According to the Diné origin story,” After much trial and error in the chaotic underworlds, the Navajo Holy People, including First Man and First Women, ascended to this world through a reed. Using songs, prayers, and rituals, they affected the power in all things to create this world and set everything into a stat of hózhǭ. After Changing Woman created the Earth Surface People (Diné) from her own body, using First Man’s medicine bundle, the Holy People withdrew. If the Diné maintain hózhǭ by following their creators’ examples, they find fortune and good health, but harm comes to them if they forsake those examples.”(Davies; pp 4) The Diné origin story is the principle that underlies between the spiritual, cultural and medical practices of the Navajo people and every aspect of their beliefs directly point back to the origin story. However, although the Diné origin story is central to the Navajo people and their culture, they do diverge after acknowledging this story as important. That is where different healing systems come about. Specifically, we will see this by comparing the histories and principles of two key healing systems of the Diné. We will take a look at Traditional Navajo Healing and the practices of the Native American Church (NAC).
