Navajo Tribe Research Paper
The Life of the Navajo Indian Tribe I am writing my research paper on the Navajo Indians once called Dine’s; the Pueblo’s gave them the name Navajo as it was a Pueblo word meaning “planted fields” or “farmlands”. The Navajo Indians came from the Northwest Pacific coast and Canada between the 1300’s and the 1600’s. I chose to do my research paper on the Navajo Indians because I am French, Irish, and Indian, therefore I will be learning a about some of my own family history. First I will focus on Where the Navajo’s originated from and where they reside now, their flag, and seal; along with some of their political views and what brought on the need for a systematic government within the Navajo Indians tribe. Then I will discuss the
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behavior society sets on the men, women, and children of the Navajo Indians, the responsibilities of the different genders, followed up with some of their beliefs, values, and traditions. The Navajo Indians originated from the Northwest Pacific Coast and Canada; between the 1300’s and the 1600’s.
Leaving the northwest, headed southwest the Navajo’s had to battle against the white man in what is now known as “Window Rock, Arizona”. Although the Navajo’s were known as fierce warriors they did not stand a chance going up against the white man as within no time at all the White man had killed thousands of Navajo Indians. Then they set their crops on fire; this forced the tribe to head towards New Mexico on foot, we now know this journey as “the long walk.” The long walk was approximately a three hundred mile journey. Thousands of the Indians died during this journey due to rough terrain and lack of supplies. Of the many that didn’t survive consisted of the elderly, and the young. The Navajo Indians started to settle in what we now call “the Four Corners” region; New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. They live on reservations, which is land that belongs to them and is under their own control. The Navajo’s are known as “the land of the people”, living within the four sacred mountains, Mount Blanca, Mount Taylor, Mount La Plata, and the mountains in the San Francisco …show more content…
Peek. In the early 1900’s the Navajo Indians began to form a tribal government and throughout the years the Navajo Indian government has grown into the largest American Indian Government today.
The systematic government became necessary when the tribes land first discovered oil. (www.usa.gov) Keep in mind the Navajo’s live on reservations and they not only have their own government they also have their own, laws, police, and services. And although they basically have their own little country the Navajo’s are still considered American Citizens. The men and women did different jobs within the Navajo society. The men were hunters, warriors, and political leaders. Only men were allowed to be chief in the Navajo tribe. The men also were the ones who made the jewelry. The women were responsible for the farming, tending to the livestock, and caring for the elderly and the young children. The Navajo women were also the ones who did the cooking, wove the rugs, and sculpted the clay pots. These gender roles have changed throughout the years as in today’s societies the Navajo men are often found to be farming while the Navajo woman are joining the
Army. The Navajo women are known for passing the art weaving down to their daughters’ generation after generation. The women who weaved with the wool of the Churro sheep believed that weaving was not a competition but rather a skill. A skill that if used it made their lives seem more fulfilling. One of the stories told still to this day to the Navajo children is a story about “Spider Woman” a woman who could weave blankets and rugs better than anyone else. This story was told in hopes the children would be instilled with the belief “weaving was not a competition but a skill that if utilized it would assist them in making their lives more fulfilling.”
(www.ic.arizona.edu).
The Navajo Indians lived in temporary shelters due to their pastoral ways of life. These temporary shelters were called “Hogan’s’” and they were made of wood poles, tree bark, and mud. Talking about the Hogan’s brings forth another one of the Navajo’s beliefs is “the doorway of each Hogan opens to the east, so they can get the morning sun which in turn brought them good blessings. These are just a couple of the many Navajo beliefs as traditionally the Navajo’s believe strongly in their traditions and are serious about their ceremonies in which they all participate in. Their strongest belief is “that the physical and spiritual world blends together, and everything on earth is alive and sacred”. (http://library.thinnkquest.org) According to the Census 2000 there are 298,197 people who are all or part Navajo Indian living on Navajo land. The Navajo’s “Native Code of Ethics” was as follows { Native Code of Ethics
1. Each morning upon rising, and each evening before sleeping, give thanks for the life within you and for all life, for the good things the Creator has given you and for the opportunity to grow a little more each day. Consider your thoughts and actions of the past day and seek for the courage and strength to be a better person. Seek for the things that will benefit others (everyone).
2. Respect: Respect means "To feel or show honor or esteem for someone or something; to consider the well being of, or to treat someone or something with deference or courtesy". Showing respect is a basic law of life.
Treat every person from the tiniest child to the oldest elder with respect at all times. Special respect should be given to Elders, Parents, Teachers, and Community Leaders.
No person should be made to feel "put down" by you; avoid hurting other hearts as you would avoid a deadly poison.
Touch nothing that belongs to someone else (especially Sacred Objects) without permission, or an understanding between you.
Respect the privacy of every person, never intrude on a person's quiet moment or personal space.
Never walk between people that are conversing.
Never interrupt people who are conversing.
Speak in a soft voice, especially when you are in the presence of Elders, strangers or others to whom special respect is due.
Do not speak unless invited to do so at gatherings where Elders are present (except to ask what is expected of you, should you be in doubt).
Never speak about others in a negative way, whether they are present or not.
Treat the earth and all of her aspects as your mother. Show deep respect for the mineral world, the plant world, and the animal world. Do nothing to pollute our Mother, rise up with wisdom to defend her.
Show deep respect for the beliefs and religion of others.
Listen with courtesy to what others say, even if you feel that what they are saying is worthless. Listen with your heart.
Respect the wisdom of the people in council. Once you give an idea to a council meeting it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to the people. Respect demands that you listen intently to the ideas of others in council and that you do not insist that your idea prevail. Indeed you should freely support the ideas of others if they are true and good, even if those ideas are quite different from the ones you have contributed. The clash of ideasbrings forth the Spark of Truth.
3. Once a council has decided something in unity, respect demands that no one speak secretly against what has been decided. If the council has made an error, that error will become apparent to everyone in its own time.
4. Be truthful at all times, and under all conditions.
5. Always treat your guests with honor and consideration. Give of your best food, your best blankets, the best part of your house, and your best service to your guests.
6. The hurt of one is the hurt of all, the honor of one is the honor of all.
7. Receive strangers and outsiders with a loving heart and as members of the human family.
8. All the races and tribes in the world are like the different colored flowers of one meadow. All are beautiful. As children of the Creator they must all be respected.
9. To serve others, to be of some use to family, community, nation, and the world is one of the main purposes for which human beings have been created. Do not fill yourself with your own affairs and forget your most important talks. True happiness comes only to those who dedicate their lives to the service of others.
10. Observe moderation and balance in all things.
11. Know those things that lead to your well-being, and those things that lead to your destruction.
12. Listen to and follow the guidance given to your heart. Expect guidance to come in many forms; in prayer, in dreams, in times of quiet solitude, and in the words and deeds of wise Elders and friends.} (www.home.earthlink.net/tessia/natwe.html) The Navajo’s flag was designed by Jay R. Degroat, May 21, 1968; It is a pale buff color, bearing a map of the Navajo Nation in the center. The original area of the 1868 reservation is dark brown, while the much larger current borders are copper. After reading my written assignment on “The Life of the Navajo Indian Tribe” I hope that you gained as much knowledge as me. While doing my research on the Navajo Indians I come to understand some of the Navajo Indians beliefs, values, and traditions as well as where they came from, the importance of their gender roles, as well as many other facts not yet mentioned.
behavior society sets on the men, women, and children of the Navajo Indians, the responsibilities of the different genders, followed up with some of their beliefs, values, and traditions. The Navajo Indians originated from the Northwest Pacific Coast and Canada; between the 1300’s and the 1600’s.
Leaving the northwest, headed southwest the Navajo’s had to battle against the white man in what is now known as “Window Rock, Arizona”. Although the Navajo’s were known as fierce warriors they did not stand a chance going up against the white man as within no time at all the White man had killed thousands of Navajo Indians. Then they set their crops on fire; this forced the tribe to head towards New Mexico on foot, we now know this journey as “the long walk.” The long walk was approximately a three hundred mile journey. Thousands of the Indians died during this journey due to rough terrain and lack of supplies. Of the many that didn’t survive consisted of the elderly, and the young. The Navajo Indians started to settle in what we now call “the Four Corners” region; New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. They live on reservations, which is land that belongs to them and is under their own control. The Navajo’s are known as “the land of the people”, living within the four sacred mountains, Mount Blanca, Mount Taylor, Mount La Plata, and the mountains in the San Francisco …show more content…
Peek. In the early 1900’s the Navajo Indians began to form a tribal government and throughout the years the Navajo Indian government has grown into the largest American Indian Government today.
The systematic government became necessary when the tribes land first discovered oil. (www.usa.gov) Keep in mind the Navajo’s live on reservations and they not only have their own government they also have their own, laws, police, and services. And although they basically have their own little country the Navajo’s are still considered American Citizens. The men and women did different jobs within the Navajo society. The men were hunters, warriors, and political leaders. Only men were allowed to be chief in the Navajo tribe. The men also were the ones who made the jewelry. The women were responsible for the farming, tending to the livestock, and caring for the elderly and the young children. The Navajo women were also the ones who did the cooking, wove the rugs, and sculpted the clay pots. These gender roles have changed throughout the years as in today’s societies the Navajo men are often found to be farming while the Navajo woman are joining the
Army. The Navajo women are known for passing the art weaving down to their daughters’ generation after generation. The women who weaved with the wool of the Churro sheep believed that weaving was not a competition but rather a skill. A skill that if used it made their lives seem more fulfilling. One of the stories told still to this day to the Navajo children is a story about “Spider Woman” a woman who could weave blankets and rugs better than anyone else. This story was told in hopes the children would be instilled with the belief “weaving was not a competition but a skill that if utilized it would assist them in making their lives more fulfilling.”
(www.ic.arizona.edu).
The Navajo Indians lived in temporary shelters due to their pastoral ways of life. These temporary shelters were called “Hogan’s’” and they were made of wood poles, tree bark, and mud. Talking about the Hogan’s brings forth another one of the Navajo’s beliefs is “the doorway of each Hogan opens to the east, so they can get the morning sun which in turn brought them good blessings. These are just a couple of the many Navajo beliefs as traditionally the Navajo’s believe strongly in their traditions and are serious about their ceremonies in which they all participate in. Their strongest belief is “that the physical and spiritual world blends together, and everything on earth is alive and sacred”. (http://library.thinnkquest.org) According to the Census 2000 there are 298,197 people who are all or part Navajo Indian living on Navajo land. The Navajo’s “Native Code of Ethics” was as follows { Native Code of Ethics
1. Each morning upon rising, and each evening before sleeping, give thanks for the life within you and for all life, for the good things the Creator has given you and for the opportunity to grow a little more each day. Consider your thoughts and actions of the past day and seek for the courage and strength to be a better person. Seek for the things that will benefit others (everyone).
2. Respect: Respect means "To feel or show honor or esteem for someone or something; to consider the well being of, or to treat someone or something with deference or courtesy". Showing respect is a basic law of life.
Treat every person from the tiniest child to the oldest elder with respect at all times. Special respect should be given to Elders, Parents, Teachers, and Community Leaders.
No person should be made to feel "put down" by you; avoid hurting other hearts as you would avoid a deadly poison.
Touch nothing that belongs to someone else (especially Sacred Objects) without permission, or an understanding between you.
Respect the privacy of every person, never intrude on a person's quiet moment or personal space.
Never walk between people that are conversing.
Never interrupt people who are conversing.
Speak in a soft voice, especially when you are in the presence of Elders, strangers or others to whom special respect is due.
Do not speak unless invited to do so at gatherings where Elders are present (except to ask what is expected of you, should you be in doubt).
Never speak about others in a negative way, whether they are present or not.
Treat the earth and all of her aspects as your mother. Show deep respect for the mineral world, the plant world, and the animal world. Do nothing to pollute our Mother, rise up with wisdom to defend her.
Show deep respect for the beliefs and religion of others.
Listen with courtesy to what others say, even if you feel that what they are saying is worthless. Listen with your heart.
Respect the wisdom of the people in council. Once you give an idea to a council meeting it no longer belongs to you. It belongs to the people. Respect demands that you listen intently to the ideas of others in council and that you do not insist that your idea prevail. Indeed you should freely support the ideas of others if they are true and good, even if those ideas are quite different from the ones you have contributed. The clash of ideasbrings forth the Spark of Truth.
3. Once a council has decided something in unity, respect demands that no one speak secretly against what has been decided. If the council has made an error, that error will become apparent to everyone in its own time.
4. Be truthful at all times, and under all conditions.
5. Always treat your guests with honor and consideration. Give of your best food, your best blankets, the best part of your house, and your best service to your guests.
6. The hurt of one is the hurt of all, the honor of one is the honor of all.
7. Receive strangers and outsiders with a loving heart and as members of the human family.
8. All the races and tribes in the world are like the different colored flowers of one meadow. All are beautiful. As children of the Creator they must all be respected.
9. To serve others, to be of some use to family, community, nation, and the world is one of the main purposes for which human beings have been created. Do not fill yourself with your own affairs and forget your most important talks. True happiness comes only to those who dedicate their lives to the service of others.
10. Observe moderation and balance in all things.
11. Know those things that lead to your well-being, and those things that lead to your destruction.
12. Listen to and follow the guidance given to your heart. Expect guidance to come in many forms; in prayer, in dreams, in times of quiet solitude, and in the words and deeds of wise Elders and friends.} (www.home.earthlink.net/tessia/natwe.html) The Navajo’s flag was designed by Jay R. Degroat, May 21, 1968; It is a pale buff color, bearing a map of the Navajo Nation in the center. The original area of the 1868 reservation is dark brown, while the much larger current borders are copper. After reading my written assignment on “The Life of the Navajo Indian Tribe” I hope that you gained as much knowledge as me. While doing my research on the Navajo Indians I come to understand some of the Navajo Indians beliefs, values, and traditions as well as where they came from, the importance of their gender roles, as well as many other facts not yet mentioned.