Exploring Navajo Culture

Defining  Culture:

         There are many definitions of culture, but the definition that we will focus on is one that emphasizes the human and social aspects of people.  In Multicultural Education , Banks and McGee state, “Most social scientists today view culture as consisting primarily of the symbolic, ideational, and intangible aspects of human societies. The essence of a culture is not its artifacts, tools, or other tangible cultural elements but how the members of the group interpret, use, and perceive them. It is the values, symbols, interpretations, and perspectives that distinguish one people from another in modernized societies; it is not material objects and other tangible aspects of human societies. People within a culture usually interpret the meaning of symbols, artifacts, and behaviors in the same or in similar ways.”

The Navajo Culture: Diné

         The Navajo People call themselves Diné, which means “the people”. They were here long before the European, the African, the Latino, and the Asian. Yet the Diné often think of themselves as the forgotten people.

         The Navajo culture today encompasses over 200,000 people, spanning more than 14 million acres of reservation land and nearby cities.  In terms of acreage, the Navajo reservation is the largest Native American reservation in the United States. In terms of numbers, the Navajo Nation is the largest tribe of Native Americans.  They continue to live in traditional hogans, which dot the reservation.

             Navajo families belong to clans. Families are very traditional, they were nomadic historically and made their livelihood as sheepherders. They continue to herd sheep and also to farm. Mutton is a major source of food. The wool is spun and woven to make clothing. The Navajo are also renowned weavers of rugs. Many Navajo arts continue to be passed on, as daughters and granddaughters learn to weave, make baskets, mold pottery, and bead jewelry.