26
Jun

What’s the Navajo clan system? just What this means to introduce your self in Navajo

What’s the Navajo clan system? just What this means to introduce your self in Navajo

Each clan arises from some other part of the Navajo country, using their very own meaning and a tale in it. (Photo: grandriver/Getty pictures)

For the Navajo individuals, introducing yourself is mostly about more than simply someone that is telling name, it is about sharing for which you originate from.

Where you “come from” isn’t only the positioning of your location, but more what describes you. For the Navajo people who comes from their clans.

The Navajo individuals life style revolves around kinship or K’e, which comes from familial and clan relationships.

“K’e is really a thought that is unifying one of the Navajo individuals,” said Evangeline Parsons Yazzie, writer of “Dine Bizaad Binahoo’aah: Rediscovering The Navajo Language” and Professor Emerita of Navajo from Northern Arizona University.

“It started utilizing the individuals. It absolutely was a present for them by their deities,” she included.

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Navajo clans

In Navajo culture, Changing Woman, a revered Navajo deity, developed the Navajo individuals. Whenever she ended up being planning to leave on her behalf journey back into the West, she gifted these with four clans.

“The clan is actually crucial ourselves. for all of us to spot”

Grace Tracy, social liaison for Tsehootsooi infirmary

The four original clans for the Navajo folks are Kinyaa’aanii (The Towering House clan), Honaghaahnii (One-walks-around clan), Todich’ii’nii (Bitter Water clan) and Hashtl’ishnii (Mud clan).

The clan system was Changing female’s way of telling the Navajo people who this can provide you with who you really are, stated Grace Tracy, social liaison for Tsehootsooi infirmary in Fort Defiance, Arizona.

“The clan is actually crucial ourselves,” she added for us https://datingmentor.org/ to identify.

Today, there are many than 100 clans among the list of Navajo individuals. Tracy stated each clan originates from some other part of the Navajo country, with regards to very own meaning and a tale in it.

The way the clans are utilized

The Navajo individuals are a matrilineal and society that is matrilocal with every individual owned by four different clans. 1st clan is through the mom, second may be the father, third may be the maternal grandfather and also the fourth may be the paternal grandfather.

“just how this clan system is organized leads to the mother’s clan being carried ahead constantly, whereas the father’s clan rounds out after two generations,” in accordance with NavajoWOTD.com.

The Navajo individuals are discouraged from dating or marrying some body with matching maternal and paternal clans.

Typically, Yazzie stated, whenever a child comes into the world and presented to its mom, the caretaker greets the newborn by telling them their maternal clan, followed closely by the paternal clan.

“the caretaker concludes with, ‘In that way, you will be my infant,'” Yazzie stated. “that is just what we are expected to do whenever our infant comes into the world.”

K’e and clanship unify the Navajo individuals, Yazzie said, offering a feeling of belonging.

Each time a Navajo individual presents on their own to a different Navajo individual who occurs to own several regarding the clans that are same do, those two become associated through clan.

“You develop familial relationships,” Yazzie stated.

The Navajo is helped by those relationships individuals, specially when they truly are from the Navajo country.

“You need to establish your feeling of belonging those types of individuals you are presenting you to ultimately. Additionally, you will be telling them she said that you are Navajo.

Introducing your self in Navajo

Whenever a Navajo individual presents by themselves it often starts having a greeting.

Ya’at’eeh (Hello).

They transfer to their name.

Shi ei (name) yinishye (i will be called . )

After the title, they introduce their four clans.

Mom’s clan nishli?

Father’s clan bashishchiin

Maternal grandfather’s clan dashicheii

Paternal grandfather’s clan dashinali

An English translation could be “we have always been (mom’s clan), born for (daddy’s clan), my maternal grandfather is (maternal grandfather’s clan), my paternal grandfather’s clan is (paternal grandfather’s clan).

If some one additionally arises from another history perhaps maybe perhaps not an element of the Navajo clan system, it really is typical training to substitute out of the clan for a term showing that history, based on NavajoWOTD.com.

The introduction is normally closed down with Ahehee’, which means many thanks or i will be grateful.