Organization of the Cosmos

For the Navajo, most aspects of the natural world are divided into male and female beings; underlying this conceptual division is the idea that only through pairing can an entity be complete (Griffin-Pierce 1992a:14). Understanding this concept is essential for appreciating the symbolism behind the string games Male Arrowhead and Female Arrowhead. Griffin-Pierce explains the concept:

What Anglos call the pairing of opposites Navajos conceptualize as the halves of a whole, with each half necessary for completeness (Griffin-Pierce 1992a:66). While the Navajos divide nearly all natural phenomena into male and female complementary pairs, the idealized reality is the balance or still point between the two extremes (Griffin-Pierce 1992a:189). That which is male (bik2') also carries the connotation of coarser, rougher, and more violent, while that which is female (ba'11d) is considered to be finer, weaker, and gentler. The concept of maleness also includes potency, mobility, bigness, energy, and dominance, while femaleness conveys generative capacity, passive power, endurance, smallness, and compliance. Again, it is essential to remember that neither is preferable or morally superior to the other, but that both are necessary for completion, wholeness, and balance (Griffin-Pierce 1992a:54).

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