Navajo tribe members sees eclipse as death of the sun [Video]

While many eagerly anticipate the April 8 eclipse, for some members of the Navajo tribe, the event is a solemn occasion. The Navajo tribe views the eclipse as a taboo, seeing the sun as a father figure and an eclipse as its death, according to the Museum of Native American History in Bentonville, Arkansas.Alaynna Littlefeather, a member of the Navajo tribe and a representative of the museum, explains the cultural significance of the eclipse. “Eclipses are looked at as taboo in our culture,” Littlefeather said. She further elaborated on the restrictions imposed by this belief. “I’m not allowed to look at any videos, photos, or really anything that has to do with the eclipse,” Littlefeather said. In Navajo culture, the eclipse is seen as a death to the sun, a figure they regard as a father. “He is, you know, the reason that we have harvesting, crops, and so when …