magic) runic inscription:
ᛋᛒᛖᚱᚫᛞᚻᛏᛇᛒᚳᚪᛁ ᛖᚱᚻᚪᛞᚫᛒᛋ
(sbe/rædht3bcai/e/rh/ad/æbs)
Date: ~800.
Found in the Thames, near Westminster Bridge, London.
Codex Runicus, year 1300. a vellum manuscript containing one of the oldest and best preserved texts of the Scanian law (Skånske lov), written in medieval runes. [image source File:CodexRunicus.jpeg]
They are often believed to be responsible for illnesses, accidents, and other misfortunes that befall the Navajo people. In the late 19th century, the Navajo Nation faced a particularly difficult period marked by a prolonged drought and the outbreak of diseases such as smallpox. Faced with these challenges, the Navajo community turned to their traditional religious practices and sought to identify and eliminate any witches in their midst.
Franks Casket
Franks casket, year 700s.The Franks Casket (or the Auzon Casket) is a small Anglo-Saxon whale's bone chest from the early 8th century. The casket is densely decorated with knife-cut narrative scenes in flat two-dimensional low-relief and with inscriptions mostly in Anglo-Saxon runes. Generally reckoned to be of Northumbrian origin, it is of unique importance for the insight it gives into early Anglo-Saxon art and culture. Both identifying the images and interpreting the runic inscriptions has generated a considerable amount of scholarship.
[from Wikipedia, 2019-06-03]
The cleansing ceremony, known as a "Yeii'bi'chai" ceremony, was a complex and highly symbolic ritual that involved the participation of many members of the Navajo community. The ceremony typically lasted several days and was led by a medicine man or spiritual leader who had been designated as the "hataałii," or singer. During the ceremony, the hataałii would perform a series of chants, songs, and dances, while other participants acted out the roles of various spirits and deities. The purpose of these rituals was to identify and cast out any witches who may have infiltrated the community. One of the key components of the cleansing ceremony was the use of sacred tobacco as an offering to the spirits. Tobacco was considered a powerful substance with the ability to cleanse and purify the community. Participants in the ceremony would smoke, spit, or offer tobacco to the spirits as a symbolic gesture of cleansing and protection. The cleansing ceremony also involved the construction of a "hogan," a sacred Navajo dwelling, which served as the central location for the rituals. The hogan was seen as a place of power and spirituality, and its construction and preparation were considered crucial to the success of the ceremony. The cleansing of Navajo witches in 1878 was a deeply meaningful and transformative event for the Navajo people. By coming together as a community to address the perceived problem of witches, the Navajo sought to restore balance and harmony to their society. The cleansing ceremony served as a reminder of the importance of traditional religious practices and the strength of community unity in times of difficulty..
Reviews for "The Untold Story of Navajo Witches and their Forced Extermination"
1. John Smith - 2/5:
I was really disappointed with "The Cleansing of Navajo Witches in 1878". The storyline felt underdeveloped and lacked depth, leaving me feeling disconnected from the characters. The dialogue felt forced and unnatural, making it difficult to become invested in the story. Additionally, I found the historical inaccuracies to be distracting and would have preferred a more well-researched approach to the subject matter. Overall, I was hoping for a more engaging and authentic portrayal of Navajo culture and spirituality.
2. Sarah Johnson - 1/5:
"The Cleansing of Navajo Witches in 1878" was a complete letdown for me. The writing style was dull and the pacing of the plot was painstakingly slow. The characters lacked depth and substance, making it difficult to care about their outcomes. The historical context also felt poorly researched and at times, disrespectful towards Navajo traditions. I was hoping for an immersive and educational experience, but instead was left feeling bored and unimpressed. I would not recommend this book to others.
3. Emily Thompson - 2/5:
I had high hopes for "The Cleansing of Navajo Witches in 1878", but unfortunately, it fell short of my expectations. The story felt disjointed and lacked a clear direction, leaving me confused and disinterested. The characterization was weak, making it difficult to connect with any of the characters on an emotional level. While the concept had potential, the execution left much to be desired. I was hoping for a captivating and informative exploration of Navajo culture, but instead, I found myself struggling to stay engaged. Overall, I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a well-crafted and engaging read.