Tribal Traditions During An Eclipse

Above, the Great American Eclipse of 2017. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

While those of us who are in the path of today's annular solar eclipse will be observing it, Native American tribes will be honoring the event in different ways.

As such, tribal parks such as Monument Valley Tribal Park will be closed during the duration of the eclipse.

From KFOR:

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – As the annular solar eclipse crosses over North America on Saturday, Oct. 14, tribal nations across the U.S. are using the occasion to pass down cultural teachings, share stories and ensure members, especially younger generations, learn sacred traditions.

Here are a few examples:

Since I live across Interstate 40 from parts of the Navajo Nation, here's what the Navajos will do during the eclipse:

Navajo

For the Diné, or Navajo, an eclipse is about solemnity — not spectacle. It marks the end of a cycle and the power of when the moon and sun are in alignment. When the sun is blocked, it is undergoing a rebirth. It also is seen as the moon and the sun embracing each other.

“There’s so many things we’re not supposed to do as Diné people compared to other tribes, where it’s OK for them to look at the eclipse or be out or do things,” said Krystal Curley, executive director of nonprofit Indigenous Life Ways.

Don’t: Look at the eclipse, eat, drink, sleep or engage in physical activity.

Do: Sit at home and reflect or pray during what’s considered an intimate, celestial moment.

Paul Begay, a Diné cultural adviser for guided hikes with Taadidiin Tours in Antelope Canyon, said he was taught from a young age that deities are responsible for creation starting with the first man and first woman, who traveled through four worlds.

Begay described an eclipse as a disturbance, or death of the sun, which is considered a father figure in Navajo culture. Out of respect, he said, all activity stops.

“It’s just a show of reverency, a show of being the way the holy people would want you to be,” Begay said. “Of course, the eclipse will subside in due time and activities go back to normalcy.”

To read more, go here.