Table of Contents
- 1 How did the Navajo interact with their environment?
- 2 How did the Navajo view nature?
- 3 How do the Navajo make a living today?
- 4 What did the Navajo tribe believe in?
- 5 Why are the Navajo important?
- 6 What is Navajo religion?
- 7 Why was the medicine man important to the Navajo?
- 8 Can a Western culture destroy the Navajo soul?
These people adapted well to the desert environs, with the Navajo employing hunting and gathering, farming and sheepherding. The Navajo learned pottery and weaving from the Pueblos, but adapted sheep’s wool to weaving and refined the art by creating large, spectacular blankets.
If we learn or attain something, it was there from the beginning of time. The stardust was there, stardust is here, we are the stardust from the Universe, from the Earth; we are of Nature, we are Nature, we come from Nature, we go back to Nature. This is ancient Navajo sense of spirituality.
The Navajo depend on agriculture and live-stock but supplement their income through commerce in native crafts. In addition, contracts for resources such as timber, oil, coal, uranium, and gas provide the Navajo nation with income, and many men work on the railroads.
How did the Navajo people make a living?
The Navajo were farmers who grew the three main crops that many Native Americans grew: corn, beans, and squash. After the Spanish arrived in the 1600s, the Navajo began to farm sheep and goats as well, with sheep becoming a major source of meat. They also hunted animals for food like deer and rabbits.
What are the Navajo known for?
The Navajo are known for their woven rugs and blankets. They first learned to weave cotton from the Pueblo peoples. When they started to raise sheep they switched to wool. These blankets were valuable and only the wealthy leaders could afford them.
The Diné believe there are two classes of beings: the Earth People and the Holy People. The Holy People are believed to have the power to aid or harm the Earth People. Since Earth People of the Diné are an integral part of the universe, they must do everything they can to maintain harmony or balance on Mother Earth.
NAVAJO BELIEFS The Diné believe there are two classes of beings: the Earth People and the Holy People. The Holy People are believed to have the power to aid or harm the Earth People. They were taught to live in harmony with Mother Earth, Father Sky and the many other elements such as man, animals, plants, and insects.
What are the beliefs of the Navajo people?
The Navajo people, the Diné, passed through three different worlds before emerging into this world, The Fourth World, or Glittering World. The Diné believe there are two classes of beings: the Earth People and the Holy People. The Holy People are believed to have the power to aid or harm the Earth People.
When did the Navajos return to their land?
Many died along the way, and died during the four long years of imprisonment. In 1868 after signing a treaty with the U.S., remaining Navajos were allowed to return to designated lands currently occupied in the Four Corners area of the U.S.
The Medicine man (Hatałii) plays a dominant role in the Navajo culture and holds great respect and honor among the Navajo people. He is important because he has knowledge of the heritage and culture of the Navajo and because he has a tie to the past, a tie to The People’s history, legends, and myths that are slowly fading away as the old die.
The Western culture cannot destroy the Navajo soul and spirituality of San Francisco Peaks (sacred mountains); it can try to evict it, but the soul and spirituality waits around in the shadows of Navajo bodies.