The Navajo call themselves the Diné, which means “the People.” The sovereign Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United States with over 375,000 members. For centuries, the Diné have kept their traditional stories alive through oral tradition. These stories hold religious significance and “should be respected in the same ways that people respect Bible stories” (Reese, Debbie & Mendoza, Jean. “Tips for Teachers: Developing Instructional Materials about American Indians.” American Indians in Children’s Literature, 1 Oct. 2020). Brian Young draws from his people’s stories in Healer of the Water Monster, and he underlines the spiritual importance of these texts: “The culture and Holy Beings depicted belong to a nation of people. [....] I hope that I have done enough to demonstrate that I both cherish and revere the Holy Beings and the stories from which they originate” (356). Young strives to celebrate and respect his people’s traditional beliefs and stories through his novel.

In particular, Healer of the Water Monster takes inspiration from the Navajo creation story, also known as the Emergence Story. Because the Diné pass on their culture from one generation to the next through oral tradition, there is not a single, definitive version of the Emergence Story.