Browse by Title: S

Seattle, Washington

The largest city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the greater region of the Pacific Northwest. The Seattle area was inhabited by Native peoples for thousands of…

Second Mesa, Arizona

Also known as Mishongnovi, this Hopi village shares a name with the mesa it is located on. Second Mesa is the middle of the three peninsular mesas located on the Hopi…

secret societies

Every Southwestern Pueblo society has slightly different ceremonial practices, yet each Pueblo maintains a variety of priesthoods that perform ceremonies in kivas and…

Section 17, New Mexico

At the uranium mine in Church Rock, NM, Section 17 was a site where large reserves of uranium deposits were discovered in the late 1950s. The area was mined heavily in…

sedan

A four-door car design with three separate interior compartments: one for the engine, one for the passengers, and one for the cargo. The origin of the term is not…

seep

A seep, also known as a gravity spring, is an area where water slowly oozes from the ground and collects. A seep is created when the water table intersects with a…

seismograph

Seismograph is an older term for what today is referred to as a seismometer. Seismometers are instruments used to measure waves and movement within the earth’s surface…

seizure

A seizure occurs when there is a sudden overabundance or absence of signaling to the brain. The outward signs of seizures are erratic behavior, convulsions, vomiting,…

Seklagaidesi, Arizona

Also known as Seklagidsa or Tselagideza Canyon, located in the western slopes of the Carrizo Mountains in Apache County, Arizona. There is also a canyon by the same…

semi-automatic pistol

A pistol that uses the force of the recoil to reload and re-position the hammer gun after each shot. Only one bullet is released per shot, meaning that the trigger…

semi-detached

The term describes a built structure that, rather than standing alone, is attached to another building. In residential homes, for example, a semi-detached garage is…

semi-trailer rig

A large transport truck that consists of a tractor unit in the front onto which one or more wheeled freight trailers can be hitched. These trucks are called semi-…

Seoul, South Korea

The capital city of South Korea located along the Han River in the north of the country near the North Korean border. During the Korean War, the city was controlled at…

sergeant

In the United States police force, the term refers to a police officer ranking below captain or lieutenant.

seventh grade

After World War Two, the seventh grade was the first of two grades in what for many public school students in the United States was known as "junior high." Later, as…

Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, actor, and poet who is the author of some of the world’s most famous plays. He was born in 1564 in Stratford-Upon-Avon in…

Shalako

In the tradition of the Zuni people of the American Southwest, Shalako refers both an annual winter solstice ceremony, as well as to spirit deities perceived as giant,…

Shalako Messenger Birds

In Tony Hillerman's 1972 retelling of the Zuni myth THE BOY WHO MADE DRAGONFLY, he makes reference to the Shalako Messenger Birds. In the tradition of the Zuni people…

shale

A fine-grained sedimentary rock formed out of mud, clay, silt, and other small minerals. In large quantities, for example on a mountain side, shale has the appearance…

shaman

A term used as a general reference to an indigenous community's spiritual leader or traditional healer. Such a person has the skills and knowledge to perform rituals,…

sheep

Sheep are hoofed mammals, classified as ovis aries. They are usually domesticated and kept as livestock by various cultures throughout the world. Sheep are raised for…

sheep camp

A seasonal camp, often located in the mountains, where sheep can graze. These camps can be occupied either during summer or year round.

sheepherder

A sheepherder protects and manages a group of sheep, especially during open grazing. In the 1500s, sheep were first brought by the Spanish to what later became known…

sheepskin

Also called shearling, a sheep's cured hide with the wool still attached.

sheriff

An elected police official who is in charge of enforcing the law in a county or town of the U.S.