Essay On Navajo Culture

Kristofic and Darren started Ganado Primary School. Kristofic was teased by being called “Bilagáana” (The white Apple) and bullied by his classmates (Kristofic, 2011, pp.8-10). As days went by, Kristofic started making new friends and did not hate Ganado so much anymore. He learned things he never knew before. He first learned, that Navajos are not Indians (Kristofic, 2011, p.13) and Navajos are called “Dine” (Kristofic, 2011, p.47). As years went by, Kristofic started to appreciate the culture, tradition, and started to learn the language. Within the first few years, Kristofic’s mother dated a Navajo man and married him. Kristofic mother had two children for him. A girl called Yanabah (Kristofic, 2011, p.99), and a boy called Glen (Kristofic, 2011, p.120). After graduating middle school in Ganado, Kristofic and his family moved to the Navajo Generating Station outside Page, Arizona (Kristofic, 2011, p.125). His mother got another job in this location to be able to have college savings for both her sons. Kristofic and Darren both attended Page High School.

The Navajo society is a culture rich in tradition. They value the close knit relationship with their family and have a great appreciation for the land. They fought to preserve their way of life, resulting in high values in; kinship, lifestyle, religious beliefs, and their rites of passage.

During the Pacific portion of World War II, increasingly frequent instances of broken codes plagued the United States Marine Corps. Because the Japanese had become adept code breakers, at one point a code based on a mathematical algorithm could not be considered secure for more than 24 hours. Desperate for an answer to the apparent problem, the Marines decided to implement a non-mathematical code; they turned to Philip Johnston's concept of using a coded Navajo language for transmissions.

Let’s start with the language portion of the Peoplehood matrix and the affects that settler colonialism has had on Navajo. In Peoplehood, it is stated that the language portion of the Peoplehood matrix is “a group-particular language, by way of its nuances, references, and grammar, gives a sacred history a meaning of its own, particularly if origin, creation, migration, and other stories are spoken rather than written” (Holm, et al. pg. 13). Especially in the late nineteenth century, Navajo children like many other indigenous children were sent to boarding schools. Settler colonialism resulted in a need to as Native Words Native Warriors puts it “eliminate traditional American Indian ways of life and replace them with mainstream American culture.”

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…

The lifestyle was fairly lax yet at the same time they knew when they needed to prepare for war or a new move. Some of the customs the Cheyenne had included the smoking of a peace pipe and the prayer made before each smoke. Another tradition was their story telling. Skilled story-telling Indians performed all stories told and these stories were about true-life situations. The Cheyenne tribe actually passed on these stories as well as their customs, religious ceremonies, and traditions orally from generation to generation. This could be the reason on why the Cheyenne were not actually discovered until the 1600s. One of the largest beliefs of the Cheyenne had to do with religion, though. They believed in two deities: the Wise One Above and a God who lived beneath the ground. Also, there were four spirits that lived at the points of the compass that they followed everywhere (Lewis). Because the culture of many Indian tribes differed greatly from the United States, there were conflicts between whites and Indians.

The power in The Navajo Creation Story belongs to the four Holy People who were called mysterious beings. They appeared four times over a four day period (Franklin A: 28). These beings wanted to create more people, a community, which led to the creation of the First Man and First Woman. The First Man and First Woman became leaders as they learned “how to live a good life” (Franklin A: 29). In order for their family to live a good life the family had to grow, so after four days there were children. At the conclusion of the story, the Twins became leaders who saved the people from Monsters.

There is great respect through the Navajo Culture with regards to their kinship system. They are very traditional towards they religion and

What are the different gender relations within the Navajo tribe? The Navajo people have different marriage traditions, customs, and labor within the male and female people of the tribe. The Navajo people lives by a matrilineal system. This is where women own livestock and land. Once married, a Navajo man would move to live with his bride in her home, along with her mother, and his wife’s clan. Daughters or if there were no daughters, other closely related females are traditionally the ones who received the inheritance of their property. The property could be that of a dwelling, or livestock. The children are "born to" and belong to the mother's clan, and are "born for" the father's clan. The clan system is exogamous. This means that the people must date and marry people who are outside of their own clans.

When first considering the Navajo-Hopi land dispute as a topic of research, I anticipated a relatively light research paper discussing the local skirmishes between the two tribes. However, my research has yielded innumerable volumes of facts, figures and varying viewpoints on a struggle that has dominated the two tribes for over 100 years. The story is an ever-changing one, evolving from local conflict to forcible relocation to big business interests. The incredible breadth of the dispute's history makes it impossible to objectively cover the entire progression from all viewpoints. I will therefore focus on current issues - and their historical causes - facing the two tribes as they mutually approach

Other foods such as, wild grapes, jack rabbits, wood rats, yucca fruit, wild potatoes, juniper, berries and mountain sheep were eaten all the time.

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 Sioux ate what they found in the homelands. Buffalo was an important food, it was mostly hunted in the fall. None of the buffalo was wasted. It was eaten and made into clothing, tipi coverings, shields, and weapons. The Sioux also made pemmican from dried meats, dried berries, dried fruits, nuts, and melted buffalo fat. The meat, berries, fruits, and nuts were crushed. Then they poured melted buffalo fat over the mixture. The pemmican was stored in animal intestines and bladders. The containers were lightweight, watertight, and safe from insects.

The world view of the Navajo who had lived for many centuries on the high Colorado Plateau was one of living in balance with all of nature, as the stewards of their vast homeland which covered parts of four modern states. They had no concept of religion as being something separate from living day to day and prayed to many spirits. It was also a matriarchal society and had no single powerful leader as their pastoral lifestyle living in scattered independent family groups require no such entity. This brought them repeatedly into conflict with Spanish, Mexicans and increasingly by the mid-nineteenth century, Americans as these practices were contrary to their male dominated religiously monolithic societal values. The long standing history

The Navajo Indians emulated the pueblo. The shed their animal skin clothing for cotton and learned quickly how to farm. These people settled in between the Rio Grande and the Grand Canyon. They herded sheep and grew corn in the valleys. They were a peaceful group of people, and were one with their surroundings.