nagual \na-'gwal\ or nahual \na-'wal\ In some Mesoamerican reli¬ gions, a personal guardian spirit that resides in an animal. The person who wishes to find his nagual goes to sleep in an isolated spot, and the animal that appears in a dream or that confronts him when he awakens will there¬ after be his guardian spirit. Many modern Mesoamerican Indians believe that the first creature to cross over the ashes spread before a newborn baby becomes the child’s nagual. In some areas, nagual refers to the animal into which men with magical powers can transform themselves to do evil.
Nagy \'nad y \, Imre (b. June 7, 1896, Kaposvar, Hung., Austria- Hungary—d. June 16, 1958, Budapest, Hung.) Hungarian politician. He fought in World War I, was captured by the Russians, and joined the Red Army. He lived in Moscow (1929-44), then returned to Hungary under the Soviet occupation and held several ministerial posts. An advocate for peas¬ ants’ rights, he became premier (1953-55) but was ousted for his indepen¬ dent ideas. During the Hungarian Revolution (1956), he again served as premier and sought to establish Hungary’s independence from Soviet domination. He made an unsuccessful appeal to the West for help against the invading Soviet troops, and he was arrested, tried, and executed.
Nagy, Laszlo Moholy- See Laszlo Moholy-Nagy
Nahanni \na-'ha-ne\ National Park National park, southwestern Northwest Territories, Canada. Established in 1972, it occupies an area of 1,177,700 acres (476,968 hectares). Its central feature is the South Nah¬ anni River, a tributary of the Lard River; it flows southeast from the Mack¬ enzie Mountains and is 350 mi (563 km) long. The park also contains three large canyons and a variety of birds, wildlife, and flowers.
Nahdah Vna-hs-doX, Hizb al- Arabic "Renaissance Party"
Tunisian political party founded in 1981 by Rachid al-GHANNOUCHi and Abdelfattah Mourou (‘Abd al-Fattah Muru) as the Islamic Tendency Movement. Its platform called for a fairer distribution of economic resources, the establishment of multiparty democracy, and the injection of more religiosity in daily life; it claims to seek these goals through non¬ violent means. After 1984 the party was reorganized to operate clandes¬ tinely as well as publicly; it took its current name in 1988. Though the government of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali has treated party members less harshly than did that of Habib Bourguiba, it remains illegal.
Nahua \'na-wo\ Indian population of Mexico and Central America, of whom the Aztec are the best known. Modern-day Nahua are agricultural, practicing shifting cultivation and working both common and private land. They are skilled weavers, using fibres of the maguey plant, wool, and cot¬ ton. Nahua parents and godparents have strong ties in a Active kin rela¬ tionship. Though they profess Roman Catholicism, the Nahua believe in witchcraft and recognize a variety of supernatural beings. See also Nahuatl LANGUAGE.
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nahual ► Nakhon Si Thammarat I 1323
nahual See nagual
Nahuatl \'na-,wa-t 3 l\ language Uto-Aztecan ianguage of Mexico, which continues to be spoken by more than a million modern Mexicans in various markedly divergent dialects. Nahuatl was the language of per¬ haps the majority of the inhabitants of pre-Conquest central Mexico, including Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), the capital of the Aztec empire. Soon after the Conquest in the 1520s, Nahuatl began to be written in a Spanish-based orthography, and an abundance of documents survive from the colonial period, including annals, municipal records, poetry, formal addresses, and The History of the Things of New Spain, a remarkable compendium of Nahua culture compiled by Indian informants under the direction of the Franciscan friar Bernardino de Sahagun (1499-1590).
Nahuel Huapi yna-'wel-wa-'peV Lake Lake, in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, southwestern Argentina, near the Chilean border. The largest lake in Argentina’s lake district, it has an area of about 215 sq mi (560 sq km) and a depth of nearly 1,500 ft (460 m). It is dotted with islands, including Victoria Island, the site of a forestry research station. The lake region was designated the Nahuel Huapi National Park in 1934.
Nahuel Huapi National Park National park, southwestern Argen¬ tina. Originating as a reserve in 1903 with a large donation of private land, it became Argentina’s first national park in 1934. The park and adjacent nature reserve now cover about 2,740 sq mi (7,100 sq km) and include dense forests, rivers, glaciers, and snow-clad peaks, including El Trona- dor (“The Thunderer”), Mount Catedral, and Lake Nahuel Huapi.
Nahum \'na-(h)3m\ (fl. late 7th century bc) One of the 12 Minor Proph¬ ets in the Bible, traditional author of the book of Nahum. (His prophecy is part of a larger book, The Twelve, in the Jewish canon.) The prophet Nahum is identified only as a resident of Elkosh. His subject is the col¬ lapse of the Assyrian empire and the fall of its capital, Nineveh (612 bc), which he views as a demonstration of God’s desire to punish the wick¬ edness of the Assyrians, Israel’s longtime enemies.
Nahyan \,na-h3-'yan\ dynasty or Al Nahyan ("Nahyan fam-
ily") Ruling family of the emirate of Abu Dhabi, a constituent part of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The family were originally Bedouin of the Banu Yas confederation of Arabia from around the oases of Liwa 5 . The first emir arrived in the late 1770s and established a commercial port on the island. The current emir, Sheikh Zayid ibn Sultan Al Nahyan, is also president of the UAE.
nail In construction and carpentry, a slender metal shaft, pointed at one end and flattened at the other end, used as a fastener. Most often used to join pieces of wood, nails are also used with plastic, drywall, masonry, and concrete. They are usually made of steel but can also be made of stainless steel, iron, copper, aluminum, or bronze. The pointed end is called the point, the shaft is called the shank, and the flattened part is called the head.
nail Structure made of keratin that grows on the back of the end of each finger and toe. Nails consist of a root, under the skin; a translucent plate, attached to a nail bed beneath; and a free edge. Nail plate (and probably bed) cells are produced at the root and pushed forward as new cells form behind them. They die and turn white as they reach the free edge and lose contact with the richly vascularized nail bed, which supplies them with nutrients. Fingernails grow continuously at about 0.5 mm per week; toe¬ nails grow more slowly. They protect the tips of fingers and toes and help the fingers pry, pick up small objects, and scratch.
Nain brothers, Le See Le Nain brothers
Naipaul Vnl-.polV Sir V(idiadhar) S(urajprasad) (b. Aug. 17, 1932, Trinidad) Trinidadian novelist. Descended from Hindu Indians who immigrated to Trinidad as indentured servants, Naipaul left Trinidad in 1950 to attend Oxford University and settled in England. He won critical recognition with A House for Mr. Biswas (1961), about an immigrant’s attempt to assert his identity and independence. Other novels that explore, in an often harshly critical tone, the disintegration and alienation typical of postcolonial nations include In a Free State (1971, Booker Prize), Guerrillas (1975), and A Bend in the River (1979). He also wrote The Enigma of Arrival (1987), Haifa Life (2001), and nonfictional studies of India. Naipaul was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2001.
Nairobi \n!-'ro-be\ City (pop., 1999: 2,143,254), capital of Kenya. It is located in south-central Kenya at an elevation of about 5,500 ft (1,680 m). Founded c. 1899 as a colonial railroad site, it became the capital of
British East Africa in 1905. As a government and trade centre, it attracted many settlers from rural Kenya, making it one of the largest cities in Africa. When Kenya gained independence in 1963, it remained the capi¬ tal, with its area greatly expanded by the new constitution. It is Kenya’s principal commercial and industrial city, producing beverages, processed food, cigarettes, and furniture. The city exports many products via the port of Mombasa. Noted institutions and landmarks include the University of Nairobi and the National Museum of Kenya. Tourism is an important industry, with Nairobi National Park attracting many visitors.