Brandon Nitschmann Essay In most Native American literature the land on which they live, their families and their traditions are all big parts in these stories. Such as in Way to Rainy Mountain and Smoke Signals, all three of those are incorporated heavily in the story line. The Native American people were very spiritual and family oriented and concentrated on the bonds and traditions that held their families together. They believed that almost everything on Earth was symbolic of something, the soil on which they lived upon, the crops that were grown, the animals hunted for food, they are all connected. So in the Native American culture there are three main aspects; their land, their families, and their traditions.
“Navajo religion is highly ritualized. It is formal and precise. Firmly rooted in the Southwestern landscape, it concerns itself with maintaining individual and communal life and health. It's main event is the "chant"--a several day and night ceremony designed to reorder one's relationship with the powers of creation. Families choose to sponsor chants at times of crisis or potential disorder.
The knowledge is handed down from medicine people before them who train for many years to come up with the formulas. Cherokee medicine people travel to the rock caves to meet with the Little People and share their secrets. The proper way to find a medicine person is be part of a Cherokee community. Advertising and telling the formulas is prohibited. The Cherokee wedding is said to be a very beautiful ritual.
They lived in homes called hogans, which were made of wooden poles, tree bark, and mud. Most were built in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s, although older built homes do exist. A systematic government was needed in 1920s during the discovery of oil. In 1923, the Navajo established a tribal government, providing it to deal with American oil companies that want to rent Navajo land for exploration. Today, the Navajo accepts changes from the past and used it to have a promising future.
Navajos The Navajo Reservation is located in the American Southwest; stretching in portions of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The Navajo social structure is built around the clan. This is important because it tells us that the clans are important to the Navajos. (Linford, 2000, Page 13). The Navajo people always wanted to make sure that they practiced and tried to make sure that there was always balance and harmony in their lives.
The women care for their children and forge for vegetation and men hunt and provide other skills. The San society have bilateral descent which means they consider themselves related to both sides of their families which is important because in extreme situations such as a drought, the San people are able to find relatives that can provide water. The kinship of the San people are very important in every aspect of their lives. The Women of the San tribe are very important in their society because they help provide food and care for the children, this allows them to have a say in important decision in the community. In the Sans community the women get married before maturity, and the groom can not consummate his marriage until the bride has fully matured physically and mentally, during this time the groom lives with the bride family and provide brideservice, which means the groom contributes meat to the bride's family band.
A traditional Arapho Ghost Dance dress displays crows that were considered messengers, magpies who were the guardian spirits, the Arapho cedar tree and turtle that were part of their origins. It is said that the Lakota Indians made garments similar in nature that could stop
Bharata Natyam versus Yoruba Dance “Religion may exist without dance: but dance cannot exist without religion.” (La Meri) Kelley Sleiman Intro to World Dance and Culture Throughout history, dance has been a form of natural self-expression. It has become an unbroken line of human interaction. Dance has been used to define cultures, communicate emotion and bring people closer to the spiritual world. While Hindu dance is an important religious art form for the people of South India, it is just as versatile to the Yoruba people of Nigeria. Bharata Natyam of India has become the most common classical dance-drama of India.
Rituals b. Religion c. Four values of life Key Point 2. Kinship a. Marriage b. Navajo Clan c. Extended family Key Point 3. Social organization Summary/Conclusion References/ Word Cited Pastoralists Navajo’s primary mode of subsistence was farming Kinship The Navajo people have a kinship system that follows the lineage of women.
The way to rainy mountain focuses both on the landscape of Momaday's childhood and on his Kiowa grandmother. It is set in Oklahoma, where his ancestors migrated from western Canada. Through their contact with the crow Indians, they came to worship the sun, and an annual sun dance brought various autonomous groups of Kiowa's together for weeks of ritual. They were famous for their intricate bead work and paintings of buffalo hides which depicts their culture, religion, and history. Since signing a treaty with the United States government in the 1800's, they are trying to embrace the heritage and traditions of their ancestors.