We stopped in Holbrook last week to visit a couple who are making some souvenirs for us. This Century Plant was in their yard. Elder Lybbert has told me about century plants all our married life but this is the first one I had seen. They only bloom once and usually live about 25 years. When they bloom the plant dies. They were quite disappointed when they had two bloom this year because they are a pretty plant and now they are dead. The natives used them for food, medicine and for making needles.
The picture below shows what they look like in bloom.
Elder Lybbert has had a fascination with the native weaving. They used woven baskets for a number of purposes but the wedding basket is the most unique. In a traditional wedding the wedding basket is still used today but not as significantly as in years gone by. Some homes have them as a decoration on the wall.
They are expensive to buy so Elder Lybbert took a picture of these at the Trading Post.
Traditional Wedding Basket
Used in religious ceremonies at traditional Navajo weddings, the woven
wedding basket has a distinct pattern of representation. The edge of the
basket, a lighter color, represents the brightening skies as dawn approaches.
The center design features four points to represent the Navajo's four sacred
mountains, and the opening into the center (which Navajos believe should never
be pointed downward) signifies an outlet for our thoughts. The bright red weave
is the hallmark of sunshine, and is a blessing for Navajo health and
spirituality. Black is for darkness, and a time to restore our bodies and
minds. The lacing of the weave around the basket's edge represent our roots and
human life. And the very center of the basket is representative of the
emergence of he Diné, the opening for the First Holy One to come into the First
World.
Elder Lybbert, Elder Smith and Sister Lybbert
We sent another Elder home to Utah and received a ranch boy from Idaho, Elder Earl. He has only been out nine months so we hope to keep him awhile.
We were unable to post our blog this past week because the internet was totally gone on the week-end. It is never very good any more but once in a while it works.
It has been a usual week with nothing spectacular happening but each day something touches us. At our Addiction Recovery class one of the men volunteered to give the opening prayer. This has happened before but they say it in Navajo. This fellow said their Navajo prayer but in English and it was a beautiful prayer. We are continually learning more about the people here.
Today we spent the afternoon in Chinle with the other missionaries and families celebrating Thanksgiving. Elder Orme, who served here and went home several months ago, came with his family which was a special treat for us.
Happy US Thanksgiving
Elder and Sister Lybbert
We sent another Elder home to Utah and received a ranch boy from Idaho, Elder Earl. He has only been out nine months so we hope to keep him awhile.
We were unable to post our blog this past week because the internet was totally gone on the week-end. It is never very good any more but once in a while it works.
It has been a usual week with nothing spectacular happening but each day something touches us. At our Addiction Recovery class one of the men volunteered to give the opening prayer. This has happened before but they say it in Navajo. This fellow said their Navajo prayer but in English and it was a beautiful prayer. We are continually learning more about the people here.
Today we spent the afternoon in Chinle with the other missionaries and families celebrating Thanksgiving. Elder Orme, who served here and went home several months ago, came with his family which was a special treat for us.
Happy US Thanksgiving
Elder and Sister Lybbert
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