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25 Understanding Hózhó ˛ to Achieve Critical Consciousness A Contemporary Diné Interpretation of the Philosophical Principles of Hózhó ˛ Vincent Werito Kodóó Hózhó ˛ Dooleeł: It Begins in Beauty, Harmony, and Peace I awoke to the sweet smell of burning cedar and juniper in the stove, the sound of light footsteps shuffling around in the house, and the whispered voices of my mother and father telling my brothers and me to wake up. Then, I felt a warm strong hand on my shoulder and heard the voice of my father say to me “Nidiidaah shiyázhí, t’í ˛’ tł’óógo ch’ídiikah” (Get up my little one, let’s go outside). Slowly I raised my head and started to get up. I felt the cold, brisk morning air in the house as the signs of early light came through the window and the open door. As I put on my shoes, I saw my younger brother still moving around in his golchó ˛ó ˛n (quilt blanket) and my older brothers rolling up their yaat’eeł (sheepskin bedding). With great effort, my younger brother and I followed suit. Then slowly we filed out behind our mother and father as we walked out to the front of the house toward the early dawn light, with the sound of birds chirping in the distance. As we stood there behind our parents, they began their prayers. I listened intently as they both started praying “Kodóó hózhó ˛’dooleeł” (“It begins in beauty”). Nánitł’ah dóó biyáhoyee’nidii hózhó ˛ó ˛go naashaa dooleeł diiní means “although it is hard and difficult to aspire to it we want to live our lives in beauty/harmony.” In my childhood, I had heard my parents and other elders make this statement on many different occasions. As I grow older, 26 • Frameworks of Understanding I now realize that they were referring to the idea of living according to the Diné philosophy of Sa’a ˛h Naagháí Bik’eh Hózhó ˛ó ˛n (SNBH), or the lifelong journey of striving to live a long and harmonious life.1 So what does that really mean in our contemporary lives as Diné peoples? SNBH is a hard concept to understand on a personal level because there are some challenges to understanding what each part of the phrase means, such as the concept of hózhó ˛. Oftentimes, for many young people today it is easier and more convenient not to have to think about it, especially now in the contemporary contexts when other things such as the popular media and technology seem to pervade our psyches. For purposes of this chapter, I will discuss what I believe constitutes Diné critical theory and thought by explaining my interpretation of the concept of hózhó ˛ and making some connections to key philosophical aspects of Diné philosophy. Furthermore, I offer these ideas as a way to begin a critical dialogue about consciousness raising, community revitalization, and decolonization by discussing and referring back to the principles of hózhó ˛. For Diné peoples or Ni’hookáá’ Diyiin Dine’é—the five-fingered Earthsurface spiritual beings—SNBH is who we are; it is part of our thought processes and everyday lives. SNBH is what we strive for, hope for, and pray for, because we believe that its essence and meaning lie at the base of our language and cultural identity and traditional cultural knowledge and teachings. Also, SNBH is an intangible idea that is often evoked and referred to in many aspects of our lives, especially in the ceremonial and personal contexts. Thus, as a Diné, whether I am at home, in school, driving on a road, lying awake at night, sitting in a prayer meeting, or out in the early dawn praying, I have to remind myself and think of how I want to live my life in a better and more harmonious and peaceful way. Hózhó ˛ has been defined and discussed by linguists and anthropologists who have studied Navajos as meaning “in a state of harmony and peace and/or a positive ideal environment.”2 As formulated here, this is already quite a complex idea. However, as a Diné, it means a lot of other things to me as well. For example, my understanding of hózhó ˛ is that it is a part of all traditional Navajo ceremonies and cultural teachings because of its emphasis on harmonious outcomes in most every situation. For example , many Diné prayers start with “kodóó hózhó ˛ dooleeł” (“it begins with beauty”) and...

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