The Navajo are one of the largest indigenous tribes of North America. They are commonly referred to as Native Americans or Indians in American culture but the Navajo tribe call themselves Dineh, which means "the people". "The Dineh have a strong tradition of oneness with the land, and fully believe they have been in the Southwest as long as or longer than anyone else " (Linford, 2000). Here, I will discuss the major culturally identifiable characteristics about the Navajo tribe including their social, political, and economic organization to their kinship, values, and beliefs. .
Navajo Tribe .
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The Navajo tribe of is located in the arid, Southwestern region of the United States. This covers the present day location over northeastern Arizona, southeastern Utah, and northwestern New Mexico. They are the largest government-recognized tribe in the U.S. The Navajo Nation, whose members are a couple hundred thousand, governs over the Indian Reservation. This reservation is larger than most East Coast states. But it is not even half of the land that they used to call home. Although the Navajo language is primarily spoken, most members of the tribe speak English too. .
Primary Mode of Subsistence .
The Navajo were originally foragers but they were influenced by those that came to their lands. The Pueblos taught them how to grow food crops such as beans and corn. The Spanish influenced their current pastoral culture by introducing herding. Their primary choice of livestock today is sheep. "Navajo sheep are owned by individuals, but the herds are kept communally within a matrilocal residential group. The products from the herd are shared: all owners contribute animals for meat, and wool is shorn and sold communally by the residential head for the benefit of the group (Nowak & Baird, 2010, Chapter 5, Sec 2).
Kinship.
The Navajo family size is twice that of an average American-sized family. It is also common that the Navajo family is without a father in the picture.
