How does the Navajo clan system work?
How the clans are used. The Navajo people are a matrilineal and matrilocal society, with each person belonging to four different clans. The first clan is from the mother, second is the father, third is the maternal grandfather and the fourth is the paternal grandfather.
What is Navajo kinship?
The Diné society is based primarily upon kinship arising from clan affiliation, as each person is a member of the tribe by reason of his or her affiliation to one of the numerous Clans. It is very important for a person to know K’e – The Kinship System.
How do you introduce yourself in Navajo clans?
Introducing Yourself in Navajo
- Yá’át’ééh (It is good; welcome; hello)
- shik’éí dóó shidine’é (my family and my people, friends)
What does KÉ mean in Navajo?
K’é (pronounced “keh”) is a Diné (Navajo) word, meaning “system of kinship.” It is the feeling you have when you are deeply connected to others, and understand and value your roots.
What are the 4 original clans?
The original four clans are Kinyaa’áanii (Towering House), Honágháanii (One Who Walks Around), Tó’dích’íinii (Bitter Water), and Hashł’ishnii (Mud Clan).
Why is the Navajo clan system important?
Understanding the Clan System is crucial to understanding who you are as a Navajo individual. K’é refers to the establishment of familial and clan relationships and enables the Navajo individual to balance their own morality achieving kindness while following Navajo Tradition.
What is the family structure of the Navajo tribe?
Traditional Navajo society was organized through matrilineal kinship; small, independent bands of related kin generally made decisions on a consensus basis. Similar groups still exist but tend to be based on locality of residence as well as kinship; many of these local groups have elected leaders.
What does Hozho mean in Navajo?
balance and beauty
It has been said that Hózhó may be the most important word in the Navajo language. Often translated as ‘balance and beauty’ the concept of Hózhó carries with it an important emphasis on states of harmony.
How do you say family in Navajo?
Note: some kinship words are different depending on whether they are said by a male or a female….Family words in Navajo.
| Navajo | |
|---|---|
| family | k’é (kinship, extended family); ak’éí; hakʼéí; hooghan hazʼą́ |
| relative | hakʼéí |
| father | shizhé’é |
| mother | shimá |
Where did Navajo clans originated from?
According to scientists who study different cultures, the first Navajo lived in western Canada some one thousand years ago. They belonged to an American Indian group called the Athapaskans and they called themselves “Dine” or “The People”.
How is clanship determined in the Navajo culture?
Clanship is determined through the mother’s clan, and a child is “born for” the father’s clan. Clanship also determines marriage, as one should marry into one’s own clan, into one’s father’s clan, or with someone whose father’s clan is the same as your father. K’é is central to maintaining the Diné language and culture.
How does the Navajo system of family work?
One essential part of Navajo Clan system is introducing one’s paternal and maternal on both family sides whenever they meet another Navajo person or introducing oneself in public for the very first time. This has been considered as their way of knowing one another’s family members and relationship.
What are the customs of the Navajo people?
The Navajo people are discouraged from dating or marrying someone with matching maternal and paternal clans. Traditionally, Yazzie said, when a child is born and presented to its mother, the mother greets the newborn by telling them their maternal clan, followed by the paternal clan.
Why was the K’e system important to the Navajos?
Clanship also determines marriage, as one should marry into one’s own clan, into one’s father’s clan, or with someone whose father’s clan is the same as your father. K’é is central to maintaining the Diné language and culture.