We Know Who We Are and What Is Needed

Achieving Healing, Harmony, and Balance in Ndee Institutions

Bibliographic Data

ID13085248
AuthorsNicholas C Laluk (0000-0001-7454-1676, Northern Arizona University, corresponding author), Benrita Burnette (The White House)
Year2021
Volume9
Issue2
Pages110-118
Publication date2021-04-23
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueAdvances in Archaeological Practice (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2326-3768 • E-ISSN: 2326-3768
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/aap.2021.4
OpenAlexW3164066279
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited22

Overall healing, harmony, and balance within Ndee (Apache) communities can be understood through the Ndee term Gózhó —“beauty, balance, and harmony.” Beyond this Ndee cultural precept, however, how are such states of Gózhó achieved, whether in the past or today? Within archaeological research on Ndee lands, achieving healing and promoting health is crucial to overall individual and community well-being. Healing activities that contribute to overall states of Gózhó can take many forms. As Rybak and Decker-Fitts (2009:334) suggest, “Native American healing practices exemplify key cultural perspectives and influence the identity development of Native American individuals.” Such healing practices including the use of yellow cattail pollen ( hádńdín ; Typha spp.) for protection are based on traditions and perspectives typically outside the mainstream of Western psychological tenets, yet they can have significant impact on the sense of well-being for Ndee communities. Ndee cultural specialists with the White Mountain Apache Tribe demonstrate that such traditions and perspectives are not only necessary for continued community well-being but are powerful conduits amplifying the past as present, which contribute to the ongoing cyclical and reciprocal nature of the ways Ndee communities have related to Nígosdzán—Mother Earth—since time immemorial

Aesthetics · Archaeology · Art · Beauty · Cultural assimilation · Cultural identity · Environmental ethics · Harmony (color · Immigration · Navajo · Social science · Sociology · Archaeology and Rock Art Studies · History · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Indigenous Studies and Ecology

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