bitsiighaʼ
The Navajo word for brain is bitsiighaʼ.
The word bitsiighaʼ refers to the brain as an organ.
Meaning: organ (noun)
Did you know?
- Navajo is an Athabaskan language, meaning its word for brain bitsiighaʼ shares distant ancestral roots with languages spoken in Alaska and Canada.
- Traditional Navajo medicine sometimes views the 'mind' as an equilibrium of the whole body rather than a product of the bitsiighaʼ alone.
- In Navajo culture, the concept of a 'brain' or 'intellect' is often inseparable from the idea of 'thinking' or 'mind' because the language does not always distinguish between the physical organ and the seat of consciousness.
Example conversation
Michelle and Kyle are studying biology together.
- MichelleKyle, bitsiighaʼ bee ádaatʼééh.Kyle, the brain controls everything.
- KyleÁá', bitsiighaʼ tʼáá áéí tʼáá áłtį́́́ʼ.Yes, the brain is very complex.
- MichelleNiʼdił hólǫ́́́ʼ bitsiighaʼ łóóh.It is hard to study the brain.
- KyleHaaʼaah, tʼáá ákoodaa bitsʼą́ą́ʼ.True, it is inside the head.
