Hataałii call for ceremonies after Utah tornado
Courtesy | Navajo Police Department
A tornado touches down northeast of Montezuma Creek, Utah, on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, at 1:37 p.m., sending a column of wind and dust across the desert landscape.
CANYON POINT, Utah
In the wake of the tornado that struck southeastern Utah, the Diné Hataałii Association Inc. issued a statement calling the storm both a tragedy and a warning, urging Diné to turn back to traditional teachings.
“The recent tornado visit in southeast Utah is indeed tragic,” said Hataałii Avery Denny, the president of the Diné Hataałii Association. “In our traditional understanding per oral teachings, it is a warning that we receive from our deities about the state of our people and Nation. Though it is mostly due to drifting from our traditional beliefs, culture, and values, it is not too late.”
The group, which represents medicine men, herbalists, diagnosticians, counselors and educators, said Diné oral tradition provides guidance for addressing such events.
“As we are still able to before the new crescent of Ghąąjį’, Earth offerings have to be made,” Denny explained. “The offering of sacred minerals to our mother Earth and divine nature assures their continued protection. This is where our traditional chanters with sacred medicine bundles can help our people.”
Denny added that offerings should also be made along the tornado’s path, noting that Wind Way chanters have a role in that process. “The powerful deities, like the tornado, understand that they have their paths inasmuch that we have our paths,” Denny said. “We as five-fingered earth surface people must stay on our path and continue to educate our people about abiding by our Fundamental Laws.”
The Diné Hataałii Association also called for helping residents affected by the storm through ceremonial cleansing. “The wind way chanters have ceremonies and herbs on how to help people that are affected by the tornado winds,” Denny said.
The Diné Hataałii Association emphasized that the time now is not for blame or fear, but for corrective action. “It is clear per our oral traditions why these mishaps will start to occur. It is time to carry out corrective action ceremonies. Now is not the time for placing fear in people, pointing fingers on why it happened nor is it the time to begin a swarm of diagnosis ceremonies,” Denny added.
Denny called on chanters, herbalists, diagnosticians, counselors and educators “to help in this initiative.”
Hataałii Anthony Lee’s deeper message
Hataałii Anthony Lee Sr. from Lukachukai, Arizona, and a professor emeritus, said the níyoltsoh must also be understood within the larger framework of Diné cosmology and the Holy Wind.
“Níyoltsoh stepped onto Navajo land and the Holy Wind People,” Lee said. “Níłch’i Diyin Dine’é has an important underlying message for all of us to restore Earth’s offerings to the winds of change to bring about prosperity and posterity in the context of abundant rainfall and snowfall to replenish our planting fields and to bring about a healthy lifeline to our body, mind, and soul existence.”
Lee explained that the existence of the Holy Wind – níłch’i nihxiyi’ sizíní – is a life force present in daily experiences and is central to overcoming adversity. “It’s about a life force, the animating principle, in other words, the empowering principle for nation building,” he said
He added that the message extends beyond the tornado itself. “Yeah, these are important messages. It’s not only about the tornado, but it also encompasses a lot of issues on Navajo land: the recent forest fires and that sort of thing,” Lee said
For both Denny and Lee, the níyoltsoh served as a reminder that ceremonies, offerings and education are necessary not only to respond to disaster but to restore balance between the Diné, the land and the deities that guide them.
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