Ethnographic Post - Syd

Assimilation of the Navajos

The history of the United States is one filled with much ups and downs. Of course there have been positive things that have happened and plenty of progress that has been made, but it has not always come free of charge to us all. Some people and groups have taken more of the toll throughout this process than others. Members of the Navajo Nation are examples of this strife and the way "progress" is not always necessarily progress.

For example, one thing I believe to definitely not be an act of progress is the process of assimilation. Culture assimilation is the process of trying to merge two different groups with one another while only maintaining the culture of one group. This is an incredibly demeaning process and it takes away the vast majority of what makes those people the individuals they are. This process involves many things such as schooling techniques/locations, languages taught, languages allowed to be spoken, forced activities, etc. Many tribes in America were severely changed and threatened by this process.

The Navajo Nation was not lucky exactly, but compared to other Native American tribes it has weathered the effects of assimilation fairly well. The process is inevitable practically now in modern days. Through entertainment such as TVs and music, Navajo youth are exposed to the English language and to many things foreign to their way of life. Influence comes from every which direction and the culture is experiencing some definite changes from it but thankfully not anything pressingly detrimental. 


Works Cited

"Cultural Survival vs. Forced Assimilation." Reyhner, Jon. Cultural Survival. 25.2 (Summer 2001) Endandered Languages, Endangered Lives. 2001. Web. 4 April 2016.

ETHNOGRAPHIC POST - Ammaar Mohammed

Introduction
The Navajo Nation are a semi autonomous Native American territory which covers portions of 3 states of the US - Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. Covering an area of nearly 71,000 sq/km, the Navajo Nation is considered to be having the largest area of land ever retained by a US tribe. As the language spoken by the Nvajos is somehow to similar to the Apache language, the Navajo Nation's real name in its native language is "Naabeeho Binahasdzo."

Population and Code Talkers
Today, the Navajo Nation has an estimated population of over 250,000. Even though they have a significant population, they are still striving to grow their economy in the best way possible. The Navajos were often regarded as common Native American tribes which had been living in the lands for centuries until the discovery of oil in the 1920s which had made Navajo Nation as a wealthy tribal nation. Following the discovery of oil, the Navajo nation looked forward to make more progress in making and forming its own government. Many people would not know this but that Navajos had played really important roles in important wars and battles the United States were involved in. During World War II, and America's war on the Empire Of Japan (Iwo Jima); the Navajo tribals were often regarded as code talkers. The Navajo men would be selected and would be on the front line creating codes to deceive those on the other side of the battlefield. Major Howard Connor, who served during the Iwo Jima war said, "Were it not for the Navajos, the marines would have never taken Iwo Jima." Today, the Navajos are regarded as the Navajo code talkers who's patriotism and bravery is completely unequaled.

Religion and Ceremonial Rituals
The Navajo religion is considered equal to polytheism. Navajo Gods and supernatural deities are many and varied. The most important among them are the anthropomorphic deities such as the Changing Woman or the Spider Woman, the consort of the Sun God, and their two sons - The Monster Slayers. In the Navajo religion, some animals are believed to possess some kind of supernatural powers and so are natural phenomena such as wind, light, thunder, darkness etc. The most respected of the Navajo religious practitioners are called the singers. Because of their superiority and respect in the community, they are often informally referred to as priests and the holiest man in the community. What makes the Navajo ceremonies so interesting is that they have a ritual for uncommon things like agriculture, war, hunting, and the treatment of illnesses.

Marriages and Arts
Marriages in Navajo cultures had always been monogamous until recently it has been said that polygamy has been allowed in their cultures. Until now, nearly 10 percent of the Navajo men have 2 wives. Marriages in Navajo culture has now been polygamous, but the divorce rate has been fairly high. Art in Navajo culture are regarded to be of main importance. Folk songs, art, dances, poetry, and costumes are some of the main topics of the Navajo artistic culture. Today, Navajo artists are held with high respect and have often called painters who have their own studios in many western cities.

Work Cited
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo_Nation
"Monitoring and analysis of sand dune movement and growth on the navajo nation, southwestern United States." Redsteer M, Bogle R, Vogel J. 2011. Web 28 April 2016.
"Strong Navajo Marriages." Skogrand L, Mueller M, Arrington R, Rosenbrand R. January 1 2008. Accessed April 28 2016.