Indigenous Peoples in Arizona

The Blessingway is comparatively short, lasting only two nights, and is often part of longer rites. Among other things, it is performed to bless and protect the home, to prevent complications of pregnancy, and to enhance the good fortune that attendees and participants hope to foster through the kinaalda (girl’s puberty rites). As a part of Navajo religious practices, the Blessingway is considered to be a highly spiritual, sacred, and private event.

The Enemyway is sung in order to protect Navajos from harmful ghosts of slain warriors, or in more contemporary parlance, to protect Navajos from the deleterious effects of non-Native influences. This ceremonial can be used for returning military personnel to rid them of the harmful effects of evil spirits, or chindi, of the slain, as well as the associated harmful effects of modernity both on and off the reservation.

Dine' have a deep fear of death and don’t look forward to the afterlife. They follow specific practices, so the deceased doesn’t haunt the living. Instead, it’s a life that’s worth living.
Every Dine' hopes to live in hohzo or a state of order with the universe and beauty of all living things. Navajos follow rituals and bury the deceased in unique ways to keep order.
Here are some examples:
Dine' choose family members to mourn. The mourners bathe and dress the body in special clothes.
The mourners bury the deceased far away from the living area along with the possessions and the tools used to bury the body.
If the deceased died in their hogan—home of tree and bark—family members burn it along with any remaining possessions.
A traditional Navajo funeral is a simple, no-frills affair. Contact with the deceased’s corpse can lead to sickness, misfortune, or even death, so very few family members as possible participate in the funeral.

The Dine' Puberty Ceremony celebrating maturity of girls among the Navajo is held generally on the fourth night after the first evidence of the maiden’s entrance into womanhood. On the first morning following the moment of this change in life the girl bathes and dresses in her finest clothes.

Powamuya (February) – The bean dance, distribution of sprouts and also a rite of passage for Hopi children.

Every member of the Hopitu Shinumu are encouraged/expected to participate in the village/community ceremonies. This could impact their attendance in class.

Ceremony surrounding the birth of a baby.
In accordance with the birthing ritual, an ear of corn symbolizing the corn mother is placed beside the baby for 20 days. During these 20 days, the infant is kept in darkness, even though the child is of this world, it is still under the protection of corn mother and sun father.
The entire extended family works in darkness during this period until the corn mother names the child by passing the ear of corn multiple times over the infant. The ritual ends with the mother cradling the baby in her left arm and right hand as she walks toward the sun rising in the east. She holds the baby up to the warmth of the sun to introduce the newborn to its father. This marks the final birthing passage into life.

Also known as the Night Chant, the Night Way is one of the most commonly performed ceremonials in the Navajo tradition. The Night Way (Yébîchai in Navajo) is a healing ceremony that lasts for nine days and nights and is performed only in the winter months. Specifically, the Night Way is meant to restore balance, health, and equilibrium for those suffering from paralysis, blindness, and deafness, although it can also be performed to restore social and natural order between the supplicant and the natural environment. In essence, the Night Chant, as with most Navajo healing ceremonials, endeavors to to ameliorate strained relations between Man and the Universe, thereby restoring order, balance, harmony, and health.

he Apache Sunrise Dance is a four-day female coming-of-age ceremony, in which a girl temporarily becomes Changing Woman, the first lady and mother of her people. It is a significant and highly spiritual event for both the girl and the entire Apache community. Guests who are present participate in the ceremony full of music, blessings, and sharing of food.