N avajo Morals and Myths, Ethics and Ethicists

Over a century ago a W estern observer recognized an effective morality among N avajo I ndians in the A merican S outhwest, yet could not locate its expression, except in mythology recounting contradictory behaviors. Through the 1900s scholars delineated contours of N avajo moral values, myths, and taxonomies upon which moral traditions were based, and situations in which N avajos have engaged in ethical decision‐making. Recently individual N avajos have manifested their role as ethical agents, not merely as recipients of moral lore. A contemporary N avajo storyteller, S unny D ooley, enunciates narrative ethical judgments, grounded in traditional N avajo mythology and its religious milieu, as she addresses the present conditions of her people. Thus she probes the contradictions that are inherent to life. Her stories testify to the insoluble conflicts within the human condition, ultimate and immediate conundrums that must be faced, even though they surely will not be resolved.