...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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...Rituals and Expectations The Navajo people have a belief that the spirit of their dead would come back to the living if they were not properly buried. The death rituals and expectations for the Navajo Native Americans is a culture that is very sensitive about their dead. The Native Americans needed their dead to be buried rather quickly to make sure that their dead would not come back. The Navajo Native Americans back in the day would clean the dead body and then cover it with a coverlet. They would then put the dead on a horse and head north as far as they could go. The family would find a burial place for their dead and kill the horse so that the dead would have a new horse in the next life. Burial customs require that everything is in order and that all the rituals are followed. One of the rituals is that is a person dies in their home that their home will have to be burned with the body. The surviving family would have to be there at the burning so that they will also be purified along with the deceased (Navajo Death Rituals, 2016)....
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...Culture of the Navajo Indian Tribe, Past & Present Ashford University Introduction to Cultural Anthropology ANT101 Robert Moon November 11, 2012 Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Thesis statement 3 Introduction 3 Primary mode of subsistence 3 Kinship 4 Beliefs and values 4 Economic organization 5 The Navajo and World War II 6 The Navajo Indian in Modern Times 6 Closing Thoughts 7 Thesis statement The Navajo Indian is the largest tribe in North America, how did their culture develop over time and where are they today in regards to modern times? Introduction There is great respect through the Navajo Culture with regards to their kinship system. They are very traditional towards they religion and family life. They have great feelings about the land that surrounds them and believe that all things have meaning and soul. From the past they were mostly nomadic until they met the Pueblo. The Pueblo helped them to develop more towards being domestic rather than being a foraging society. Later the Spanish came and they learned more about trading and working with foreign cultures. They thrived in to large tribes in the 1700’s to the late 1800’s. But change was to come as the Europeans came to North America. The Indians were not treated with much respect and they were forced to live on reservations. After many hard years the Navajo have come to be the largest Indian tribe in North America. They are still very traditional but have modernized in...
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...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...
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...Southwestern United States: The Navajo The Navajo are very proud people, with a great deal of history behind them. Existing for thousands of years, the exact time of their arrival to the Southwestern United States is still argued among archaeologists and Navajo historians. All that can be agreed upon is that the Navajo have occupied this region since at least the early 1600s. Having been through a great many intrusions and wars, these great people have remained consistent and thriving, able to constantly provide for themselves and their families. It has been said that the Navajo originally migrated from western Canada, belonging to an American Indian tribe known as the Athabasca. Some settled in northern Arizona, and became part of different Apache tribes. Apache languages are said to sound very similar to the Navajo language (Linford, 2000). Archaeologists have found supporting evidence to suggest that the Navajo have occupied the Southwestern United States since the early 1500s. Carbon dating used in the “Dinetah”, which is the Navajo homeland, led these archaeologists to believe that the Navajo had been around for a lot longer than the original estimation. However, the earliest reports of the Navajo in central Arizona came with the Spanish incursion in the 1770s (Linford, 2000). It appears the Navajo did not spread into southern Utah until the 1850s. They had relocated to this area after fleeing from the United States Army (Linford, 2000). Once in Utah...
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...The Navajo of the American Southwest Timothy Barker The Navajo of the American Southwest “The one called farm is your mother. Those that are called your livestock are your mother. Those called sheep are your mother. Sheep are life.” Begishe and Werner (as cited in Whitherspoon, 1970) The Navajo of the American Southwest are the largest recognized tribe in the United States. The Diné (meaning “the People”), as they prefer to be called, were originally nomadic hunter and gathers. They migrated from the pacific northwest of North America about 700 years ago. After encountering the Spanish in the 16th century, who introduced the Navajo to sheep, they soon became pastoral and started growing small crops. In the following, their social organization, kinship system, beliefs, and healing practices will be briefly examined to gain a better insight into their unique culture. To the Navajo all society and culture in inexorable tied to its world of mythology. In the mind of the Navajo there are of the Fourth World of creation. In the Fourth World, First Man and First Woman took a turquoise figure of a baby girl and laid it between two perfect buckskin blankets. While they sand the sacred songs, Wind entered between the buckskins. Afterwards First Man removed the top buckskin revealing a baby girl who was to be called Changing Woman. She was called this because she reached puberty in 12 days. From the union of Changing Woman and the Sun are all the Earth Surface People, the Navajo...
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...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....
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...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...
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...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...
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...The Navajo Navajo’s primary mode of subsistence is pastoralists, who lived an abnormal life compared to today’s culture. They spend much of their time herding and caring for their animals. Their life moves with the four seasons as they travel to each of their Hogan’s in search of grass and water for themselves and the animals to live. They believe they are one with the environment and the earth is their mother. Each family member of the Navajo, from the elders to the kids, all work very hard together to perform the duties necessary for not only their survival also the animal’s survival. There are different aspects of their culture which is affected by pastoralist but I will be discussing three of them, which are kinship, their beliefs and values, and the social organization. 1. Kinship A. Animals B. Environmental Adaptations C. Property 2. Beliefs and Values A. Division of Labor B. Ceremonies and Pollen C. Religion 3. Social organization A. Relationship With Mother Earth B. Bond to family As for the kinship, the Navajos belonged to a matrilineal society, where property, status, etc. are inherited through women. The Navajo people have a kinship system that follows the lineage of women. There is a complementary relationship between the male and female in the Navajo culture and the importance of blood and voice in constructing a person. The Navajo body, of men and women, is viewed as having a female side (the right side)...
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...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...
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...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...
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...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...
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