Burial as a Disposition Mechanism for Navajo "Jish" or Medicine Bundles
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4040399 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Charlotte J Frisbie (corresponding author) |
| Year | 1978 |
| Volume | 4 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 347 |
| Publication date | 1978-11-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The American Indian Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0095-182X • E-ISSN: 1534-1828 |
| Publisher | JSTOR (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.2307/1184562 |
| PMID | 11614174 |
| OpenAlex | W2323605538 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
Navajo medicine bundles or jish are sacred entities, comprised of collections of sacred paraphernalia associated with specific curing and preventive ceremonies. The paraphernalia, which are obtained or assembled only through the expenditure of much time, energy, and expense, vary in type and number according to the associated ceremonial, history and age of the jish, status of the singer, and other factors. These items, which are sometimes individually wrapped in small bags or pouches, are all kept in an oblong bag constructed from materials appropriate to the ceremonial. It is the assemblage of sacred paraphernalia and its oblong container, therefore, that constitute the jish. Known in English by such terms as medicine bundle, bag, pouch, kit, and sacred or ceremonial bundle, the jish is among those intangible entities such as names, power, and knowledge of songs and prayers which most Navajos consider to be personal property. According to many, ajish owner is free to dispose of a bundle as he or she sees fit, as is true for other individually owned items such as clothing and saddles. However, at least in some part of the reservation, this freedom has limits; some consider certain kinds of bundles to be both indestructible property and ultimately owned by a definable social group (Wyman 1970:22; Chisholm 1975). Jish are viewed both as living entities and as sources and repositories of sacred power, both in Navajo myth and reality. Because of their nature, they are safeguarded and protected, usually being kept in secluded places, and today, often in locked trunks or suitcases.1 Bundles must be respected and cared for;2 they are rejuvenated by ceremonial use and by frequent Blessingway ceremonies which renew their power as well as that of their owners who typically are singers
Archaeology · Art · Mythology · Navajo · Paraphernalia · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Classics · History · Indigenous Health, Education, and Rights · Indigenous Studies and Ecology · Philosophy
| Highly cited | No |
|---|