The Navajo tribe views the eclipse as a taboo, seeing the sun as a father figure and an eclipse as its death, according to the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville.
While many eagerly anticipate the April 8 eclipse, for some members of the Navajo tribe, the event is a solemn occasion. The Navajo tribe views the eclipse as a taboo, seeing the sun as a father figure and an eclipse as its death, according to the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville, Arkansas.Alaynna Littlefeather, a member of the Navajo tribe and a representative of the museum, explains the cultural significance of the eclipse.
'He is, you know, the reason that we have harvesting, crops, and so when that moment happens, and he is suddenly eclipsed by something else, we are kind of going into a phase where we are acknowledging his passing, and we are supposed to be extremely dormant during these times and periods,' Littlefeather said. Following the eclipse, Navajo tribe members ingest corn pollen, a ritual Littlefeather describes as a way to reconnect them to a path of beauty.
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