Navajo Tribe Beliefs

The Navajos, a North American tribe, is a world culture that is most commonly known for their beliefs and their contribution to modern myths and the arts. The Navajos, also known as the Dine, were mainly located in Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico. This area was known as the Four Corners and it had fertile land, long growing seasons, and a warm climate with no extreme winters. The Navajo’s location proved that they were at a geographic location that supported the agricultural way of living. Not only did they solemnly depend on the crops as their main food source, but they were hunter gatherers as well. They lived in small houses called “Hogans” that were made up of logs and brushwood which was covered in mud and grass. These made it

Over time, they began to raise animals and use them to their advantage by breeding them which provided more food for the tribe. While the majority of the men hunted the animals and were leading the tribe as “Chief”, the women were in charge of tending to the husband’s needs, taking care of the children, and sometimes tended to the animals as well. The Navajos daily lives were primarily dominated by their beliefs. The Shaman was one of the religious figures that is praised by the Navajos because he was the healer who performed certain practices to bring them good lives. The Dine believed that the people were classified into two main groups, “The Earth People” and “The Holy People.” The Earth people are what we consider nowadays to be society as a whole, while the Holy People can be represented through the spiritual figures that we praise who determine our afterlife. The Holy People led the Dine in a direction that they believed was best for them and they taught them no evil, just what they needed for survival and a happy lifestyle. It was then up to the Earth People to follow through with these commands