(him-dug)
n. Native American. O’odham ñiok language of the Tohono O’odham Nation in Arizona and northwest Mexico.
Himdag is a gift from the Creator. It describes the culture,
values, and general way of life of the Tohono O’odham people. Embracing
the individual and the communal, Himdag becomes a life-long journey nourished
by maintaining strong family relations; respecting
self, others, and nature; engaging in cultural rituals (storytelling,
music, games, crafts, ceremonies, hunting and harvesting); and celebrating
the uniqueness of the four seasons.
Through these activities, spiritual, emotional, physical and
relational health is maintained. To embrace Himdag is to walk in balance,
alone, with others, with nature, and with the Creator.
The Man in the Maze labyrinth, an archetypal symbol of the
Tohono O’odham Nation, describes not only the path to
wellness and wholeness, but identifies life as a spiritual journey
that invites one to find deeper meaning in life. That deeper meaning is Himdag.
The Himdag
t-shirt is available in maroon short sleeve, and navy long sleeve. Printed on 100% organic cotton, Fair Trade t-shirts.
Read more about Himdag on the Tohono O'odham Community Action website.
The Tohono O’odham ñiok is the second most widely-spoken Native American language in the USA. The total number of O'odham speakers is about 45 000.
The following
story of the Man in the Maze comes from Labyrinths & Mazes:
A Complete Guide to Magical Paths of the World by Jeff Saward 2003:
In the beginning there was only darkness, inhabited by Earthmaker and Buzzard.
Earthmaker rubbed dirt from his skin and held it in his hand, from which grew
the greasewood bush. With a ball of gum from this bush, Earthmaker created
the world. As Buzzard created the mountains and rivers with the passage of
his wings, the Spider People sewed the earth and the sky together.
In time Earthmaker brought about a race of people in the desert. They lived
for several generations, but they all became sinful except for one, Iitoi,
the Elder Brother. Earthmaker saw that Iitoi was true and told him that a flood
would kill all the people. The Creator placed Iitoi high on the sacred mountain
Baboquivari and let him witness the disaster. Afterwards Iitoi helped create
the Hohokam peope, from whom the Tohono O’odham descended. He helped
teach them the right way, and they lived in harmony for many years.
But in time some of the people turned on Iitoi and killed him. His spirit fled
back atop Baboquivari, where he remains to this day. From time to time Iitoi’s
spirit, in the form of a small man, cunningly sneaks into the villages and
take things from the people. Despite their attempts to catch him, the twisting
path he takes returning to his home always confuses them. Thus in the labyrinth
one can see Iitoi on the pathway and trace the mysterious and bewildering turns
he makes on the journey back to his mountain home, Baboquivari.
So runs the creation myth of the Tohono O’odham people of southern Arizona,
well known for their woven baskets decorated with a design known as the Man
in the Maze.
The maze on the baskets is the very same classical labyrinth encountered
in Europe and Asia; how and when it reached the New World remains the biggest
question of labyrinth research today.
