The Navajos constitute Amerindian people of North America of the linguistic family athapascane and cultural zone of south-west. Navajos live with the the United States, in reserves of the North-East of the Arizona and contiguous areas of the New Mexico and Utah. They are narrowly related with the Apaches, and constitute to date the greatest community améridienne the United States.

History

Chronology

-1200 to -800 AV JC Dineh arrive in Alaska coming from Asia. Dineh are divided into four major groups: Eyaks, Haïdas, Tinglits and Athabascans. There is a strong probablity of a relationship to the languages sino-Tibetans.

-200 to 200 Athabascans and Tinglits separate in distinct tribes.

From 825 to 1000 Following violent volcanic eruptions which caused important climate changes, an important part of Athabascans emigrated in the south of the Canadian North-West, i.e. in the current area of Vancouver and the State of Washington.

Of 1300 to 1500 One second wave of emigration separated from the principal group to the Canada, to move towards the South-west of the United States and the North of the Mexico. This wave of emigration is at the origin of the sub-group Apache (Jicarilla, Mescalero, Chiricahua, Lipan, Aravaipa, Kiowa - Apache and Navajo). They settled in an area formerly inhabited by the Anasazi (Word navajo for ancestors). At that time the area was already inhabited by the Comanches, the Utes, the Pueblos and the Paiutes. They were not peaceful tribes and were known like petty thieves and plunderers in the area. They wandered in the area ranging between the west of the Texas, the south of the Utah, the Arizona, the New Mexico and the north of the Mexico, plundering the villages Pueblos and combatants the Comanches and the Utes. Then they were fixed definitively in an area which the Spaniards named later Apacheria.

It is thought that Navajos came from north and settled in the south-west of the the United States during the 16th century. At the 17th century, Navajos had become pastoral people, with an economy based mainly on the breeding and hunting.

Navajos entered in conflict with the Spanish colonists and the Mexicans at XVIIIe and the beginning of the 19th century. Their contacts with the Spaniards were limited but important; the latter introduced the horses, the sheep and the goats, which became vital elements of the economy navajo. In 1846, Navajos concluded a first treaty with the government from the the United States, but of the fixings with the troops states-uniennes involved hostilities in 1849 and combat repeated until in 1863. This year, the forces states-uniennes, directed by Kit Carson, launched a vast campaign against Navajos, and made captive 8  000 of them. These Amerindians were sent to foot in the reserve of Strong Sumner, in New Mexico. This deportation is known in the history navajo like “long walk”. In this reserve, Navajos had to suffer cruelly from epidemics and famines due to bad harvests, and were attacked by other tribes. A new treaty was signed in 1868, authorizing the survivors to join a reserve arranged on their old territory, and allotting sheep and bovines to them. In return, they agreed to live in peace with the colonists states-uniens. In 1884, the reserve was increased to be able to accommodate their herds which developed. At the end of the 19th century, Navajos thrived, the population had doubled, and of the additional grounds were still annexed to the reserve. As they were generally poor grounds, the foreigners did few attempts to invade the reserve. Serious problems of erosion of the ground and intensive pasture due to the considerable development of the livestock pushed the US government to impose on Navajos a reduction plan of the cattle. During the Second world war, good number of them left the reserve to be useful in the army or to work in the cities with linked activities with the war.

Navajos benefit also from tourism: installation of companies of excursions (guided visits, rambles or with horse, 4x4), exploitation of restaurants, hotels and bed & breakfast (in particular of hogan), creation and trade of craft industry navajo (jewels, potteries, carpet, memories). Their " capitale" is Window Rock, the festival of the nation navajo takes place during 5 days as from the first weekend of September. During five days, tradition and modernism are interfered in a cocktail dances, songs, parades and rodeos.

Social organization

Navajos are divided into more than fifty groups, and their mode of filiation is transmitted by the women (clans Matrilinéaire S). Navajos must marry apart from their own clan: this obligation constitutes true a Tabou. The basic social unit is a family (very) widened whose members have a complete range of responsibilities.

Although there exist modern residences in the reserve, of many Navajos continue to build the traditional hogans and to live there; the residences built by the State serve to them then as “reserve”. They are conical houses made of a wood reinforcement and covered with ground, equipped with a hole for smoke for the top and with a narrow passage and cover being used as entry. Contrary to the dwellings out of concrete and asbestos cement, they have like principal qualities to remain fresh in summer (in spite of the strong outside temperatures) and heats in winter. The villages comprise also one or more houses of sudation.

The statute of reserve of the territory where the majority live makes the maintenance of law and order particular: contrary to the American system of the counties electing of the Sheriff S, on all the reserve, it is the Tribal Police Navajo which is in charge of the infringements and offenses, while the crimes are spring of the federal government, via FBI.

Spirituality and art

Spirituality navajo is founded on the worship of nature, and the harmony (hozho) which it conceals. It utilizes a certain number of divinities who intervene occasionally in the human businesses, in particular “Coyote”, allegory of the evil. Coyote can appear by an accident, a catastrophe, but also by spite, or any nonrespectful human attitude of Dineh (Navajo people), its taboos and the harmony. The state of hozho is related to health, the beauty, the order and harmonizes it. The patient is considered at Navajos as that which broke this balance fixed once and for all.

The gods are regularly called upon: offerings theirs are made, and of the ceremonial dances are carried out in which they are represented by painted and masked men. Many ceremonies, indicated under the term of “Way” in French, being able to be spread out over several days and nights, have the role to make it possible to return the harmony to a member of Dineh with the world which surrounds it. The way of the Enemy, the way of the Blessing, the way of the Mountain, and much of others, have each one vocation to be led by a “hataali” (literally “Singer”, incorrectly translated by “shaman”) according to the circumstance which led the “patient” to lose harmony (close death, faintnesses, diseases, violation of a taboo, etc).

There exists also a vast mythology describing the origin of the human beings by creative the Coyote god of the First Man and the First Woman starting from corn ears.

Figure 4 revêt an almost divine importance in Navajo spirituality: 4 directions, 4 colors, etc The American novelist Tony Hillerman largely evokes many aspects of this spirituality in his work.

Their art is related to this spirituality: it is expressed through multiple visual representations as in the covers with the geometrical reasons and the colors sharp or in the copper jewels or in transitory paintings on sand with therapeutic destination, but also in drawings coloured on slates intended for the tourists. The songs, the incantations and the prayers form as part of ritual spiritual complexes at the same time as they constitute specific creations to these people.

Economy

The base of their saving in subsistence is founded on herds of sheep and goat's milk cheeses, some bovines and horses, and the employment occupied in various sectors, in particular tourism. Navajos manufacture also pottery and basket making and are famous for their their beautiful solid cover and silver jewels. In the middle of the 20th century, the production of oil and the rich person mineral layers discovery on the grounds of the reserve improved their economy considerably.

The population navajo increases at fast intervals (219  198 according to the census of 1990); this growth is likely to put a considerable pressure on their traditional economy. The grounds of their reserve add up more: 60000 km ² in Arizona and with the New Mexico, as well as a small portion in Utah and with the Colorado, which makes some vastest of the United States. Navajos have also the highest income of all the Amerindian people in the United States. It is considered at approximately 50 million dollars coming from the contracts of exploitation of oil and gas as well as from the mineral resources and forest.

Geography

The borders of the nation navajo touch the Ute nation at the point of contest of the four States Arizona, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico while extending through the Plateau from Colorado. On the nation navajo are the Canyon of Chelly, Monument Valley, the bridge Arc-en-Ciel, the Hopi reserve and the place crowned Shiprock. The seat of the government of the nation is in the town of Window Rock in the east of Arizona.

The congress of the United States of America established inside the territory of the Navajo nation a reserve for the Hopi nation (in navajo Oozéí or Ayahkinii “people of the underground houses”) on a historical ground of plundering in Diné.

In the spiritual culture Navajo, the Navajo territory is in fact delimited by the 4 crowned mountains which are the Blue Mountain (San Francisco Peak) with the SO, the Turquoise Mountain (Taylor Mount) with the SE, the White Mountain (Blanca Peak) with and Navajo Mountain with NO.

In the years 1980 a conflict started in connection with the common grounds Navajo/Hopi when the Département of the Interior of the United States tried to move Navajos living the common territory. The conflict was solved or, at least delayed, by the agreement of a 75 years hiring in Navajos refusing to leave the common territory. Another group of Navajos and Hopis lives on the tribal reserve Colorado River along the Colorado in the west of Arizona.

Language

The members of the nation are named Navajos and some times written Navaho. Navajos name them-even Diné or Dineh, the People in their language. Navajos are related close with the Apaches and the language Navajo with other languages apaches trains the family of the Langues athapascanes.

Their language is so particular that it was used during the Second world war in the war of the Pacific: the American secret services employed auxiliaries navajos which translated in their language the most confidential messages before they are encrypted. This technique prevented the Japanese secret services from breaking the American code.

See too

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