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Hózhó
Hózhó is a very important word in the Navajo Language. It is a word that defines the beauty way of life. It is considered a powerful word that brings balance and beauty to one. It provides harmony and peace to a person from within the mind and soul and its connection to the surrounding environment. In Navajo songs and chants, the word “Hózhó” is used often for the calling of holy people to ensure and instill the balance of life. The balance of harmony, peace, and good health. During the journey of life, the prayers of Hózhó are reiterated repeatedly in chants to restore harmony in the mind, body and soul. “Hózhó” encompasses an individual’s well-being, the connection with the environment, the social interaction with other beings or the environment itself. For this curriculum unit, the focus is on “Hózhó” as a guidance to learning about oneself and one’s relationship to the environment. The selection of poems is aligned to the model that I have created, which is shown below. In fig.1, the Hózhó is the center of the circle. As in the universe, the sun is the center of our solar system in the Milky Way galaxy. Its connection to the planets has it purpose and understanding of its existence. I believe that young children should learn about themselves and their surroundings through this model, especially Native American children. In addition, it is a great example to other ethnicities as well.
Hózhó Model
Fig. 1
Self- awareness
Students learn at an early age their place in the world. Their perspective about themselves or the world can be negative or positive. Of course, as teachers, we’d like to see all students see the positive side of themselves and their environment. Unfortunately, some students do not have a positive view of themselves. Especially in today’s society. This is due to many obstacles, challenges that students are faced with. For some, they lack motivation and carry bad baggage that prevents them from being positive. I hear some of the students make comments such as, “I am not smart”, “No one likes me!” “I don’t have to listen to you!” These types of comments are negative. Because of these negative attitudes, or experiences, many struggle in school and are not seeing anything positive in the society. As they get older, some of the students end up dropping out of school and get into trouble.
Navajo Teaching
According to Abraham Maslow’s theory, the Hierarchy of Needs includes the level of Need for Esteem, a level based on the needs of an individual: “When the first three classes of needs are satisfied, the needs for esteem can become dominant. These involve needs for both self-esteem and for the esteem a person gets from others. Humans have a need for a stable, firmly based, high level of self-respect, and respect from others. When these needs are satisfied, the person feels self-confident and valuable as a person in the world. When these needs are frustrated, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless and worthless” (Simmons, Donald, Beverly, 1987).1 This is the reason that teachers should focus on creating positive self-awareness for the students from the beginning of each school year. For this unit, self-awareness is the focal point of obtaining success and increasing motivation. Not much of the Navajo teachings in regards to self-awareness is taught at home anymore. The Navajo teaching of self-awareness involves self-identity, acceptance, respect, and being resilient.
Another resource that I would like to recommend to read to help you understand the Navajo culture based on the Navajo philosophy of learning, is Stephen Covey’s model, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (Covey, S. 2020).2 The model is aligned with the cultural perspective paradigm of one’s outlook on self, the environment and social environment. I find Stephen Covey’s model to be the closest to understanding the Navajo philosophy of learning. The elders have always taught the components of the similar habits to their families. There are seven habits Covey believes that start from analyzing self to the connecting to the environment. In addition, the Navajo culture teachings are focused on developing self-esteem on a daily basis, spirituality, physical (the acts and behavior) and the connection with the social environment of an individual. Covey mentions those same qualities which are similar to the Navajo Culture.
In the Navajo culture and teaching, the day begins with “you” in mind. The colors presented in the model I will be using is followed from the inward of self to the outward of one’s daily life in her or his lifetime. One begins with self and then outward to the environment around one and to connect with the outside environment. This is practice on a daily basis from dawn to night. Why I chose to use the Hózhó model as a guide is basically to follow the order of learning of oneself for younger generation and the connection beyond self-awareness. To further explain the model in fig.1, the color represents the daily cycle. The white color represents the morning light. The time to pray, and set goals in good thoughts and harmony, hózhó. The blue, representing the day, is the time to work in your environment. A time to apply yourself to your purpose in life and work towards goals. The yellow, representing the evening, is associated with social life. Social is the time to interact with your family, and with others. In addition, a time to reflect about what was accomplished to refining the next day’s goals. The black, representing the closing of the day, is a time to re-energize oneself by resting along with the animals. All these are important colors that represent the importance of the colors that reflect upon the Navajo culture. When teaching students, I believe that teaching with cultural knowledge of belief and values brought down by the ancestors is important. It is a part of self-identity and acceptance to become a strong independent citizen. Chinle Unified School District supports the importance of the students’ connection with their culture and heritage. The schools’ vision and mission encompasses what is known as the Navajo philosophy of learning.
Cultural Art and ceremony
Most Navajo chants describe self-awareness, guidance and understanding of life. Chants connect us with the holy beings and mother earth. Learning of these chants would provide students with a sense of belonging and build self-esteem. In light of the students’ cultural and proud ethnic acceptance, the unit will focus from the cultural perspective, mixed with the art and the sound of Native American art, chants and stories. The curriculum unit that will be developed focuses on free expression of oneself. In order to learn about one’s existence, and to feel good about oneself and the connection with nature or the world, a poem that I’ve selected is written by the first Native American US Poet Laureate, Joy Harjo. Joy has written many poems that are relevant to Native American culture. The poem, “Eagle Poem,” depicts how one should make connection with oneself and the environment (nature and animals). Harjo is a member of the Muscogee Nation. She has written many wonderful poems about home, family and nature. “Eagle Poem” was written as she was flying over Salt River and was reminded of an eagle. All the beauty she saw she has written in her poem. This poem reminds us to take in the beauty all around us.
In addition to building self-esteem, I would like to use a creed or chant that our school does on a daily basis. Each morning, the students recite the chant. It is known as the Navajo Creed. The creed is written in the Navajo Language. All the students recite it, but they do not understand what they are saying. A majority of the students speak English, while at least twenty percent speak both Navajo and English. The creed is taught by the Navajo Language teacher during the students’ enrichment time. The Navajo language teacher allows the students to learn it from the beginning of the school year. Then during the school year, students recite it every morning during our morning announcements. The problem that I see is that they cannot interpret what the words are and students do not understand what they are saying. I believe this is my chance to teach the chant. The Navajo creed is aligned to the Hózhó daily thoughts of goods and motivation. This creed will work toward building a positive mindset, mentally and emotionally. The creed describes the beauty within and the surrounding for protection and blessings. The creed is very powerful when it is read, but the students are unable to appreciate the thought of the words. In addition to understanding the chant, activities that are aligned with self-identity will be ideal. For example, a silhouette of the students and character trait words will be filled by the students to connect with themselves.
Poetry as Expression and Art
Poetry is a form of expression. Poets write to express their feelings and thoughts in an artistic way. History shows that art was developing in poetry. Poetry was not just simple sentences, but the formality of each word or sentence usage and structure. Especially manipulating written words and letters, or even orally read, can be thought of as art. Feisal Mohamed, Professor of English at Yale University, suggests how poetry has been developing into this modern art. He states that poetry has formed in different forms of expression through time. Poetry has transformed, or is transforming, into amazing, interesting and fun art through different types and techniques that writers develop. Different types of poetry, such as erasure, blackout, or the use of videos and letters, were some of the ways writers displayed and expressed their feelings (Mohamad, F. 2024).3 The genre of poetry varies. For this unit, a variety of poems will be shared with students of third grade. The unit is geared toward third grade, but can be utilized at any grade level, especially for Native American students. The unit focuses on the idea of building a positive, responsible, respectable citizen to become independent and be proactive in the society.
Poems are written in interesting ways. The writings then become very artistic and develop a style. This makes it fun and unique. Poets or writers want to hook an audience as they express their thoughts. One type of poetry is written using shapes. Shapes are used to symbolize a message (Mohamed, F. 2024).4 In addition, shapes are interesting and fun for students. This allows students to be creative and still make that connection with their environment or to family. There will many activities involving third-grade students reading poems that have shapes. An example of shape poems, a Navajo poet, Orlando White, uses letters to shape his poems. He is the author of Letterrs (2015). I love the poems he has written, which mostly describe sounds or objects and symbols to connect with the readers. The activities would be based on the voice or sound that is heard through poetry. In addition, some of his poems are created using both the English and Navajo languages. I can see students having fun with these types of poems. Several poems will be selected to show an example of shapes and, in addition, to understand the author’s point of view. One is called water. This poem involves one word, but yet, it has two words. The word water means basically water, but with an added “o”, centers the word “to” which also means water in Navajo.
Poetry is written, but illustrations are also important. Drawings, paintings, even scenery is described as it becomes alive. Illustrations are used to express one’s thought. What is the connection with a reader made by an image. Many perspectives can be shown in the same image. Or the other way around, where the imagery is developed based on thought. Another well-known illustrator, Shonto Begay, is a local artist that connects his art to his Navajo home life. He illustrates for authors in several books. His paintings show positive, and sometimes negative, sides of Navajo culture. Some of the images or paintings he portrays hit home for many. He is the author of The Mud Pony (1988), and Navajo: Visions and Voices Across the Mesa (1995). Not only is he an illustrator, he has written a few poems that resonate the cultural perspective of home life, especially for older Navajos who grew up in a less modern society. One poem called “In My Mother’s Kitchen” is a great poem. Shonto describes her cooking and making a frybread. Frybread is similar to something like a funnel cake. The poem depicts the memory of a mother’s daily responsibilities in caring, and the memory that the writer has of her in a most detailed way showing the love he has for his mother. This poem connects to the home life and sends a powerful message of feeling love for a mother. There are other poems written by Shonto Begay that resonate for many Native Americans as they are growing up. The images he illustrates just adds the perfect perception that is real. Another great poem that will be used for this unit is called, “Many Faces, Many Stories.” These two poems written by Shonto Begay, “In my Mother’s Kitchen”5 and “Many Faces, Many Stories,”6 exemplify the Diné cultural perspective on family ties. Not only will the students find them enjoyable to read, they will be able to actually relate to them. Finding materials that provide cultural perspective is great, but finding the material that the author is familiar with is a plus, especially when it incorporates teacher and student content knowledge. Of his writing and art, Begay says, “I work to bring my own art, my own traditions, my own people, to places where they don’t know about us. I believe in sharing that story and in finding ways to let kids express themselves the same way.”7 The first excerpt above is culturally relevant to the Diné children. In homes of the Diné, one will often find a mother figure, even if it is a grandmother, an aunt, or a sister, in the special role of caring for the young. The setting and the illustrating of the poem (Begay is an artist) provides visual aid.
Excerpt from “In my Mother’s Kitchen”
Childhood dreams and warmth
Tight in my throat, tears in my eyes
The radio softly tuned to a local AM station
News of ceremonies and chapter meetings
And funerals
Flows into the peaceful kitchen
Lines upon her face, features carved of hard times
Lines around her eyes, creases of happy times
Bittersweet tears and ringing silvery laughter
I ache in my heart
Excerpt from “Many Faces, Many Stories”
Sounds of traditional song and dance contests
Contrast with blaring bass rap songs
Children cry as mothers and fathers
comfort them
Laughter and shouting from the carnival
Sounds of a far off rodeo announcer
Navajo Language mixes with teen language
Cups of coffee and sodas
Other Important Information about Poems
Teachers should bear in mind other important components of learning about poetry. For the third-grade students, one of the standards that is aligned to learning about poetry is knowing the parts of poetry. The parts of poetry are important. For third-grade students, they are basically knowing the stanza, lines, mood or tone, theme, rhythm and patterns. The standard should be taught along with learning the parts of a prose or drama. This is an opportunity to learn about poetry. In addition, poetry can be extended into other subjects to reinforce vocabulary and to make learning fun. Just as music is poetry, the songs that people listen to have a better effect on retaining information. Students recall listening to nursery rhymes since kindergarten. For many, they are able to recall and recite those poems as they would familiar songs. Taking the poems into other subjects allows more retention of information.
Another way to express and understand the point of view of the reader and the author is to read erasure types of poems. Students can take poems and practice and understand erasure poems to add histories of early writers, students should learn about book making, book binding and paper making. This is also an important part that will motivate students to become writers. Students love to collect different types of writing objects, such as colors, or dark ink, or just simple pencil and use that to write on interesting or pretty paper. The collection of students writing on different papers and binding it for them is a joy and everlasting for many as a keepsake. Especially with parents, they like to recall special moments of their child’s events as he or she grows into an adult.
Finally, this unit stresses motivating students becoming authors of their own writing. Students can write from their own perspective. Students collaborating and sharing their understanding of poems will ease the pressure of “Am I understanding the poem as it should be understood?” In addition, students need to learn of how to make inferences from a story or poem. During this unit, the students should be given opportunities to share their thoughts and hear others’ thoughts. This promotes students to dig into the poems, the meaning of each word, and pull and eliminate words to help them comprehend the poems. So the unit is intended to be taught over 15 to 20 days. The lesson should begin as early as the students return to school so they get the idea of the model. The models can be used throughout the school year as you pull other readings into the model so as a teacher, you are consistently building their self-esteem, their connection with the world and their understanding or viewpoints of any readings.
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