Church Vestments

The Symbols of the GSM Vestments:
A Reflection of Dine' History

The vestments for Church of the Good Shepherd have been designed to honor Dine' traditions and creation stories. The symbols and decorations on these vestments all have a special Dine' meaning. Below is a history of the Dine' edited by Rachelle Brown which provides insight and context for why these symbols were chosen.

The Dine' (Navajo) are the children of Changing Woman. As Dine', we are the largest American Indian nation in North America, with an estimated population of 300,000. Our reservation extends toward the Four Corners area where Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado meet. Navajo Country - "Dine' Bikeyah" - lies within our Four Sacred Mountains:

Sis Naajini - Blanca Peak (east, in Colorado)
Tsoodzil - Mount Taylor (south, in New Mexico)
Dook'o'oosliid - San Francisco Peaks (west, in Arizona)
Dibe Nitsaa - Hesperus Peak (north, in Colorado)

These mountains are considered sacred to our people.

Our creation stories and teachings seek the way we keep our spirit, soul, mind and body pure and clean. For us as Dine' to live this way, we have to be truthful, honest and give attention to ourselves. By doing so, we watch for our way of life through our stories, nature and the Holy People, our divinities who provide a good path for us and our generation.

Creation
As Dine', we believe that there is a beginning for all creation living by air, water and light upon our Mother Earth. Our divinities help keep us in order, harmony and good faith. Our creation takes the form of male and female; this is taught through stories. These teachings, discipline and knowledge are male and female and this is said to be how life is controlled.

We as Dine' represent a living culture; this means we have our own language, our own place in this creation. Our extended family is recognized through our clanship, names and teachings. An important source of our identity is our way of worship: we are gifted through prayers, songs, ceremonies, sacred materials and a sacred bundle. These help us understand our existence and appreciate how beautiful all creation is in our lives. These are given to us by the Holy People so that we can carry on and understand the sacredness of life and the natural order of this beautiful creation that surrounds us. They are also given to heal us and maintain us in peace and harmony through difficult times.

The Dine' sacred stories also show us integrity, courage, faith, hope, optimism, initiative, kindness, generosity, tolerance, good common sense and spiritual sensibility. It does not matter who you are as a person; the discipline of these stories can help you become what you want to be as a person.

The Four Worlds
We also believe we emerge from four worlds. First World is the Black World; this is where the spirits come from. It was a place of no existence. When the Holy People created it and gave it its name, it was also given the four directions of life: the east, south, west and north. It was a place where the Holy People spoke the language in light, water, air and pollen.

In the Second World, known as the Blue World, everything was blue. This was where our feathered beings lived, the various animals and birds that existed among the spirits. The beings in this world did not follow the natural laws so it was destroyed by wind and ice.

The Third World - the Yellow World - was orange in color and in this world, two beings lived. Two large rivers that still exist crossed each other from east to west and north to south. At this time, there were six sacred mountains. The separation of the sexes occurred in this world but it was destroyed by a great flood. Before this happened, the four sacred trees were created: pine, spruce, juniper and pinyon.

Then there was the White World; this is where the story of our emergence takes place. The Holy People came from the lower worlds. Talking God, one of our Holy People, came into this place and instructed First Man to build the first male and female hogans. The people were taught how to live within this world, where the sacred mountains were re-made and placed in their proper locations. Each mountain was also given a guardian which dwelled within. The sun, moon and stars were also placed in this world and the months were created. But this world was destroyed by a poison air.

The white vestment above features the Four Sacred Mountains, indicated in their four sacred colors (white = north, blue = east, gold = south, black = west), under a Rainbow Yei symbol.

Corn is an important source of nourishment - the source of life. In this design, the ceremonial basket which crosses the corn stalk on the front of the vestment contains both male and female corn, the combined sources of life. The back of the vestment (below) shows the mature cornstalks.

Sheep have always been at the center of the Dine' way of life. The Lamb of God symbol on the front of the vestment is also found at the center of the nine-foot cross which hangs over the altar in the Church of the Good Shepherd.

The eight-sided hogan depicted with the sheep on the back of the vestment (below) is the "female" hogan, the style of the traditional Dine' home. It is still used for ceremonies as well.

Sacred Stones
We have sacred minerals. White Shell is put in the east, where sacred mountain Blanca Peak sits; this controls our feelings and thinking.

Turquoise represents the south and is located at that sacred mountain, Mt. Taylor; it is the place from which we do our planning and acquire knowledge.

Abalone Shell represents yellow, the west direction, and the sacred San Francisco Peaks; it guides the direction of our growth and life unity.

Black Jet, the north direction, encompasses our awareness and protection. Hesperus Peak is the Folding Darkness mountain where two holy beings live - Folding Darkness boy and girl - with the Pollen People. They represent power and energy to help you sleep and rest.

The eagle that can fly to great heights symbolizes the earth's connection to God, just as the flames of the Holy Spirit maintain the Church's divine connection. Eagle feathers and flames come together in a compelling design on this red vestment (above).

Feather Beings & Healing Plants
As feather beings come into our story, they also represent many beliefs. We use these beings to control our mind and body. That is why various birds were created: they are used for ceremonial ways.

The Eagle was created to help the Dine' with healing and guidance; their plumes and feathers represent faith, hope, courage and strength. It is said that when one makes a journey in life, a plume is prepared for them. It is a shield as the person follows the Corn Pollen way of life. The eagle feather is also called our "Sacred Talking Prayer Feather". It was once put into a shoe or moccasin for swiftness and protection, to guide a person along their path in life. The soft, sacred part of the eagle plume is used for healing in different ceremonies, used in a certain manner to fix a way for a person to care for his/her family in a social way of living.

The herbs and plants of the Dine' have their own philosophy. We as humans grow and digest like a plant; we take in water at birth and sing songs of water. When we take a plant, we use it for healing. It is a medicine that has prayers, songs and stories which have powers to heal us.