Witch (Navajo)
There are a number of traditions and beliefs in Navajo culture relating to practices which are referred to as "witchcraft" in English. In the Navajo language, they are each referred to distinctly, and are regarded as separate, albeit related, phenomena.
The practices lumped together in the category 'witchcraft' are very similar, at least in their externals, to the rituals practiced on the 'good side' of Navajo tradition, the ceremonials or 'sings'. The difference, however, is that while the good sings are to heal or bring luck, the bad ones are intended to hurt and curse. Similarly, all kinds of witches are associated with transgression of taboos and societal standards, especially those relating to family and the dead.
Types of witches
Witchery Way: ’áńt’įįzhį
This is the most common type of witchcraft, centering on the Witchery or Corpse-poison Way—’áńt’įįzhį. The Witchery Way is recorded in the Emergence Story as having been invented by First Man and First Woman, so it goes back to the dawn of the human race. Practitioners of Witchery Way are called ’ánt’įįhnii, "witch people".
