Diné Quotes

“Navajo is a white man’s word. The people there call themselves Diné, and their country Dinétah.”
― Mary Brave Bird, Ohitika Woman

“The fight for Big Mountain was led by the women, the strong-hearted Diné mothers and grandmothers. They were at the core of the resistance.”
― Mary Brave Bird, Ohitika Woman

“Weaving was taught to the Diné by Spider Woman, the female supernatural who had saved the people of the First World when they were engulfed by a big flood. She made a raft out of spiderwebs, a sort of Noah’s ark, upon which the people climbed and survived. Spider Woman also made the Thread of Life for the hero called Monster Slayer.”
― Mary Brave Bird, Ohitika Woman

“Some women sing and pray while they weave. They always leave an imperfection in a rug, because nothing made by humans should be perfect. They likewise leave a little opening on the rug for the spirits to escape.”
― Mary Brave Bird, Ohitika Woman

“The fight for Big Mountain is being lost. The forced relocations are continuing. I fear that the beautiful country there will become a great black hole made by the strip miners. But I do not think that our fight has been in vain. One day it will bear fruit, and our years of support for the Big Mountain people have cemented the bond between the Diné and the Lakota people, particularly between the peyote church members of both tribes. It was like one long, long alowanpi—a seven-year-long relation-making ceremony.”
― Mary Brave Bird, Ohitika Woman