As of 2010,
the total population of the Navajo Nation aggregated to a total of 173,667
people, which implied a decrease of almost 4% over the past decade. New Mexico
tribal lands saw the largest decrease in population with 5.7%, followed by Utah
with 5.0%. Arizona, which has the largest tribal population of the three
states, saw a slighter decrease of 2.7 percent. However, it needs to be
mentioned that this decrease may not accurately describe the actual population
change among the Navajo Nation, as the numbers are based on the official census
and therefore do not include members of the tribe that live outside of the
tribal boundaries. The population change between 2000 and 2010 is further
illustrated by Figure 1.
 | |||||
| Figure 1: Population change Navajo Nation |
In terms of gender, the Navajo Nation exhibits a strong
balance between males an females, with females being slightly more represented
(50.9%). The greatest difference can be observed in the Arizona tribe, where
females comprise 51% of the tribe population. These counts do not include
individuals who identify as transgender or genderless.
In addition to that, the Navajo
Nation stands out for their liberal perception of gender and sexuality. Whereas
these topics are the source of conflict and discrimination among many other
cultures due to religious beliefs, this does not apply to the Navajo as it is
their understanding that every individual should be accepted for who they are.
Instead of defining a person based on their sexuality or gender perception, the
Navajo rather look at the person itself and its role among the tribe members.
Ever since, multiple genders have
been considered as part of the norm by the Navajo. Even though this worldview
experienced strong pressure towards extreme changes due to the exposure to
Western culture and Christianity, its fundaments have still been preserved in
their culture. Today, the Navajo‘s acknowledge five types of gender,
distinguishing it from many other races or cultures in this world. The
different categories are being reflected within the Navajo language, as people
are believed to undergo various stages of their life cycle or being
“two-spirited“.
The following outlines the five
gender roles of the Navajo Nation:
1. Woman
A woman is referred to as
“ASDZAAN“ by the Navajo language and is the primary gender being recognized.
Traditionally, the female gender plays an important role in the tribe‘s
history. Women were given higher importance among any other gender in Navajo,
as the women usually became the head of the family and were responsible for
decision making.
2. Man
The Navajo call men “Hastiin“ and
the gender ranks after women in the Navajo culture. While the male gender
usually exhibits absolute supremacy in most society‘s, the Navajo men are
considered second to women when it comes to their importance in the society.
3. Nadleeh
Nadleeh is a Navajo term which
describes what is commonly known as a Hermaphrodite by most Western cultures.
This third gender category recognizes individuals who predominantly demonstrate
the characteristics of the opposite gender. Having this third type of gender
therefore does not only account for a more gender diversity, but also prohibits
stereotyping among the members of the society.
4. Masculine Feminine
This fourth gender has its own
category based on its distinct role in the Navajo society. Masculine females
have a historical importance in ceremonies undertaken by the tribe and are
therefore viewed as its own entity.
5. Feminine Male
This fifth gender role, also called
female-bodied Nadleeh, is also said to have its own historic importance and is
therefore given its own category. However, the specific societal role of such
individuals has not been entirely passed on.
References:
"Demographic Analysis of the
Navajo Nation". Arizona Rural Policy Institute. 2010.
http://azcia.gov/Documents/Links/DemoProfiles/Navajo%20Nation.pdf. Web.
accessed March 24, 2015.
"Navajo Gender Roles".
http://navajocodetalkers.org/navajo-gender-roles/. Web.accessed March 18, 2015
It is sad to see that the Navajo Nation cannot escape extinction, like many other Native American tribes, and is declining over the past years. I genuinely hope that this may be partially due to members moving out of the designated tribe areas. I think it is good for Native people to also leave their tribal areas and mingle with the rest of society. While I also agree that many of these tribes have a special relationship to "their" land, it always appears to me as if we live in two society's, the Western part and the Native part. In my opinion, this only rakes prejudices as both societies do not know enough about each other and do not come in contact. We have already seen this happen in the film we watched on the Brazilian indigenous people and their film project. I can therefore only hope that members of both societies try to promote the mingling of their respective members, without losing their own cultural identity. If both knew more about each other and not just live in separate identities, a future harmonic coexistence may prosper.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to that, I am very impressed by the liberal view that the Navajo have on sexuality or gender. Instead of labeling everything that differs from the “norm“, they proceed to take a refreshingly holistic approach that contains two important messages for me. First, it encourages people to be themselves and not be ashamed of who they are or what they like. Secondly, it teaches its members to not judge a person based on their beliefs, but rather explore a person‘s individual values and put them into context of the whole society. I think this is very refreshing because it does not exclude anyone from the group and also helps everyone to find their own place, peace and happiness, generating an overall harmony and productivity of the community. For me, it is even more remarkable that the Navajo established such a liberal and modern point of view at such an early age, where most societies would abandon thing that were unknown or different due to lack of knowledge and sheer fear.
Dear Dariush,
DeleteThis is good as your thoughts on the matter, but you still need to make it reflexive. Look at KIM's comment, and you will see what I mean. Please, try to do this and email me to read it before the final presentation. Two of your references also need to be revised because I am not sure if they are web sites or what kind of source. Overall, you are good to go in terms of this PA. Just revise those things before the final alright. Thanks for working on this responsibly Dariush. I appreciate it.
Being from German-Iranian descent, I am used to a rather rigid perception of gender. Gender roles are based on classic hegemonic stereotypes. Men are the undisputed head of the family, whereas women have to comply to household duties. Being the first male born into the third generation of both of my families, I felt that there was always a pre-paved way for me, which I had no influence on myself. I was supposed to be the leader of all of my cousins and my younger brother, demonstrate strength and fulfill the role as the upcoming leader of my family “tribe“. Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this role and it has helped me a lot growing into the person I am today, learning more about how gender roles are perceived in other cultures made me realized that I really had no other option than following this way. There is really no other way than filling into the position that your gender determines. Male‘s are heterosexual, marry and lead the family. Females raise children and make sure their husband has everything he needs. There is no such thing as a “Feminine Male“, which in fact is a very real phenomenon. I sometimes felt that even the slightest deviation from those “classical roles“, whether that would be in terms of sexuality or social occupation, would have been met with intolerance and incomprehension. It is really a either or situation. You fulfill the expectations or you disappoint your family to a point where you may no longer be accepted as a valid member. Luckily, I personally never came into personal conflict with what was expected from me and was able to “naturally“ fulfill the expectations. However, after reading about the Navajo and their liberal system that lets everyone find their place in their society, I realized how pressurizing and oppressive the gender system of my culture is.
ReplyDeleteThis is excellent Dariush!!! You nailed it!!! Thank you for working on this and revising it!!!
ReplyDelete2 of your references are kind of using the AAA Style Guide I posted, but two of them, I have no idea what they are. There is no URL, or date you accessed them. Are they online sources? If they are, just use page 14 of the Guide I posted on Canvas. The section I mentioned "W. Internet Document" will help you. If still have problems, no worries, just email me and we will figure it out. Great job with the post Dariush, I really appreciate your insightful and very reflexive comment :-)