...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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...The Bitter Water dispute began with Congress passing the 1974 settlement act which the Navajos were told they had to relocate. The people didn’t want to leave because they were connected and rooted to the land through their culture. When the federal government began putting the fence up the Navajo and Hopi people fought back to continue living in that area. The Government wanted them removed because of the minerals they found on Big Mountain or Black Mesa. Once they began extracting the coal, oil, natural gas, and uranium the people were then forced to reduce their livestock. A lot of people tried to prevent livestock reduction because sheep, cattle, and horses were their livelihood to support and raise their families. The Hopi land in 1988...
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...The Navajo Way Lucious Davis ANT:101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Instructor: Jessie Cohen March 10, 2012 The story of the Navajo is one that is filled with triumph, tragedy, and hope. The Navajo are a pastoral people originating in North America. The culture of the Navajo’s is a one filled with traditions that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Their culture is what defines them and it is a major factor in the way they live their lives- including their social organization, beliefs and the way they heal their sick. Background Few cultures have left their imprint on North America like the Navajo. With over 300,000 members, the Navajo are the largest federally recognized tribe in the Unites States. Originating in northwest Canada and eastern Alaska, the Navajo, along with other groups like the Apache migrated to their more commonly known territory- the southwestern United States. Accounts have dated the occupation of the southwestern United States by the Navajo to stretch as far back as 1400. Throughout history, the Navajo have expanded their territory through raiding and commerce, now are mostly confined to a small area that is called the “Four Corners”. This is the area of the southwest United States that is comprised of: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. The Navajo can best be described as seminomadic- they tend to move according to the seasons. Jett (1978) stated that the actual movement patterns can vary greatly from...
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...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...
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...Death 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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...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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...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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...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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...Research Paper Navajo ways of Knowing by Herbert John Benally Dominique Davenport College of New Rochelle Professor Davis Herbert John Benally lived in Sweetwater, Arizona, on the Navajo Reservation. While many members of his family have sought to preserve native traditions by following the path of medicine man, he has attempting to achieve the same goal through teaching and curriculum reform. Currently, he teaches courses in Navajo history, culture, and philosophy. In this essay Benally discusses the intimate connection between spirituality and knowledge in Navajo thinking. He describes four types of knowledge found in traditional Navajo thinking, “That which gives direction to life,” “sustenance,” “the gathering of family,” and “rest, contentment and respect for creation”. He explained why each of these types of sacred knowledge was associated with each part of the day. Benally argues that to achieve a harmonious life, we must focus on these four areas of knowledge and maintain a balance among them. In doing so, we will not only achieve harmony within the family and the human community, but we will also attain harmony between the human and the natural world. On other hand, failure to recognize the importance of each type of knowledge or to maintain a balance between them will produce dire consequences. As Benally says, “When we are not taught in this way, drawing on all four areas of knowledge, we become spiritually, emotionally, socially, and environmentally impoverished...
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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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...The Navajo Ways of Life Navajo Way of Life Kathleen E. St.Cyr ANT101 Jeffrey Ratcliffe July 16, 2012 Every culture has a primary mode of subsistence that makes them unique. Among the Navajo culture their primary mode of subsistence are pastoralists. Pastoralists have an impact on different aspects with in the culture. The aspects that I will be discussing will be the Navajo’s beliefs and values, sickness and healing, kinship, and their social organization. “Pastoralists are those who regularly move in search of naturally occurring grass and water.” (Nowak & Laird, 2010) Navajo’s are an Indian tribe that live on reservations and sometimes reside on public domains outside of the reservations. The Navajo nation is the largest reservation in North America. The Navajo tribe is the natives of what is called the Four Corners region that reside in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. Navajo’s call themselves Dineh, meaning “the people.” “Up until 1848, the land on which the Navajos lived had belonged to Mexico. The Navajos had to continually fight not only the Spanish, but also other Indian tribes in order to live on this land.” (Oracle ThinkQuest, The Navajo People) They continued this fight up until the 1850’s and 1860’s when Americans built Fort Defiance for the Navajo country, near what is now called Window Rock, Arizona. Only soon to be captured and killed by the Americans. After having to surrender and forced to walk 300 miles to Fort...
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...Anthropology: The Navajo Ashley Miller ANT101 Daniel Diaz Reyes June 16, 2013 The Navajo The Navajo, also known as the Diné, are one of the largest Native American Tribes in the world. Their culture is made up of very distinct and unique characteristics that have been passed down from generation to generation. They have been taught to adapt to their surroundings and to the land. Each moral, standard, belief and value are what make the Navajo so unique to the Native Americans. In the following, their primary mode of subsistence, kinship system, beliefs, values, and economic organizations will be briefly examined to gain a better knowledge of the Navajo culture. The Navajo culture were originally foragers, traveling across land in search of unsettled land and resources for their tribes. After migrating south from the pacific northwest over 700 years ago, the Navajo settled in Southwest America. They were then introduced to sheep by the Spaniards and soon after been pastoral and started growing small crops and caring for their animals. According to the Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural American, “A Navajo is “born to” the mother’s clan and “born for” the father’s clan” (Birchfield, 2000). It is said that the Navajo society is matrilineal, meaning that a clan’s identity is derived from the female. In a traditional introduction, the Navajo will first introduce themselves by naming the maternal clan, followed by the paternal clan. Historically, Navajo men were...
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...Draft on Navajo Culture David Cable ANT 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Prof. Justine Lemos July 19, 2012 I) Introduction: The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American group in America today, and is the biggest Indian reservation in the United States. Situated in the northeastern part of Arizona and in the northwestern part of New Mexico, it is comprised of nearly ten million acres, or roughly fifteen thousand square miles. In this research paper the author will discuss at least three aspects of the Navajo culture that will include the kinship that the Navajo have with each other, the social structure within Navajo society, the economic organization that sustains the culture and their beliefs and values that these people share, including some of their rituals and ceremonies. In addition, the author will conclude with some facts about life on the reservation today and how tourism has become part of the Navajo culture. II) Body: The Navajo (or Dine People) as they prefer to be called, are a pastoral, semi-nomadic people who live in one of the most arid and barren lands of the Great American Deserts in the Southwest. A) Kinship: The Navajo people have a kinship that follows the lineage of women, and unlike most Pastoral societies which are patrilineal / patrilocal, the Navajo are one of a handful of societies that are matrilineal / matrilocal. This is because the central symbol of their social organization is motherhood, in which the Navajo find a...
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...Culture Summary for Nabajo As described by Adams, William Yewdale (2004), the Nabajo are an American Indian culture located in Arizona and New Mexico. They were often referred to as “Apaches” in sixteenth-century Spanish documents. Although they were referred to as this, so were many other Athapaskan-speaking groups of the New Mexico Province. After the sixteenth-century, they were always referred to as “Navajo” (or “Nabajo” in the Spanish language). No one is absolutely sure of the origin of the name but it has been speculated to be derived from the Tewa Pueblo Indian word for “cultivated fields”. This name was most likely given to the Navajo people because of their dependency on agriculture. The traditional home of the Navajo people has...
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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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