How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
The four directions were very important in Navajo belief. East […] was where life began, the sunrise. South… was where you got warmth. West […] had to do with the way you spent your day, what was ahead and behind, and also where the sun was carried away at sunset. North […] was where everything was put to rest. (6.17)
Now we know what East, West, North and South really mean. More importantly, we know why the Navajo place so much emphasis on these four directions.
Quote #5
I loved spending days with the sheep and goats, but I also looked forward to the social gatherings. There, stories I knew and loved were told for the hundredth time. (6.32)
Storytelling is a big part of Chester's Navajo life as a young boy on the Checkerboard. Chester's love of storytelling as a kid foreshadows his own storytelling as an adult and a proud Marine veteran. As a child he listens to stories, as an old man he tells his own stories.
Quote #6
The men sang traditional songs, celebrating our relationship to the four compass directions. Coolidge and I joined in on the songs we knew, but on many we just listened to the men. (7.12)
By listening to the older family men singing in the sweathouse, we see Chester and Coolidge, his brother, learning from their elders. It's a scene that shows us traditions and customs being passed down from one generation to the next.