Navajo Indians Research Paper
The Survival of the Navajo Indians in a Western Culture
Christine Acosta
Ant 101
Instructor Merissa Olmer
May 7, 2012
The Survival of the Navajo Indians in a Western Culture
As a pastoral society who utilized farming as their primary mode of subsistence, the Navajo Indians (Dineh – meaning Navajo people) had to learn other ways to survive in a constant changing world.(Hoxie 2008, Lomay & Hinkebein (2006), Paniagua (1994). Preserving their traditions is a priority for the Navajo Indians. They are known for their collectivism, as it incorporates family in every aspect of their lives.(Sampson,1988, Triandis, 1995). On the contrary, they also need to focus on how they would adapt to the Western culture, which is more individualistic and focuses on self, rather than a group.( Hossain, Z., Skurky, T., Joe, J., Hunt, T., 2011). The Navajo have shown resilience throughout their history because they have had to fight for their land and lifestyle since their establishment, and they are still going strong. But, is it possible for this matrilineal culture adapt, and survive in a culture that is so farfetched from their way of life? It is vital for the survival of the Navajo Indian Tribe to preserve their social and economic organization, while adapting to the social changes in the Western culture, which they are a part of. The strong spirit of the Navajo Indians can preserve, and sustain their identity while adapting to the ever changing Western culture.
METHOD
Conducting research on the Navajo Indians was a tedious task because they have existed for over one thousand years.(Loyd, L., 2008). The amount of information available on Navajo Indians is unending, but focusing on their social and economic organization, as well as social change narrowed the search. The Internet was the main source of information, with Ashford University library being the resource portal. Proquest and Jstor were the main resources utilized because they were
Christine Acosta
Ant 101
Instructor Merissa Olmer
May 7, 2012
The Survival of the Navajo Indians in a Western Culture
As a pastoral society who utilized farming as their primary mode of subsistence, the Navajo Indians (Dineh – meaning Navajo people) had to learn other ways to survive in a constant changing world.(Hoxie 2008, Lomay & Hinkebein (2006), Paniagua (1994). Preserving their traditions is a priority for the Navajo Indians. They are known for their collectivism, as it incorporates family in every aspect of their lives.(Sampson,1988, Triandis, 1995). On the contrary, they also need to focus on how they would adapt to the Western culture, which is more individualistic and focuses on self, rather than a group.( Hossain, Z., Skurky, T., Joe, J., Hunt, T., 2011). The Navajo have shown resilience throughout their history because they have had to fight for their land and lifestyle since their establishment, and they are still going strong. But, is it possible for this matrilineal culture adapt, and survive in a culture that is so farfetched from their way of life? It is vital for the survival of the Navajo Indian Tribe to preserve their social and economic organization, while adapting to the social changes in the Western culture, which they are a part of. The strong spirit of the Navajo Indians can preserve, and sustain their identity while adapting to the ever changing Western culture.
METHOD
Conducting research on the Navajo Indians was a tedious task because they have existed for over one thousand years.(Loyd, L., 2008). The amount of information available on Navajo Indians is unending, but focusing on their social and economic organization, as well as social change narrowed the search. The Internet was the main source of information, with Ashford University library being the resource portal. Proquest and Jstor were the main resources utilized because they were
References: 1. Broudy, D., May, P. ( ), Demographic and Epidemiologic Transition Among the Navajo Indians,www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080 2. Ecke, P., (1998), Navajo Indians, http://inkido.indiana.edu/w310work 5. Loyd, L., (2008), Reclaiming Indigenous Intellectual, Political, and Geographic Space: A Path for Navajo Nationhood, American Indian Quarterly, Berkely, vol. 32, Iss. 1, pg. 96, 16 pgs., http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?index 6. Mydans, S 7. Navajo People,, (1994–2011), Navajo Homes – Hogans, http://navajopeople.org/navaho-history.htm 8. Pfeiffer, E 8. Ruffing, L., (1976), Navajo Economic Development Subject to Cultural Constraints, Economic Development and Cultural Change, vol. 24, no. 3, pp. 611- 621, http://www.jstor/stable/643681?search 9. Schoepfle, M., Burton, M., Begishe, K