Sketch of a Navajo sand painting depicting the sky spirits.
Ahsonnutli
Ahsonnutli was the sky father and chief deity of the Navajo Indians. He
created heaven, Earth, and the sky. Each of the four cardinal directions
was supported by a giant. Each direction was also associated with a
different color: white for the east, blue for the south,
yellow for the west, and black for the north.
Moreover, the Navajo Indians
believed that from each cardinal point originates a distinct wind which
brings the clouds, generated by the movement of the wings of a white swan
located in each corner.
Navajo use colorful and symmetrical painting in the sand as a representation
of the position of planets and stars. These sand paintings are used to attract a
particular healing power on a sick person or to suggest moral behavior.
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