...The Navajo Indians are situated in the northeastern portion of Arizona and their reservation is in the Northwestern part of New Mexico. The Navajo reservation is the largest Indian reservation in the United States. The reservation stretched twenty five thousand square miles and encompasses sixteen acres. This is the place where the Dine (Navajo) called home. The Navajo people live by stringent guidelines when it comes to social, economic and tending to the sick and healing practices. They raided Spanish settlers to get horses for hunting and fighting and also became known as great warriors by the Spanish. The Navajo’s became beautiful silversmiths, which traded their woven rugs and silver jewelry as a way of life. The Navajos had many fascinating beliefs. The Navajo Indians believe that the creator placed them in the middle of four major mountains that represent the four cardinal directions. The Holy Ones lived in the four sacred mountains which formed the boundaries of the Navajo land. They believe that the spiritual and physical world blends together, and that every living thing is alive and sacred. The Holy ones are attracted by their prayers, ritual songs, stories, and paintings. The Navajos have two major ceremonies. The Blessing Way keeps them on the path of wisdom and happiness. The Enemy Way eliminates ghost and discourages evil spirits. The healing ceremony is the well-known ceremony which is called a sing. A Navajo medicine man sings and creates drawings...
Words: 797 - Pages: 4
...The Navajo Indians ANT 101 Professor May 7, 2012 The Navajo Indians The Navajo Indians, or Diné, which means “The People”, are semi-nomadic pastoralists even in today’s time. Hundreds of years ago, they were hunters, farmers and culturists. After conflicts with the Spaniards they would eventually find their profession in pastoralism. In time this would turn out to be the best circumstance that could have happened to them. This is not a lifestyle the people fell into; this is how the people choose to live. Before the Spanish came into the new world, the people were fierce warriors and hunters. They would also cultivate crops and forage when needed. Corn is what the Navajo are most known for growing, however they have also been known to grow vegetables such as squash. The hunters would bring in game such as deer, mountain goats or smaller game like rabbits. There is not much in the way of historical data up about the Navajo up until Christopher Columbus came into America. Unbeknownst to the Native Americans, this was the beginning of their new way of life. They would eventually find life in pastoralism instead of their former ways of living. It wasn’t up until the early Spanish period, when the Navajo would start the new chapter of their lives. They were making numerous trips to the New Mexican Indian and white settlements to steal livestock. History also shows that Diné would enter the explorer’s settlements and steal their food and even woman. This would eventually...
Words: 1636 - Pages: 7
...The Navajo Indians Mind, body and spirit are the foundation of the Navajo community. The Navajo culture is known to be very primitive and reserved. This could cause some complications in the health care field. Their basic lifestyle may lead to several health complications, belief in prayer and evil spirits is prominent, they believe that the role of a physician is to be a partner in their healing, there are several nursing practices that need to be considered when caring for a Navajo patient, and as a nurse it is important to treat these people with respect even if their ways may seems unorthodox. The traditional Navajo Indians have a very primitive lifestyle. This means that they don’t necessarily have the best living conditions and don’t always maintain the best nutritional status. They are known for living off of the land and providing what they can for one another. Poor living conditions and lack of proper nutrition can lead to a multitude of health issues. Traditional Navajo homes are made of timber and mud. They usually heat their homes by fire. During winter or cold weather, the Navajos are at risk for hypothermia. Their diet consists of wild game, goats, wild berries, and other vegetables they grow themselves. So, again, during the wintertime, they may not be able to grow enough food to maintain adequate nutrition. This can result in vitamin, electrolyte, and other deficiencies within their community. One deficiency found in the Navajo culture is that of vitamin D....
Words: 1310 - Pages: 6
...Navajo Indians and Their Culture Kimberly Davis Intro. To Cultural Anthropology Instructor Jason Gonzalez 04/02/2013 Within the Navajo community, there are several dynamics that are used to keep the community together. Their culture, family bonds and work ethics are all factors that play major roles in the raising of their families and also with maintaining their land and properties. By nature, Navajo Indians are born Pastoralists, which means they are natural farmers of land. These ethics and techniques have been passed down from generation to generation from birth. This paper will explore how they communicate with one another and how they function together to maintain their culture and beliefs. I. Pastoralists a. Definition b. How Important Is It To Be A Pastoralists To The Navajo Indians 1. How did it become their primary mode of subsistence 2. Is this different from being just a farmer and in what ways II. What Are Three Aspects of Their Culture A. Beliefs and Values 1. What are they? 2. How are they determined? B. Kinship 1. Who is considered to be the head of the Tribe? 2. How is this determined? C. Sickness and Healing 1. Spiritual Aspect 2. Do they believe in modern medicine? References The Sense of Collectivism and Individualism among Husbands and Wives in Traditional and Bi-Cultural Navajo Families on the Navajo Reservation. Journal of Comparative Family Studies. Sept2011, Vol. 42...
Words: 292 - Pages: 2
...Navajo Culture The Navajos came into the Southwest sometime around the 16th century, they were a small group of hunting and gathering people. We know them as Navajo but they would call themselves Diné, which stood for “The People”. “The Navajo are Athapaskan speakers whose language is similar to that of the Apache” (Arizona Board of Regents). They have a broad culture and were known for the ability to survive and adapt really well, especially to local cultures. There primary mode of subsistence is Pastoralists, they utilize farming as a key mode for living. Looking ahead we will gain in depth more knowledge and understanding about the Navajo culture; what were their beliefs, kinship, social organization and more. The word Navajo comes from the phrase Tewa Navahu, meaning highly cultivated lands (Navajo Indians 2013). In the 1500s they originally started up their tribe and are considered to be one of the largest tribe of all the Native American Indians. There is two areas that are highly populated with the Navajo, New Mexico and Arizona. Navajo are very simple when it comes to their way of living which is much different than other cultures. Their homes are made of sticks, mud and tree bark, it’s much like a shelter rather than a home. These homes were known as hogans, and their doors faced the east to be sure the sun would shine in (Navajo Indians 2013). In order to get things such as meat and different forms of materials for making weapons and tools they would trade...
Words: 2340 - Pages: 10
...Enhancing the Awareness of Navajo Indians Michele Amoroso, Holly Bulian, and Tara Smallidge Loyola University Enhancing the Awareness of Navajo Indians Native Americans are composed of numerous, distant tribes, bands and ethnic groups, many of which survive as intact, sovereign nations. Once a self-governing, self-sufficient people, America Indians were forced to give up their homes and their land, and to subordinate themselves to an alien culture. From the origin of their tribes in the 1500’s to the early nineteenth century, American Indians have experienced oppression. Today, American Indians are more numerous than they have been for several centuries (Andersen & Collins, 2012). Today, Native Americans have a unique relationship with the United States. Since the late 1960’s, political participation has led to an expansion of efforts to teach and preserve Indigenous languages for younger generations and to establish a greater cultural infrastructure. This paper will discuss the specific tribe of the Navajo Indians to create awareness of their history, oppression, and current state in today’s world. The word Navajo comes from the phrase “Tewa Navahu”, meaning highly cultivated lands. The Indians largely reside in New Mexico and Arizona. The Navajo Indians originally began their tribes in the 1500’s. They traded maize, or corn crops, and woven cotton items such as blankets for things such as bison meat, and various materials, which were made for tools and weapons. Homes...
Words: 3978 - Pages: 16
...The Navajo Culture David Rodriguez Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ANT: 101 Amy Van Surksum June 24, 2013 The Navajo Culture American culture is made up of many different people, and many of those people come from Indian tribes. The United States Governments Federal Register lists 566 tribes recognized as of August 2012. One of those tribes is the Navajo which can be found primarily in the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. Navajo culture is one that many people associate with by what is portrayed in movies. People view the culture as land raiding individuals that pillaged and wreaked havoc with anyone and anything they came in contact with. Navajo started from the beginning in what is known as Changing Woman, and is one of the myths in Navajo belief which is identified as both creator and protector. She is the first and pre-emanate mother that has bestowed certain ceremonies that protect the people from evil forces. Changing Woman is believed to have lived on a small pacific Island where she created the Earth Surface People along with the Dine` known as the Navajo. Changing Woman sent the people on a long migration when she saw that the island was getting to small from the people multiplying. Changing Woman did not send them empty handed, so she sent them on the journey with sheep and horses to the land between the sacred mountains. In the early eighteenth century is when Navajo pastoralism arose, men and women incorporated livestock and before long...
Words: 2121 - Pages: 9
...The Navajo Indian Cultural Anthropology The Navajo Indians of the Southwestern United states have a distinct social organization, kinship, and a both traditional and biomedical way that they approach sickness and healing. Their social organization revolves around their community and the Earth. Kinship for the Navajo is matriarchal and they are a pastoral society. The traditional Navajo have medicine men that the tribe goes to for any sickness and healing that needs to be done. The modern Navajo has established the Indian Health Service as their standard medical facility and agency. I will go into more detail on all three areas of the tribe’s society of the Navajo people throughout this paper. The tribes of the Navajo Indians are located in Southwest region of the United States. They range from Southwestern Colorado, Northwestern New Mexico, and Northeastern Arizona. Most of the Navajo Indians live on reservations in northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico. The Navajo are the second largest of the Native American tribes and have a population of 7.2% of the Native Americans. They are second to Native Alaskans ((U.S. Census Bureau, 2008).. The marriage rate in the Navajo nation is forty five percent. Only seven percent have a college degree. They have the lowest income level out of all of the Native American tribes. They have a large poverty rate at thirty seven percent. The La Plata Mountain of Southwest Colorado are considered a sacred place for the Navajo...
Words: 1567 - Pages: 7
...Running Head: Nation within a Nation Amy Lamb Ashford University ANT 101 Instructor Rebekah Zinser July 29th 2013 The Navajo, also known as Dine`, are some of the first Indians who set foot in America. The primary mode of subsistence for any culture means a way of supporting life. The Navajo’s primary modes of subsistence are pastoralists. How does a pastoralist society impact beliefs and values, healing and sickness, and kinship of the Navajo culture? These are the three aspects I plan to discuss and prove that the Navajo Nation is a Nation within a Nation. The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering 27,425 square miles, occupying portions of northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. (Linford, 2000) The Navajo reservation is the largest Indian tribe in North America. The Navajo’s are a pastoral and agriculture society. They use farming and herding as their primary mode of subsistence. The Navajo culture is of spiritual nature. The Dine` believes in having a spiritual relationship with their land. The Navajo’s are known as people who are in tune with the spiritual world, and they are spiritual beings. The Navajo wish to live their culture and lives without interference of the Western World government. “We do not like relief and want to make our own living and we know we can do so if we are left alone.”(Lee, 2007). According to Clah Cheschillige, in the 19th century and the...
Words: 2073 - Pages: 9
...This article was downloaded by: [University of Texas El Paso] On: 09 August 2011, At: 13:50 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Bilingual Research Journal Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ubrj20 Language Learning in the American Southwestern Borderlands: Navajo Speakers and Their Transition to Academic English Literacy Gloria Dyc a a University of New Mexico-Gallup Available online: 22 Nov 2010 To cite this article: Gloria Dyc (2002): Language Learning in the American Southwestern Borderlands: Navajo Speakers and Their Transition to Academic English Literacy, Bilingual Research Journal, 26:3, 611-630 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15235882.2002.10162581 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Full terms and conditions of use: http://www.tandfonline.com/page/termsand-conditions This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, re-distribution, re-selling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently...
Words: 8847 - Pages: 36
...other people. One such culture is that of the Native Americans. Native Americans have diverse and rich cultures that are based on a deep spiritual relationship with the land they live in and the natural resources. They have a history that is rich in strife, struggle and triumph. In fact, most of America’s modern life is considered to be adapted from native Indian cultures practiced many centuries ago. This then shows that there is a lot to be learned from the Native America cultures as well as their beliefs about their relationship to the natural world. This paper is aimed at analyzing the Native American culture and the European culture with an emphasis on their beliefs about the natural world as well as their agricultural techniques and how they relate to the modern world. Many of the familiar features in modern day America that may be taken for granted originated from the Native Americans. The peace pipe, moccasins, totem pole and the teepee are an example of integral pieces that wove together a large picture of the Native American culture. Everything from animals to plants to the weather and housing became a part of the Indian and Native American culture. The animals were valued as spirits and even though they were hunted and killed, their hides and skins were used as drums and clothing, the meat from the animals was never wasted and the animal spirits lived on in the Native American’s minds. The plants were also used for various purposes. They were cultivated,...
Words: 5174 - Pages: 21
...aspect of Hillerman's fictions is the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural contexts in which they are set with their particular historical imperatives and consequences. The "Big Res" itself although sparsely populated by the standards of large urban enclaves is nevertheless home to a wide mix of Native American tribal entities including Navajo, Apache, Hopi, Ute, Zuni as well as Anglos and Hispanics of various national origins. Add to this cultural diversity such social elements as the disparity of power and wealth between the communities, and the opportunities for friction and conflict are significant. Therefore, a possible focus for discussions of this novel could be to examine the ways in which Hillerman ignores, acknowledges, utilizes, or highlights particular elements of the cultural and economic contexts in the service of his plot, characterization, and themes. Characters Hillerman populates the novel with a rich cast of characters whom he reveals through their speech, their actions, and their thoughts. He also describes their physical appearance so that readers form specific and distinguishing images of them. Jim Chee is portrayed as a "traditional" Navajo who has studied to become a hatathali, a traditional singer who can conduct traditional curing rituals; he is also a universityeducated (University of Arizona) lawman as is his former supervisor, now retired, Joe Leaphorn (Arizona State University). The relationship between the two is complicated and thus interesting. Chee has...
Words: 3942 - Pages: 16
...Navajos is a valued tradition in cultural Anthropology in the Western United States that dates back and has drastically changed throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. This is a critical subject and has grown through the diversities that it once martyred through this free country. I accept and will be expressing a few points throughout my paper that is of importance in my eyes to see the changes it has bestowed upon us who is not a part of their everyday cultural life and with the Natives who live this lifestyle everyday. Many of the cultured ways of living for the Navajo is geared towards families. They have for many years had ceremonies and rituals in forms of healing. They have ceremonies that can last up to nine days and some that are as little as two. Most of the more severe illnesses take the latter length of the rituals. In some of the ceremonies they have paintings or alters. Also there are many rituals that contain the head dress of the chanter. A chanter is the one who studies to do the rituals and there may be up to 58 chants and prayers that they need to learn. They may not have to always learn that many chants because if they can't they can choose to specialize in particular ones. For example there is a celebrating of maturity among the navajo. This is evidence that they are entering womanhood. ...
Words: 1249 - Pages: 5
...Daniel Hutton Ashford University ANT: 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Professor Chad Goings According to the history of the Navajo Tribe, the Holy People lived in the underworld and helped by guiding the First Man and First Woman to earth (McCoy 1988). The Holy People are said to be attracted to songs, dances, and chants during the ceremony along with the creation of Sand painting. The Sand painting is used in the healing process of the ceremony to draw a picture that tells a story of the Holy People. The Navajo culture have amazed so many people to how beautifully constructed the rituals are performed. Although, the ritual has been passed on from generation to generation, how the Navajo rituals are ways of communication has been questioned by so many. Many believe that it way for the patient to come into “…harmony… ” with the universe (Klukhohn and Leighton 1962). The hypothesis for the question was presented based on exploration of the culture done by researchers; concluding that, the Navajo rituals are a way of communication to their ancestors/the Holy People, who are worshiped in return of good lucks for the Navajo Community. It is believed that through this ceremony, people are cleansed from bad spirit and good luck is brought upon the family. For example, the rituals are performed on pregnant women, young men going to the army, and sick people. Naturally speaking, the most intriguing part of their belief is the ceremonial concepts of healing people...
Words: 2434 - Pages: 10
...Jonathan Roberto Dec 15, 2014 Cultural Event Paper Navajo Indians This past summer I got the amazing opportunity to spend a week in New Mexico for a mission trip to better the tribe of the Navajo Indians. During our stay we had four projects that were to be completed by the end of the week. First we were to build a playground for the children in the tribe. Next we were to build Hogons, which were small houses for the people in the tribe that were homeless. We then built a greenhouse for a main farm on the reservation where people would get their vegetable. Lastly we made food deliveries to homes in the tribe that were in desperate need. After I describe these individual projects I will discuss the tribes reactions and my feelings toward our work that we completed. Like many Reservations in the United States the Navajo tribe community in New Mexico is extremely impoverished with a big drug abuse problem as well as a high suicide rate. This is why our large team of a hundred wanted to go in and make a difference to put some hope back into the community and provide support for the people so that they could possibly live better lives. As a group leader I knew that I had to keep my group on task and remind them the reasoning behind our mission since the days were long and strenuous and not always the most fun. The first few days we worked on the playground and it was amazing to see the transformation in the children and the parents. In the beginning when we got to...
Words: 733 - Pages: 3
