Traditional Navajo Taboos
By Ernest Bulow
A "taboo" has two separate parts. One is the action. The second is
the consequence. Which of these do you think might have a foundation in
religious beliefs or teachings and which ones do you think parents may have
thought up to teach children good behaviour?
- Do not laugh when someone pollutes the air (passes gas)
because you will get wrinkles right away.
- Do not wash you face with really hot water or
you will get old faster.
- Do not pull out white hairs or you will get
- Do not count your blackheads or they will get
- Do not chew your fingernails because they will
not grow back and you will grow broke.
- Do not cry at a funeral or you will get bags
under your eyes.
- Do not rub tree bark on your body because it
will make you hairy.
- Do not put salt on your hair or eat too much salt
or your hair will turn white.
- Do not cut your hair because you will not be
able to think well and you will have a short life.
- Do not look at a tooth that has fallen out or
the others will fall out too.
- Do not try to cut limbs off a tree while it is still
standing or you will chop yourself.
- Boys should not be lazy when they are young
orthey will act like women.
- Do not hate a person of the opposite sex. Especially an
ugly one because you might end up marrying them.
- Do not wear your blanket with the stripes crossways or
you will go crazy.
- Do not make fingers or obscene gestures or you
will cripple your hand.
- Do not stare at anyone for a long time or you
will go blind.
- Do not lend your shirt to anyone or he will get
all your luck.
- Do not follow in someone's footprints because
you will get crippled.
- Do not put your fingers on top of each other (cross your
fingers) or you will act like a baby.
- Do not play with an ash dump or you will get
- Do not smoke unless you have caught a female coyote on
foot or it will cause you harm and stunt your growth. The
phrase "female coyote" refers to coming of age.
- Do not break sticks or you will have bad luck.
- Do not have three people comb each other's hair at the
same time or they will get stuck.
- Do not take a doll apart because it will make
you sick, or crippled, or might affect your children.
- Do not store jewelry like beads in a heap. Instead
hang them up. If you do not, you will lose them because they
will be unhappy and cramped.
- Do not undo a string of beads or they will
- Do not store turquoise beads in a plastic bag or airtight
container because they will die. The turquoise will not be able
to breathe and they will turn bad.
- Do not leave an arrowhead lying on the ground because
you will lose the good luck they bring.
- Do not pop a paper bag because your parents
will go broke, or you will pop your tonsils, or get a goiter.
- Do not turn pages backwards or you will go
- Do not burn blood from a nosebleed because you
will get headaches and your head will split.
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