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Diné Bahane'
Diné Bahane': The Navajo Creation Story | Paul Zolbrod
2 posts | 2 read | 5 to read
This is the most complete version of the Navajo creation story to appear in English since Washington Matthews' Navajo Legends of 1847. Zolbrod's new translation renders the power and delicacy of the oral storytelling performance on the page through a poetic idiom appropriate to the Navajo oral tradition. Zolbrod's book offers the general reader a vivid introduction to Navajo culture. For students of literature this book proposes a new way of looking at our literary heritage.
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This isn‘t your typical read. Zolbrod translated existing Diné writings, used 100+ year old recordings, and worked with Diné elders to build the most complete and accurate version of their creation story possible. There‘s a brilliant pronunciation guide, explanations of Diné oral tradition style, and lots of additional notes to better explain each part. An incredible and deeply important work.

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LibrarianRyan
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#10booksthatchangedme Day 10

Last one. In college everyone had to take myth and culture. Most people hated this one professor. He smelled and was very strange and eccentric and was one of the best professors EVER. While all the other classes were studying Roman and Greek myth, our class was studying the myth of our selves. The myths of America. We had to recite falling leave, learn the history of baseball (& to this day o still know most the 👇ðŸ»

LibrarianRyan Lyrics to Take me out to the ball park (most everyone only knows the chorus). We had to learn Us symbolism found on building and money and explore our own dreams). It was amazing. One of the things we had to read was part one of this book. It's not an easy read with the various Navajos words that look similar but once you have it down you are sucked in. I read the entire thing. Couldn't put it down. One of the most amazing creation stories EVER! 6y
LibrarianRyan Ps. The professor smelled because he ate garlic like an apple, lived in a tent off the grid, rarely showered and only wore shoes when he had to. He told us all this on the first day of class. It was his reasons to "Drop this class". I thought a lot of people did. We were in a room that seats 30 with 90 students, but after day 1 there was only 15 of us. The best part was Finals day. About 45+ people showed up to take the final. Oh boy did they?? 6y
LibrarianRyan Fail. The test was filling in words to random stanzas from Ball park, finishing the poem, drawing and accurate picture of the back of a $1 bill with its meaning, and what the different Navajos words from the creation story represented. When he handed out the test he announced that if you had been in class you passed and the test was just for GPA points, and if you had not been in class good luck, be prepared to fail. It was AWESOME. 6y
See All 10 Comments
ladym30 That is amazing! 6y
wanderinglynn That professor sounds like a person I‘d love to sit down & talk to! And what an interesting class. ðŸ‘🻠6y
LibrarianRyan @wanderinglynn he still teaches there. As I said you smell him coming. He has a particular seat he loves in the library and a student worker is required to febreeze that seat every day. 6y
wanderinglynn 😂😂😂 That‘s even more awesome! If I were only independently wealthy, I‘d just go take all these amazing classes taught by these interesting people. 6y
TheBookgeekFrau I would have LOVED that class! 6y
Leftcoastzen Wow ,what an amazing story! Would love to have taken that class.Sounds like there is a good reason to sit by the window or in the back of the class. 6y
WritethebookAnniemae Super 😎 6y
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