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... e tired and left his cane leaning against the canyon wall and stood beside it. When the People saw his cane and him standing there next to it, it looked as if he was standing against a house, with the canyon wall in the background. So they called him Towering House clan. Because he was unable to find water, he was given a different clan name. The journey commenced once again and the People stopped for something to drink.
This time the fourth person began to dig for water. This person dug in the ground and found enough water to cause a flood. So this person was named Big Water clan (9). The Navajo people try very hard to uphold traditions that they pass along from generation to generation. The story of creation is just one example of how the Navajo pass along some of their heritage. The clan system is a very sacred and intricate part of the Navajo people.
A Navajo person finds identity in their clan, and feel that what clan they are from defines the type of person they are. It is in this way that the Navajo introduce themselves. There is a proper Navajo form of introduction that all Navajo are encouraged to use to introduce their selves to fellow Navajos. Wilson Aronilth Jr. defines the correct way of Navajo introduction in Foundation of Navajo Culture. He states that the greeting should always go first.
In other words the person should state how they are related to the person they are speaking to (27). Next a person should state their clan. The way to state the clan is by representing their maternal grandmother and mothers clan. Then who they are born for, which is their fathers clan. Then they mention their maternal grandfathers clan and their paternal grandfathers clan (27). This is a very confusing process to understand and unless a person has done some research into their family ancestry they will not be able to complete this stage of the introduction.
Lastly, the speaker would introduce the geographic location of where they are from, and would mention where they were born (27). Why should a person do this type of proper introduction? Aronilth explains: For a Dine', it is the teaching and belief of our forefathers, that an introduction is a large part of what makes us unique. In Dine' introduction, an individual must give his name and the clan he represents. Other individuals, that are not Navajo, may give their name and the race they represent. Aronilth gives a number of reasons for executing a proper introduction.
The first reason given is because our name is the foundation of who we are, while the spirit of our clan is the roots of our life. Our name and clan have to go together. (26). Another explanation is that an appropriate preamble has a great deal to do with the way Navajo feel, think, talk, and categorize our words (26). Their clan system plays a very important part in their behavior and attitude, and by introducing their selves correctly, they would feel more comfortable speaking in front of other people.
An upside to executing a proper introduction is that the Navajo person might find out that they have relatives that they were unaware of. According to an interview with Aaron Keyoni, a Navajo Indian: It [Navajo introduction ] becomes annoying introducing yourself the Navajo way at times. Theres been a ton of times when Ill meet a girl for the first time and think Ive just met my future wife, just to discover that shes actually related to me through clan. That sort of thing just gets on my nerves.
Ive taken a few girls out before, knowing we were related through clan, but just hoping word wouldnt get out. Its considered incest if were in the same clan, even if were not related by blood. It gets real old after awhile. Other clan names outside of the Four Original Clans developed from different native Americans that were integrated into the Navajo culture.
For example the website Navajo and Pueblos claims that: In those days, Navajos probably took very few Pueblo prisoners. When they did, many of the prisoners became slaves and had to work for Navajo families. Often they became part of the family. Navajo men sometimes took captured women for their wives.
When their Pueblo wives had children, they belonged to their mother's clan as well as their Navajo father's clan. Because of this fact, Pueblo women started new Navajo clans. The Navajo Central Web site & FAQ's About Life Among the Navajo People claims that: "Clans are not unique to American Indian tribes. Clans in Scotland trace their origins before 1100 A. D.
Unlike the Dine, Scottish clans are patrilineal. Each clan has its distinctive badge, crest and tartan. Oh - In Scotland the tribes live in the highlands, keep sheep, but the men do the weaving!" In conclusion, the clan family structure is very important to the Navajo culture. The Navajo clans are not similar the typical American family. Extended family takes care of family members just as immediate family members would. The Navajo creation story involves Changing Woman traveling west to take care of the sun and moon.
The first four clans that were created were: Bitter Water Clan, Near the Water Clan, Towering House Clan, and Big Water Clan. The Navajo have a specific introduction they give one another which is sacred to them. The clan structure is not unique to the Navajo people, but has also been used in Scotland for many years. Navajo people have a very intricate family system that I found interesting. It is a confusing system to understand, but seems to have worked for a very long time. The best part about the Navajo family structure is the way that the extended family takes care of everyone in their clan.
American families could greatly benefit from the loving kindness that could be given by extended family members that is so often overlooked.
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Research essay sample on Native American Heritage Of The Navajo Clan
