Navajo Tribe Life

Navajo culture distinctively took hold in the four corners area of the Colorado Plateau around 100 A.D., although they are believed to have been around for centuries before then. Disliking the term “Navajo Indians”, they refer to themselves as the “Diné” which means “The People” or “Children of the Holy People”.

The Diné means “The People” and it is what the people that we know presently as the Navajo went by. The Red Nation article “Considering a Navajo Name Change: Self-Identification, Land, and Liberation” by Majerle Lister states that “‘Navajo’ is not a Diné word or concept, despite its use as our [the Diné] official name for more than a hundred and fifty years.” This is a clear example of how settler colonialism has impacted the Navajo Nation. Settler colonialism has had an impact in the Peoplehood matrix of the Navajo from language and sacred history to place/territory and ceremonial cycles, yet it has not stop efforts from the Navajo Community to mend the damage that settler colonialism has had on their culture over the years.

When the colonists began to arrive in America they were surprised to find that the land was already occupied by various Natives. Because the lives of 16th century Natives was very different from what

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 Sandpainting. The Sandpainting 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.

The Sioux and Chippewa Indian tribes’ have a drastically different way of living compared to what other people are accustomed to in terms of their history, clothing, tools, and weapons needed for survival. The Sioux Indians were originally from Asia, but migrated to America about 30,000 years ago. Their long, straight jet-black hair resembles that of the Asian descendants. The Sioux tribes were located in The Great Plains, which consists of 7 different states Minnesota, Wisconsin, North and South Dakota; however, they were also known to live in parts of Nebraska, Illinois, and Montana. “The name Sioux is an abbreviation of Nadouessioux. (Britannica) The name was given to them by the Ojibwa (Chippewa). Sioux means, “Little snake”. The Sioux tended to follow the pattern of the buffalo, which is why they are found in multiple locations.

The Navajo Nation Division of Social Services (NDSS) intake form is used by three agencies under the NDSS umbrella for various services including child welfare for reservation residents, Indian Child Welfare for ICWA/state collaboration, local and off reservation adoption, as well as clinical treatment services. The intake form was developed in 2011 with the intent to gather and report Adoption, Foster Care, Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS) data to the federal government and modified in 2015 to become more streamlined with NDSS’ electronic case management system. The latest revision incorporates various data elements needed to satisfy specific statistical requirements with NDSS’ various funding providers and grantees.

Throughout Indian Country tribes have their own courts to address legal matters. However, the Navajo Nation has a court system that stands apart from other tribes. Howard L. Brown Esq. wrote, “The Navajo Nation’s Peacemaker Division: An Integrated Community-Based Dispute Resolution Forum” which was published in the American Indian Law Review 1999-2000 issue and was reprinted in the May/July 2002 issue of Dispute Resolution Journal. As a former judicial law clerk for the Supreme Court of the Navajo Nation, Brown gained firsthand experience with the Peacemaker Division within the Navajo Nation’s Judicial Branch. He details the history, development and ceremonies associated with this resolution forum. Two

Chester is confused when it comes to religion. After being taught his whole life about Navajo beliefs he is now being introduced to Christianity. This is very confusing for him because as is his begin presented with all this new information, for example the birth of jesus, the trinity, saints, and sacraments. While learning this he beings to question if a navajo belongs at a “white man’s church”. He questions this because of the differences between the two religions; christianity as chester says stands in awe over the creation of the world by god, whereas the navajo focuses on forming a relationship with nature. Because of this when the children are forced to choose between the two religions, they could not. (Nez & Avila, 2011).

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?

Every culture has their own way of life, their own religious beliefs, their own marriage beliefs, their own values and feelings on life and the options it has to offer. Each culture has their own way to run things within their own government, and own way to keep their economy up to their standards. Also each culture and society have their own 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, economic organization, gender relations and sickness and healing.

The Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the nation with a little over 300,000 members on the largest reservation. The Navajo nation today has dealt with the consequences of mining uranium, limited housing development on their land, and contaminated water resources.

Vanessa Atine is a Navajo Indian that was born in the United States. Her family resides mainly in Arizona and southern Utah on the Navajo reservation. She was born and raised as a Navajo, but did not participate in her culture until she moved back onto the reservation two years ago. The Atine family moved around frequently, they have lived all over Utah and Arizona. When Vanessa was in third grade they moved into the Kearns area and stayed until she was in tenth grade. The constant moving was mainly due to financial instability and job searching. Native Americans do not have all of the opportunities other Americans do when it comes to finding jobs. There is a lot of prejudice and discrimination towards Native Americans dating back to

The Navajo economy depended on two primary sources-agriculture learned from the pueblo peoples and livestock such as sheep, goats, and horses obtained initially form the Spaniards. Because the San Juan River was one of the few reliable sources of water in Navajo territory, during the summer months

The Chippewa Tribe Tepees are spreaded throughout the grassy land, families are rolling up their homes to look for food. These people moved around searching for food and a good hunting place. These people are called the Chippewa or Ojibwa Indians which means “puckered up” because of their moccasins tops being sewn together (Ditchfield 8). They live around the Great Lakes in North America and some parts of Canada (9).

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.