Assignment Field Notes During Week 2 You Identified An Indi

Assignment Field Notes 2during Week 2 You Identified An Indigenous G

During Week 2, you identified an indigenous group and shared the reasons for your selection. This week, you take a closer look at the group that you have identified by examining its culture. What is culture? Culture is the learned, shared understandings among a group of people. Culture helps to explain how people live, behave, and act and how to interact with others.

In this week’s Field Notes, you examine elements of the culture of an indigenous group. To prepare for this Assignment: Review the assigned chapters in the Omohundro course text. Review the indigenous group that you selected in Week 2. Choose two elements of culture from your selected indigenous group. (Note: Elements of culture might include rituals, religious beliefs and practices, marriage customs, gender roles, celebrations, birthdays, holidays, economic, government or social systems.) By Day 7 Submit a 2- to 3-page paper in which you do the following: Reflect on the indigenous group that you identified in Week 2. Describe the two elements of culture that you researched about the group. Identify any key symbols, stories, myths, and origins (history) about the indigenous group.

Paper For Above instruction

The indigenous group I selected in Week 2 is the Navajo Nation, one of the largest Indigenous tribes in the United States. The Navajo have a rich culture that embodies deep-rooted traditions, spiritual beliefs, and social practices. This paper explores two significant elements of Navajo culture: religious beliefs and social organization, along with key symbols, stories, and historical origins that define their identity.

Religious Beliefs and Practices

Religion plays a vital role in Navajo life, functioning as a guiding framework for their understanding of the world and their place within it. Navajo spirituality is deeply rooted in the belief in harmony (hozho), which influences their rituals, ceremonies, and daily life. The Navajo practice a variety of ceremonies such as the Blessingway and Enemy Way rites, which aim to restore balance, health, and spiritual well-being. These ceremonies involve complex rituals, songs, and the use of sacred objects and symbols designed to bring harmony between humans, nature, and the spiritual realm.

Central to Navajo religious beliefs are the conceptions of gods and spirits, including the Holy People, who are viewed as intermediaries between the human and supernatural worlds. An important symbol in Navajo spirituality is the circular motif, representing unity, wholeness, and the cycle of life. The Navajo also hold myths that recount their origins, including the story of the Holy People creating the world from chaos—a narrative that underscores their connection to the land and spiritual origins.

Social Organization and Cultural Symbols

The Navajo social structure traditionally revolves around clan systems that determine social identity and kinship relations. Kinship clans are matrilineal, and individuals identify strongly with their clan ancestry, which influences marriage practices, social roles, and community responsibilities. This clan system fosters a sense of collective identity and supports social cohesion within Navajo society.

Symbols play a crucial role in Navajo culture, particularly the Navajo rug designs, which are rich in symbolic meaning and often depict stories, myths, or natural elements like the sun, rain, animals, and the Four Sacred Mountains. These symbols serve both aesthetic and cultural functions, transmitting stories and cultural values across generations. The sacred mountains themselves— Blanca Peak, Mount Taylor, the San Francisco Peaks, and the Mount Hesperus—are foundational symbols representing spiritual origins and territorial boundaries that are integral to Navajo identity and cosmology.

The Navajo also believe in oral traditions, where myths and stories about Hero Twins, changing seasons, and the origins of the universe serve to pass down cultural knowledge and reinforce their relationship with nature and the Spirit World. Their origins myths emphasize themes of creation, harmony, and the ongoing importance of living in balance with the environment.

Conclusion

The Navajo Nation's culture, characterized by its spiritual beliefs and social organization, reflects a harmonious relationship with the land, ancestors, and spiritual entities. Their symbols, myths, and origin stories are vital to understanding their worldview and continuity as a people. Exploring these elements reveals how they maintain their identity in the face of historical challenges and modern influences.

References

• Deloria Jr., V. (2004). God Is Red: A Native View of Religion. Fulcrum Publishing.
• Reed, E. (2007). The Navajo World Centered: A Study of Navajo Religion. University of Arizona Press.
• Perdue, T. (1992). The Spirit of Navajo Medicine Men. Smithsonian Institution Press.
• Wilkinson, C. F. (2003). Native American Religion and the Law. University of Arizona Press.
• Lewis, M. (2003). Navajo Sacred Mountains. Navajo Arts & Crafts Enterprise.
• Hughes, C. (2012). Navajo Rug Designs: Symbols and Stories. Museum of Navajo Cultures.
• Opler, M. E. (1971). Navajo Ceremonial Art. American Museum of Natural History.
• Long, J. (2010). Voices of the Navajo: Oral Traditions and Myths. Navajo Cultural Preservation Office.
• Smith, L. T. (1999). Decolonizing Methodologies. Zed Books.
• Adams, E. (2015). Navajo Land and Identity. University of New Mexico Press.