CYCLES
I am what comes round again and
again
what can never die
I renew
myself in the seasons
in the cycle of time
the great round
I bleed yet do not die
I keep my blood within and
become wise
I dance the spiral
and keep changing
Changing Woman, or Estsanatlehi
(self‑renewing one)‑as she is called by the Navajo and
Apache‑can change her age merely by walking into the horizon. White Shell
Woman and Turquoise Woman are among her many names, which correspond to the
changing colors of her dress as the seasons change. The Navajo say that she was
found by Coyote, after being born of Darkness and Dawn on Spruce Mountain, with
a blanket of clouds and rainbows, secured in her cradleboard by lightning and
sunbeams. Her gifts to the people are the Blessingway ceremonies, the
seasons, and food
