Introduction To Cultural Anthropology: The Navajo Indians

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The Navajo Paul White ANT 101 Introduction to Cultural Anthropology Debbie Cassetta January 17, 2012 The Navajo The Navajo Indians, the largest tribe in North America, live in the Northeast Corner of Arizona. This paper will be about one of the first true Americans namely the Navajo Indians. It will describe their gender relations, sickness and healing, and social change. First of all a brief history of the name Navajo and what bit means. It's pronounced "NAH-vuh-ho." This spelling came from Spanish-- you can sometimes see the same name spelled "Navaho" instead. It comes from a Pueblo Indian word for "planted fields" or "farmlands." The Pueblo Indians probably gave them this name because unlike their relatives the Apaches,…show more content…
These differ from the families of old when the men did the hunting, tended the sheep, and did the politics, only men could be Chiefs. Whereas the women tended to raising the children, farming, and cooking. This article focuses on the division of household labor between fathers and mothers and their family functioning in off-reservation Navajo Indian families. (Hossain, 2001) The modern day Navajos now share most of the domestic chores and raising of the children. This is especially true when the woman has a job outside the home. Sickness and Healing This article discusses the three major spiritual healing ways used by Navajo Indians today: Traditional healing practices that have been used for generations and still have a dynamic existence relevant to everyday Navajo life; Christian healing traditions, ranging from Catholic Charismatic to Protestant Pentecostal; and practices of the Native American Church (NAC). (Maryboy, 2000) The Navajo belief is that everything is connected in a cultural and spiritual way. This way of healing is shown in there ceremonies’ and language. This type of healing by some is myth. The Christian ways were mostly the use of prayers and the laying of hands, also a belief in Jesus. The Native American Church ways were not an actual church; it is a spiritual way of life using prayer and…show more content…
The Navajo Indians, the largest tribe in North America, live in the Northeast Corner of Arizona. This paper will be about one of the first true Americans namely the Navajo Indians. It will describe their gender relations, sickness and healing, and social change. References Hossain, Z. (2001). Division of Household Labor and Family Functioning in Off-Reservation Navajo Indian Families. Family Relations, 255-261 . Maryboy, D. H. (2000). The Whole Universe Is My Cathedral: A Contemporary Navajo Spiritual Synthesis. Medical Anthropology Quarterly, 14(4)498-520. Redish, L., & Lewis, O. (1998). Navajo Indian Fact Sheet. Retrieved 2011, from Native Languages of the Americas: http://www.bigorrin.org/navajo_kids.htm Ruffing, W. Y. (1977). Shonto Revisited: Measures of Social and Economic Change in a Navajo Community, 1955-1971. American Anthropologist, 79 (1)

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