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A lady warrior
“Yá’át’ééh. I am called Marian Newman. I am Bitterwater clan, born for Sleeping Rock. My maternal grandfather is Salt. My paternal grandfather’s clan is Towering House.”
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For the Navajo people, introducing yourself means more than just sharing your name. It’s about sharing where and how you belong—your kinship or K’é. In this matrilineal society, you do so by sharing your four clans, beginning with your mother’s.
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Perhaps this traditional greeting was among the first words Marian heard. She was born in 1933, in Naschitti, N.M., at the base of the Chuska Mountains. It was lambing season, and her pregnant mother had taken the lambs out before it got hot. “Pain came, and I came,” says Marian. “Mother caught me with her skirt. Aunt came and cut the cord.” Marian’s given name is Has-tsa’-hazbaa’, which translates to “sudden birth of a lady warrior.” The government assigned her the name Marian Henry—and a birthday of May 14, based on the season she was born.
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Marian has known her whole life how she fits in, but for her, belonging isn’t only about her clans. It’s about her kinship with Jesus.
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1) Marian and her mother tending to their herd at Black Springs in the Chuska Mountains, N.M., in the summer of 1984. 2) Marian and her granddaughter (also Marian) tending to a spring lamb in Naschitti, N.M., in April 2001.
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Spring is the season of the year when new life is blossoming. The cold of winter fades away, spring rains water the earth, and flowers burst forth. It’s also when Easter celebrations fill our churches and hearts, as we remember that our Redeemer lives. New life in Christ is . . .
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The year was 2007. I had just completed my 18th year as president of one of our synod’s ministerial preparatory schools. I had the privilege of being part of the training of hundreds of young people who would serve as pastors, teachers, staff ministers, and . . .
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Praise Martin Luther? No, praise the Lord! Praise the Lord for what he accomplished through reformers like Martin Luther. In our praise to the Lord, it is common and appropriate to focus attention on Luther during the month of October. After all, Luther’s . . .
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