The
Diné (Navajo) Chess Set
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The King is called hastiin (man). He is dressed as he would
be at a traditional song and dance. He has on kélchí (moccasins)
that ties at the knee. He has on a protective bracelet called
a ketoh. A ketoh was used to protect the wrist from the backlash
of a bow as it was being used for hunting. Hastiin usually wears
plenty of jewelry, not to mention a bold looking hat. His job
has always been one of provider and protector of his family.
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The Queen is called asdzání (woman). She is dressed as she would
be at a ceremony. She has on kélchí (moccasins) and a long three-tiered
skirt with a blouse that is usually velveteen. She is wearing
her hair in a atsii’- y¬ (a tied up bun). She is also holding
her shawl, which is for protection and wears plenty of jewelry.
Asdzání stands straight and tall, and is not a Barbie doll figure.
She symbolizes strength in many ways. She holds the clans that
all Diné people adhere to for ké (family). |
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The Bishop is called hataa¬ii (medicine man). He is dressed
to work. He is wrapped inside his blanket. Hataa¬ii wears kélchí
(moccasins) and a bandana of some sort. He usually has minimal
jewelry with the possible exception of hanging turquoise earrings.
Hataa¬ii is special in the way he can communicate with the holy
beings in chants and prayers. |
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The Knight is called ¬íí (horse). The horse is a worker. He
provides transportation, recreation, and is part of the family.
¬íí are still used to herd cattle and sheep. They are hardly
ever pinned up in a fenced in area and freely roam the reservation.
When they are needed, they are found and brought home to work.
The horse was a wonderful gift from the Spanish people. |
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The
Rook is called hooghan (home). This hooghan is actually called
hooghan nímuz (a round home). It represents a female home and
is considered a sacred place where all ceremonies take place.
Prayer meetings, healing ceremonies, and initiations take place
in the hooghan. There is one door that faces toward the east
and a small hole on top where the stovepipe sticks out. There
is a corn symbol below the hooghan which is also considered
sacred. Corn is used to feed the people and the corn pollen
is used in prayers. |
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The
pawn is called dibé (sheep). They are very necessary for the
Diné who live the traditional way of life and are raised to
feed many people. Dibé is the one animal on the reservation
whose life is expendable without punishment from the holy people.
At almost every important event, they are sacrificed to feed
hundreds of people who attend. |
The
Chess Board
The
chess board is a round base used to symbolize the circular
Diné philosophy of life. The orange area represents the present
day government assigned Navajo Indian Reservation. The traditional
boundaries where the holy people created the Diné are represented
by the four sacred mountains and colors. Sisnaajiní - Blanca
Peak - East - White Tsoodzi¬ - Mt. Taylor - South - Blue Dook’o’oos¬iid
- San Francisco Peak - West - Yellow Dibé Nitsaa - Hesperus
Peak - North - Black The board was painted with sand found
on the reservation (with the exception of the black). The
board was created to serve two functions: first, to represent
the process of sandpaintings done by the hataa¬ii (medicine
man) during a ceremony; and secondly, to function as a playing
board for the game of chess. Artist Comments I’ve always enjoyed
the game of chess since my fourth grade teacher introduce
the game to my classmates and I while I attended school on
the Diné (Navajo) Reservation. I remember thinking how fun
it would be to change the pieces to represent familiar items
to myself and my fellow classmates. I’m a little late to share
it with my fourth grade classmates, but at least I have accomplished
one of the goals I set as a child.
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