Navajo Tribes Essay

1185 Words5 Pages
Thesis Statement: The Navajo Tribe as a pastoralists culture and society which utilizes farming as their primary mode of subsistence. Key Point 1. The Navajo beliefs and values. a. 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 Navajos belonged to a matrilineal society, where property, status, etc. are inherited through women. The women came into the tribes membership either brought a clan name with them, or were assigned a clan on acceptance into the tribe. Some of them were existing clans from other tribes, while others were created out of circumstance. Each Navajo belongs to four different, unrelated clans. He or she belongs to his or her mother’s clan. He or she is born from his or her father’s clan. He or she has maternal and paternal grandfather’s clans. Traditionally, the people were forbidden to marry into the first two clans; today they are still strongly discouraged from doing so. Beliefs and Values -The Navajo believe the creator placed them in the middle of four major mountains that represent the four cardinal directions. - The Navajo believe that all living things, people, plants, animals, are their relatives. The Navajo are cautious of death, and will avoid human remains when possible and rarely talk about it. - Many Navajo speak their own language? It is either called, "The Navajo Language", or "Athabaskan". - The Navajo worship the winds, sun, and watercourses. Navajo Beliefs The Navajo people, the Diné, passed through three different worlds before emerging into this world. The Fourth World, or Glittering World. They
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