Tó Neinilii

Tó Neinilii[1] (sometimes misspelled as Tonenili) is the rain god of the Navajo people of Arizona and New Mexico. A deity given to having fun and playing tricks, Tó Neinilii carries a water pot. In the tribal dances he is represented by a masked man who enacts the part of a clown. In the myths, too, he is the fool who dances about in order to show that he is pleased with what is happening.[2]

Tó Neinilii was very mischievous and liked nothing better than a good downpour at the wrong moment. Fortunately his tricks never harm anyone. It was Tó Neinilii that saved the first Navajo from the water monster Tééhoołtsódii.

References

  1. ↑ Young, Robert W & William Morgan, Sr. The Navajo Language. A Grammar and Colloquial Dictionary. University of New Mexico Press. Albuquerque, NM: 1987.
  2. ↑ Oxford Dictionary of World Mythology: Tonenili; http://www.enotes.com/wm-encyclopedia/tonenili


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