Native Americans: Understanding Native American History - Research Paper Example

?Who are Native Americans? The term Native Americans refers to the indigenous populous in North America. They are compiled from a myriad of distinct tribes, states and ethnic groups of which many still survive in intact political communities. Examples of some Native American tribes include; the Navajo, Nez Perce, Pawnee, Cherokee, and Cheyenne etc. all these tribes are unique but share similarities in their way of life. Importance of understanding Native American History Understanding the Native American history, better helps persons to understand American history itself. The historical past of one’s country helps to determine its future. As the saying goes ‘you won’t know where you are going until you know where you are coming from’. However, when we understand history- in this case; Native American History it would mean that we understand and accept each other. Native Americans in general are known to be earthy people who are one with mother earth and they believe that every living thing on earth should be respected. Their history depicts, a vibrant culture and history and is also responsible for the early development of the Americas. The Navajo Nation Reviewed literature declares the Navajo tribe one of the largest reservation in America with an area covering an estimated 27 000 square miles. The area covers portions of Arizona and New Mexico, and a small part of southeastern Utah. Presently the capital of the Navajo nation is found at Window Rock in Arizona. The Navajos populous is said to be over 200 000 people, landing them the title of the largest Native American tribe in the United States. Furthermore, they are noted to be bilingual as they speak both their challenging and native Navajo language and also English. This noble Indian tribe lived in the South Western part of the United States. This definitive set of people refers to themselves as ‘Dineh’ which means “the people”. The Navajos travelled to the US from the northwest Pacific coast and Canada between the 1300’s and 1600’s. The Oracle ThinkQuest Library declared that the Navajos shared some relation to the Athabaskan tribe. Their clothing was compiled from animal skins that they hunted like deer, mountain sheep, antelope and rabbit. The Navajos gained recognition as warriors from the Spanish and other surrounding Indian tribes because the Navajos raided the Spanish settlers often to get their horses for hunting and fighting. The Navajos grew corn, beans and squash in fields that the Spanish term as ‘Nabaju’, which when translated means “great planted fields”. According to the said source; by the year 1750, the Navajos were living in valleys and mountains around the canyon de chelly in north eastern Arizona.1 They adopted a new life style being sheep herders and gave up hunting. Today Navajo tribes can be found in scattered locations in Arizona and New Mexico in houses called Hogans which are very easy to assemble. Before, their Hogans were made with supporting poles that were covered with mush and brush. Then they transformed to more stable Hogans made from logs chinked in mud in a circular shape.2 Culture of the Navajo Nation The culture of the Navajo people is quite exciting. They hold fascinating beliefs and engage in colorful ceremonies. They believe that the spiritual and the physical world blend together as one. The ‘Yei’ (holy ones) as they are known live in the four sacred mountains in each of the four directions that marks the boundaries of the Navajo land. The navajopeople.org website argues that the Navajos are highly ceremonial second to some of the Pueblo groups. Almost every act of their life; example, building a Hogan, planting crops and so on is ceremonial in nature, each being carried out with songs and prayers. The said source also declared that “the Navajo dead are buried by others than immediate relatives in unmarked graves. No ceremonies are held, for the dead are considered evil and are feared. The hogan in which death occurs is forever abandoned, often burned. Sometimes a hogan is demolished over the dead and then left to decay.” 3 The Navajo nation is strongly influenced by the Yei (holy ones) who visit the Navajo people every day and are said to be attracted by their rituals, prayers, stories and paintings. In a sense the Yei can be considered a general overseer. The Navajo nation engaged in two types of ceremonies; a ‘blessing way’ and an ‘enemy way’. The Blessing way ceremony is performed to keep the people on the path of wisdom and happiness. Whilst the Enemy way ceremony is performed to eradicate ghosts and discourage evil spirits. However, perhaps one of the most important ceremonies is a healing ceremony known as “sing”. During this ceremony a Navajo medicine man sings and creates a drawing called sand painting. Sand paintings often depict the holy ones with detailed figures, and are made by trickling from the hand, fine grains from crushed pollen, cornmeal, charcoal from a burned tree, and other powdered minerals. The Navajo Language The Navajos have never deterred from their native Athabaskan language, unlike many other native peoples who are trying to revive their languages. Spoken only on the Navajo reservation in the southwestern United States, until recently the Athabaskan was an unwritten language. A complex language, it is one characteristic which clearly defines this tribe from others and is very reflective of the Navajo way of life and their world.  To acquire the Athabaskan tongue, one must have extensive exposure and training. It is very difficult for non-Navajos to understand because of the precise way in which one object relates to another.  These relationships may appear irrelevant to outsiders, but are exceptionally important to the Navajos. Despite its complexity, the Athabaskan language was used to develop a secret code which helped American defeat Japan in World War II. With their strong fighting background, the Navajos are always quick to defend their country. The name ‘Navajo Code Talkers’, was given to them. During the war, only a handful of non-Navajos could speak the language with almost every single one of them not fluent. Traditional Navajo dressing The Navajos clothing is made from deerskin. The men wore breechcloths and leggings whilst the women wore deerskin dresses and both wore moccasins. After the 1800’s the Navajo men adapted the Mexican style and wore blankets draped over one shoulder with their pants ending halfway between their knees and ankles. The seams of their pants were decorated with silver buttons. The women also adapted to the Mexican style of dressing. They wore woolen dresses compiled from two blankets stitched together at their shoulders. Navajo women carried their babies in cradle boards, sometimes strapped to their backs and later the women traded for calico and made big, full skirts. The traditional dress worn by women is made of cotton material, having three to four tears in the skirt.  Then her top ensemble is typically made of velvet or crushed velvet adorned with coin buttons. To top it off, she will also wear two types of traditional belts, either at the same time or one at a time which is decided based on the type of event or reason for dressing traditional.  The first belt is a woven belt known as a “sash belt”, the other, a leather belt, which is worn on top of the sash; known as a ‘Concho’ belt.  The women have no traditional head dresses, instead just a Navajo bun positioned on the back of the head. On the other hand, the traditional dressing of a man is a cotton pants, a ‘Concho’ belt, and velvet or crushed velvet shirt.  Interestingly enough a man and wife will usually wear matching outfits.  Unlike the woman, the Navajo men wear a traditional head dress. Apart from the ‘Navajo bun’ a black scarf, folded to look like a belt is tied over one ear.  Analysis of how the Navajo culture is crucial in understanding Native American History Going back to the argument at hand “identifying how the Navajo culture is critical to understanding Native American History”- readings have implied that there are a vast amount of similarities in the culture and way of life of the Navajo and other Indian tribes. A culmination of all these similarities helps to tell the Native American History. At the same time the term ‘culture’ covers aspects such their food, music, customs and beliefs. In other words all these things help to define the American Indians and this certainly helps to tell their history. The researcher’s analysis pertaining to the subject can best be expressed this way-the Navajo culture helps the researcher to understand their history in a sense that Native Americans were and are still subject to stereotype, racism and prejudice from the Europeans. How was this idea perceived? The way of life of the Navajo and other Indian tribes was considered uncivilized and beneath the Europeans. At one point Native American children were taken from their parents and sent to school to civilize them but at the same time robbing them of an enriched and vibrant culture and heritage. To add insult to injury, allabouthistroy.org reported that indifferences between whites and Native Americans led to the Indian wars and later the Indian removal act of 1830. Furthermore, the year 1890 marked one of the devastating massacres that ever occurred. Many women and children were brutally slaughtered by the US cavalry. Afterwards the U.S government began Relocation Programs and the now famous ‘Trail of Tears’ march where hundreds of Cherokee died from starvation, exposure, and illnesses caused Native Americans not only to be reduced in number but taken from their homes, stripped of their customs, and even forbidden to speak their native languages. In January 1876, the U.S. government forced them to live on ‘reservations’ where the majority of Native Americans still reside today. Notes 1. Oracle Think Quest, the Navajo tribe, thinkquest.org, http://library.thinkquest.org/J002073F/thinkquest/Navajo_people.htm (accessed May 18, 2011) 2. Oracle Think Quest, the Navajo tribe, thinkquest.org, http://library.thinkquest.org/J002073F/thinkquest/Navajo_people.htm (accessed May 18, 2011) 3. Navajopeople.org, Navajo culture, http://navajopeople.org/navajo-culture.htm (Accessed May 18, 2011) Sources Consulted Allaoubthistory.org, Native American history, (2011), retrieved from: http://www.allabouthistory.org/native-american-history.htm Navajopeople.org, Navajo culture,(2011) retrieved from: http://navajopeople.org/navajo-culture.htm Navajo Indian tribe, (2011), retrieved from: http://navajo-arts.com/navajo-indian-tribe.html Navajo-Traditional dressing, (2011), retrieved from: http://www.mce.k12tn.net/indians/reports2/navajo.htm Oracle Think Quest, the Navajo tribe, thinkquest.org, (2011) retrieved from: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002073F/thinkquest/Navajo_people.htm Read More