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Jessica Williams
ELED 3223
18 February 2016
Teacher Brief on the Navajo Indian Tribe
Overcoming stereotypes for any group is tough as a teacher, especially the one formed
around Indians. If you ask your students to describe an Indian and what they might do or where
they live you will find many typical things. The feather headdress, living in a teepee, and dancing
around. The information in this paper should help you lessen these stereotypes and help you
teach your students what Native Americans are really like. For any teacher wanting to do a unit
on Navajo Indians the following information will be very helpful for you. I plan to introduce
basic information about where they lived and are living now, and other interesting facts to share
with your students. I also plan to provide information on cultures, traditions and their
government system. I hope the following information will help you on your journey to teach
your students about the Navajo Indians.
Background Information
The word Navajo comes from the phrase Tewa Navahu, which means highly cultivated
lands. The Navajo Nation is located in Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. Navajo Nation covers
over 27,000 square miles and has more than a dozen national monuments, historical sites and
parks. The Navajo Indians are considered the largest tribe of all Native Americans. Today, they
live on a reservation that is 14,000 miles and it lays between Arizona and New Mexico. Their
tribes date back to prehistoric times, and they were primarily hunter and gatherers until they
made contact with Puebloans and learned how to grow corn, squash, and beans. Eventually they

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herded sheep and goats, which became a major source of trade and food for them (Navajo
Indians, 2016).
Code Talkers
Another interesting part of the Navajo Indians culture are the code talkers. The Navajo
code talkers were in all six Marine divisions from 1942-1945 and have been known to have
saved a lot of lives. The first twenty-nine people recruited for the job were sent to Camp Elliot
near San Diego in May 1942. Their first task was to create a Navajo code. Navajo language was
a sound choice for the code because their language is not written and only a few people who
arent of Navajo descent can understand it. During the course of the war, over 400 Navajo
Indians were involved in the code talker program. The initial code consisted of 211 vocabulary
terms and grew to 411 terms over the course of the war. (Navajo Code, 2008). Their main job
was to transmit information on tactics, orders, and other battlefield information through
telegraphs and radios in their native language. The code talkers could decipher Morse code in
just a few minutes. Without the code talkers the marines probably couldnt have taken Iwo Jima.
Their spoken language was so hard to comprehend it made the code extremely difficult to
decipher (Discover Navajo).

Beliefs and Culture

Another important aspect of the Navajo Indians are their traditions, beliefs, and culture.
The Navajo people, passed through three different worlds before coming into The Fourth World,
or Glitter World. They believed they began in the first world which was small and pitch black.
There were four seas and in the middle an island with a single pine tree existed. Creatures like
ants, dragonflies, locusts and beetles lived there and made up the Air-Spirit People of the world.

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Each of the four seas was ruled by a supernatural being. Above the sea there was a black cloud,
white could, yellow cloud, and blue could. The female spirit lived in the black cloud, and the
male spirit lived in the white one. The yellow and blue clouds came together, the First Woman,
while the black and white could came together to form the First Man. The Great Coyote was
formed in the water, saying he hatched from an egg and claimed to know all the secrets of the
water and skies. A second coyote appeared and named First Angry and brought witch craft into
the world. Then then entered the second world. There were other creatures and animals there
including birds. A swallow welcomed them and they lived peacefully for twenty three days until
one of the Air-Spirit People tried to sleep with the swallow chiefs wife. They were then
banished and they had to travel onward to the third world. There were six mountains there and
thats where the holy people lived and were ruled by Gods: Talking God, Black God, Water
Sprinkler, and House God. The mountain gods took a set of twins from the First Woman and
taught them to pray and wear masks before they went back to their parents. Over the next eight
winters, the twins found mates and brought more people into the world. They then traveled to the
fourth world, or Glitter World. With help from the Wind God, people were able to leave the
island. First Man and First Woman built the first hogan to live in (Navajo Creation, 2016 ). They
believe there are two classifications of people; the Earth People and the Holy People. They
believe the Holy People have the ability to harm and heal the Earth People. The Navajo believe
they must do everything they can to maintain the balance on Mother Earth (Discover Navajo).
The Holy People put four sacred mountains in four different directions, Mt. Blanca to the
east, San Francisco Peak to the west, Mt. Taylor to the south, and Mt. Hesperus to the north near
Durango Colorado, which created the Navajoland (Navajo Indian Culture 2016). The number
four is seen multiple times in their philosophy. In Navajo culture, there are four directions, four

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seasons, the first four clans and four colors that are associated with the sacred mountains. There
are many other examples in their traditions and songs that use the number four. There are more
than 50 different kinds of ceremonies performed in their culture. Some last several hours and
others can last as long as nine days!
Gender Roles of the Navajo
Another interesting topic that you could bring up with your students is the common
gender roles of the tribe. This could possibly be controversial and a little difficult for young
children to understand but it is interesting to discuss. So in the Navajo tribe, the men did most of
the hunting and became chiefs, and only men could go to war. Children were responsible for
farming and livestock. Women were in charge of making rugs and made sculptured pottery and
men made jewelry. The only known job that men and women could both do was healing but
there is a process people can go through to change genders. A Nadleeh is someone who acts
opposite of their gender. They choose to do this because they are not satisfied with their gender
roles. There are some rules that come with being a Nadleeh. They can wear clothes of either
gender or a mix of both. Nadleehs can also marry either sex that they choose. The only exception
is hunting and warfare, they cannot do these things if they choose the female gender (Rubina).
In Navajo culture it is completely acceptable for people to switch genders and is sometimes
actually praised and honored. Compared to our society, which it is frowned upon and is socially
unacceptable.
Medicine Men
The medicine man is a huge part of Navajo culture and way of life. He has great respect
and honor among the Navajo people. They believe the medicine man is the holder of truth about
their way of life. When a medicine man gets called to perform a sing, or ceremony he comes

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not only to heal the sick but also tells them the story of their journey from the First to the Fourth
World. After he tells the story he then answers questions they have about life and anything that
has to do with mans existence on earth (Discover Navajo). A medicine man spends a great deal
of his life learning ceremonial procedures, but he will never learn more than 3 in their lifetime.
Medicine men are significantly well paid for their services they receive a large amount of money
and as many as five sheep, and blankets. Before money was available, they were paid with
livestock, turquoise, and rugs.
Sand Painitng
The Navajo people also use Sandpainting as a way to cure the sick. They make a
painting into a smooth bed of sand which is of course temporary. Crushed yellow ochre, red
sandstone, gypsum, and charcoal were used to create the images during chants. The chants were
for the Earth people and the Holy people to come back into the ceremony, which gives healing
and protection to the people (Navajo Culture and Traditions).
Navajo National Fair
The Navajo Nation continue to honor and celebrate their culture and history through the
Navajo National Fair that is held in Window Rock, AZ. It is the largest American Indian fair in
the United States. They especially love rodeos in Navajo country. The tradition continues with
Navajo Song and Dance, Contest Pow-Wow, Baby Contest, Miss Navajo Pageant, and the
Navajo Nation Fair Parade. There is also a fry bread contest where people can see how it is
made, which is really interesting (Discover Navajo)!
Kinaalda
Kinaalda is a celebration for maturity of girls among the Navajo people. This celebration
is usually held on the fourth night after the first evidence of the girls entrance into womanhood.

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On the first morning following the change, the girl bathes and wears her best clothes. After that
she stretches herself face down on a blanket outside the Hogan (which is their house) with her
head at the door. A sister, or female relation and if not present her father then symbolically
remolds her. After the remolding the women in the neighborhood dress her hair in a specific knot
and wraps it in deer skin strings called tsklolh. Then she proceeds to run into the east direction
about a quarter mile and back. She does this every morning until after the public ceremony. By
doing this she is showing she will be strong, and active during womanhood. The four days before
the ceremony she can only eat mush and bread, and must refrain from scratching her head and
body because marks made by her nails during this period would cause ugly scars (Kinaalda,
2010). The girls friends and neighbors are notified of the ceremony and gather at her house early
in the evening. At dark, the medicine man begins his songs singing the first twelve of the Hogan
songs of the Bahozhonchi. The singing continues until sunrise, and the mother washes her hair.
Then they eat the corn cake that was prepared and her hair can be loosened and she can eat the
food as she pleases (Kinaalda, 2010).
Government
The Navajo Nation Government is also an important feature to discuss with your class to
help them better understand the Navajo people. Before the arrival of the Spanish (1958) and the
Anglos (1846) the Navajo people governed themselves and resolved problems in their own ways.
They lived in family groups and clans, and talked their problems out amongst themselves. The
judges were the hozhoji Naataah, or peace chiefs (Yazzie). They were chosen by a community
census because of their wisdom, spirituality, speaking abilities, and skill in planning for
community survival and prosperity. The peace chiefs mediated disputes by encouraging people to
talk out their problems or order to reach agreed settlements and keep peace in the community.

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Unlike European law, Navajo law was based on relationships respect and mutual need, and not
power. During the detention of the Navajo people at Bosque Redondo (1863-1868), they were
divided into twelve villages and each having a chief (Navajo National, 2011). Minimal charges
were to be handled by the village chief. More extreme charges were handled by all twelve of the
chiefs serving on a jury and the commander of Fort Sumner would serve as the judge for the
trials. In April 1883, the Court of Indian Offenses, also known as CFR Court was created
(Yazzie). The code of the courts was created to destroy Indian customs and religious practices,
and used a vehicle to control the Navajo people. Many of their traditional practices were turned
into punishable crimes such as: polygamy, wedding gifts and other traditions. In 1892, the
Navajo Courts of Indian Offenses were established. There is no actual evidence of what they did,
but early records show that the judges handled the cases involving alcohol possession, family
violence, public intoxication and theft.
Closure
I hope after reading all this information you will be able to teach a successful unit on the
Navajo Indian tribe. They have a very complex government system and very important customs
and traditions also. The Navajo people have progressed forward with time and the way of life but
they also have time set aside to embrace their history and where they came from. It is important
to remember when teaching that there can be topics and conversations that come up that raise
questions to children and might also make them curious and question their own beliefs. It is
especially important to be careful when talking about the Nadleeh people because children do not
understand this way of life. You should expect your students to take away from this unit that the
Navajo Indians were an interesting tribe and without them we may not have won the war.
Students should also understand culture and traditions are vital to holding this group of people

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together. We do not have to force them to accept the ways and thinking of other people, but they
should understand and respect it. I think this will be a fun and rewarding unit to do with a class
and hope this paper helps you on your journey to teaching it to your students!

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Works Cited
"Kinaalda Celebrating Maturity of Girls among the Navajo." Navajo People Culture History.
16 Dec. 2010. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
Navajo Code Talkers and the Unbreakable Code. (2008). Retrieved April 11, 2016, from
https://www.cia.gov/news-information/featured-story-archive/2008-featured-storyarchive/navajo-code-talkers/
Navajo Creation Story | Four Worlds. (n.d.). Retrieved April 07, 2016, from
http://www.navajolegends.org/navajo-creation-story/
Navajo History. (n.d.). Retrieved February 29, 2016, from
http://www.discovernavajo.com/navajo-culture-and-history.aspx
Navajo Indian Culture and Traditions. (2016). Retrieved February 29, 2016, from
http://www.navajoindian.net/navajo-culture-and-traditions
Navajo Indians. (2016). Retrieved February 29, 2016, from
http://www.indians.org/articles/navajo-indians.html
Navajo National Government. (2011). Retrieved February 15, 2016, from http://www.navajonsn.gov/history.htm
Rubina, D. (2013, October 02). Gender roles in the Navajo tribe. Retrieved February 15, 2016,
from https://prezi.com/ef-uvqna7tqg/gender-roles-in-the-navajo-tribe/
Yazzie, Robert. "HISTORY OF THE COURTS OF THE NAVAJO NATION." HISTORY OF
THE COURTS OF THE NAVAJO NATION. Navajo Nation Museum, Library & Visotor
Center, 2003. Web. 28 Feb. 2016. from http://www.navajocourts.org/history.htm