S.E. RUCKMAN: Chi Dlo Dil - The Laughing Party

When a baby comes into this world, they are on loan, floating somewhere in between the spirit world and the solid world. Then comes the pivotal moment when they laugh. Some might call it an intrinsic human behavior because we’re all subject to human emotions like crying or laughing at some point.

But some (specifically the Navajo) believe that when a baby laughs, then the gods have decided the baby will let go of the spirit world that he still has ties to. I am told that the laugh inducer will play a big role in the child’s life and influence their behavior. Not only that, but the one who makes the baby laugh foots the bill for a feast. Therefore, the Chi Dlo Dil  is planned.

I thought about this as I rode around ten hours from Oklahoma to the Four Corners area for my first laughing party. Making a baby laugh is probably not that complicated of a thing. After all, everything is new to them  And no doubt that even some of our most serious faces can pull a laugh from a baby who is ready to chuckle.

Humor is a prized trait with Indians and some of the funniest people I know are found at pow-wows or tribal complexes rather than stand-up comedy clubs. Many a tight or tense situation has been curtailed because someone offered up a well-timed joke. I’ve heard people say that Indians have their own brand of humor. That’s true but enjoying Life is also part of it.

Days before the party for my niece’s baby, I was talking to a Navajo woman who said her son was determined to get his niece to laugh. In fact, he worked hard at it, trying to get her to giggle. No such luck. Instead, the baby’s grandfather succeeded with hardly any effort. Which just goes to show you that a baby’s first laugh seems to be out of human hands.

She also told me that when a baby laughs, their whole body responds. The reflexive action opens up the baby’s heart, head and lungs, she said. The baby is not only laughing but becoming a fully functioning human being. Makes perfect sense to me.

It was a fair and mild May day when we loaded up soda and foodstuffs and went to our little relative’s laughing party. Clouds puffed by as we crossed the cattle guard signaling that we had entered into the Navajo Reservation.

We arrived at the Navajo relatives’ homeplace where racks of meat were already sizzling. Inside the home were super-sized bowls of roasted corn, salads, oven bread, fry bread and fruit. The house was full of relatives from elders to infants. And I was assured that I was about to feast liberally when the moment arrived.

A search engine told me other things about the laughing party. They basically mark a baby’s first laugh. So I sat down with my Navajo relatives and asked them to tell me more. Once a medicine man is secured, a family gathering is planned. The one who makes the baby laugh plays a central part.

Inside the family hogan, prayers are said. Then salt if given out to attendees. In essence, it is a sign of goodwill that the receiver will likewise get a special blessing as well as the laughing infant. Salt takers immediately put the spice in their mouth. And this is no ordinary salt, I hear. It is naturally made salt and is referred to as “Indian salt.”

A medicine man blesses the baby and it is asked that the wee one will have a good life with ease in getting Life’s necessities. I like this kind of blessing (especially in challenging economic times). The Navajo are the most practical people. They enjoy a windfall like everyone else but they also remember the nuts and bolts.

Soon the food was served and a blessing offered. Our dinner table burst with food and folks. As Oklahoma attendees who traveled a bit, we were asked into the food line as special guests. We sat outside at tables and began to get to some serious eating. The only thing I will offer is that the fry bread was transcendent.

For anyone who has not been to the Navajo Reservation, it is hard to articulate. Sure, it looks like a barren place lined with both symbolic and literal pot holes. But there is also something about sitting out amongst arroyos and canyons with a light cool breeze breathing by with a full plate of good food in the company of relatives. I was keenly aware of how any time element seemed to evacuate.

After awhile, we were called back into the hogan for the end part of the ceremony. The thing I liked about this part of the laughing party was seeing the oldest attendees shuffle in cracking jokes in Navajo (thankfully we had an interpreter). One elder was dressed in her broom skirt, velveteen shirt and headscarf, bedecked in turquoise.

But this elder must have had a good laughing party of her own because her sense of humor was still sharp. We situated ourselves along the hogan’s perimeter and the baby/host sat on the west side as he was held by the one who made them laugh (in this case, the baby’s father).

The kids were called up first and they received a treat bag from the baby. As they took their bag, they were told to touch the baby in some way and tell the baby thanks for his generosity (an important Indian virtue). Then came the older kids. Next it was the adults’ turns. Soon all the treat bags were distributed.

Then in a bit of deviation from pure tradition, it was picture time. Generations lined up for shots as did other groups (Oklahoma folks got their own shot).The guest of honor slept through the whole thing. That ended my first laughing party and it was a good one.

As we drove back to town, it occurred to me that culture is paradoxically a delicate and hardy thing. It can be ignored and it will quietly die away without much fanfare. We’ll continue to live and be counted by the U.S. Census as American Indian/Alaska Natives  (AI/ANs for short). Yet, traditions can also be embraced and humor can help weave a fabric so strong it’ll withstand all Life’s seasons.



S.E. Ruckman is a citizen of the Wichita and Affiliated Tribes in Anadarko, Okla. She graduated from the University of Oklahoma’s School of Journalism and has written for the Tulsa World and the Native American Times. She is a freelance writer who is based in Oklahoma.