Navajo Nation workers help elders prepare for journey to Creator

Tuesday, January 25, 2011  

Death is a taboo topic in Navajo culture but workers from the Navajo Nation have found a way to help elders on their life's journey.

It starts with a poem. In English, it reads: "When that time comes, when my last breath leaves me, I choose to die in peace to meet Shi’ dy’ in" -- Shi’ dy’ in is the Navajo word for the Creator.

"Our elders tell us they want to die with dignity — the way they lived," Timothy Domer, the former director of the tribe's home-based care program, told The New York Times.

Mitzi Begay and Gina Nez use the poem on their visits to elders across the reservation. They are able to start a discussion about issues like wills, do-not-resuscitate orders and other aspects of end-of-life planning.

“Traditionally, it’s our belief to always have a positive attitude,” Begay, 76, told the paper.

Get the Story:
With Poem, Broaching the Topic of Death (The New York Times 1/25)