Culture of the Navajo Nation 

Navajo jewelry from google images

Healthcare views

•  Commonly practice ethnobotany (use of plants and herbs for healing purposes) 
  • Various herbs were used to create potions, ointments, and ‘cleansers’, to facilitate the healing process. 
• The Navajo Nation believed medicine is the power or force of nature.
  • Thus, people have the power within themselves to ensure a life of health and wholeness. 
•  The Navajo Nation  believed all illness or misfortune to be the cause of transgressions against the supernatural or witchcraft.   
•  Ceremonial practice was the primary form of medical practice. 
• Ceremonies were designed to cleanse the spirit of transgressions specific to misbehavior, witchcraft, or misfortune (accidents). 

Historical Facts: 

•  The Long Walk: Beginning in 1864, around 9,000 Navajo people were forced to walk over 300 miles to Sumner (Navajo Nation, 2017).  Many died during this walk (Navajo People, 2011) 
•  Oral history indicates Navajo’s long-standing relationship with the Pueblos; Spanish records dating back to the 16th century speak of the tribes exchanging goods. 
•  There are over 170,717 speakers of Navajo; Na-Dene is their official language name (Navajo People, 2011) 
•  In the Navajo Culture it is a tradition to have the churro sheep.
  • They are central to the Navajo life;  they even have a special song about the breed. 
•  Navajos have a tradition of running in the morning. " When the sun comes up, the gods come up, so we run to greet the gods in the morning". 
•  The Navajos have a tradition of using a sweat lodge to heal you either physically or mentally.



Religion:
• They have many beliefs about creation; being ‘one with nature’ is a central tenant of their beliefs 
• Believe in skin walkers (evil beings or spirits)
• Religious leaders are referred to as “singers” or “curers”. To hold this title is to hold the most respected position in Navajo Ritual Practice. 
• Singers have acquired their knowledge and skill as a result of several years of training and education 
• Navajo Indians were terrified of death and spoke about death as little as possible. The dead were buried as soon as they passed away, even without a public ceremony. 
• The ideas about afterlife were unsystematic and varied from individual to individual. 
• A special class of religious practitioners was referred to as the ‘diviners’ who specialized in techniques to discover the source of a person’s illness (whether it be caused by an accident, witchcraft, or misbehavior), and then could prescribe the appropriate ceremonial treatment/remedy. 

Education: 

• Traditional Navajo education was a simple system that allowed and provided the means by which Navajo culture could be passed on, changed, and retained. 
•  The Navajo Treaty of 1868 required the government to provide education at the rate of one teacher to every thirty children (ages 6-16) (Navajo Nation, 2017). 
• Carlisle School was the first boarding school designed to destroy Navajo culture by removing Navajo children from their families and homes, and educating them far, away from the reservation.
• Founded by Colonel Pratt, Carlisle School began a system of education dedicated to abolishing Indian culture 

 

Family structure:

•  Family life is greatly valued among Navajo culture; all events are often associated with family living and values.  
•  Once married, a Navajo man would live with his bride’s family, referred to as a “clan.” 
  •  Children are born into their mother’s clan
•  Games and traditions enjoyed by family emerged from Navajo’s love for their land sentimental like attachment to it. 
•  Many family customs and activities still enjoyed today originally derived from the secluded winter nights on the reservation to entertain one’s family and friends.

​Ceremonies:

•  Known for their ceremonies, the Navajo have nine day ceremonies for physical and mental ailments
•  There are also many less important ceremonies occupying four days, two days, and one day in their performance. In these ceremonies many dry-paintings, or "sand altars," are made, depicting the characters and incidents of myths.
•  Almost every act of their life—the building of the hogan, the planting of crops, etc.—is ceremonial in nature, each being attended with songs and prayers.
• A number of healing ceremonies are performed according to the cause of a situation. Some chants and rites for curing purposes are
  • The Blessing Way rite, usually done over pregnant women or any person for promoting good health and prosperity. The ceremony is the most frequently used one and resembles how the Holy People acted to create the world and establish harmony.

  •  The Enemy Way rite, performed as an exorcism to remove ghosts, violence and negativity that can bring disease and do harm to host health and balance.

  •  The Night Way rite, a healing ceremony that takes course over nine days. Each day the patient is cleansed through a varying number of exercises done to attract holiness or repel evil in the form of exorcisms, sweat baths, and sand painting ceremonies.
On the final day the one who is sung over inhales the "breath of dawn" and is deemed cured.
• To see part of a healing ceremony use this link below and watch from 2:30 to 4 minutes.  ​
  • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXfrtAOjsXU

Language: 

• The Navajo native language is called Dine Bizaad and is spoken by approximately 175,000 (Navajo People, 2011).    
• It is one of the most widely spoken Native American languages in the United States.  
• With influences from the United States, the language began declining within the reservation in the 1960s.  
  • Presently the Navajo Nation is trying to revitalize the language by creating a Navajo Nation immersion school on the reservation. 

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Traditional Crafts:

• The Navajo Nation is internationally known for their jewelry and weaving.  
• The jewelry is made of silver and turquoise.  
  • At the reservation today, working with silver is widespread and practice by many (Birchfield, 2006).  
• Weaving is also important to the Nation's economic activity.  
  • The Navajo weavers still encompass traditional techniques today.  
  • Different locations throughout the reservation are famous for certain types of patterns and rugs (Birchfield, 2006).  
  • To watch a Navajo weaver in action use this link and  watch the video from minute 2 to minute 3.  
    • https://youtu.be/DeAlIgHhPAE

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