Living through the generations : continuity and change in Navajo women's lives / Joanne McCloskey.
"Navajo women?s lives reflect the numerous historical changes that have transformed ?the Navajo way.? At the same time, in their behavior, beliefs, and values, women preserve the legacy of Navajo culture passed down through the generations. By comparing and contrasting three generations of Nava...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Tucson :
University of Arizona Press,
[2007]
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| Online Access: | Contributor biographical information |
| Summary: | "Navajo women?s lives reflect the numerous historical changes that have transformed ?the Navajo way.? At the same time, in their behavior, beliefs, and values, women preserve the legacy of Navajo culture passed down through the generations. By comparing and contrasting three generations of Navajo women?grandmothers, mid-life mothers, and young mothers?similarities and differences emerge in patterns of education, work, family life, and childbearing. Women?s roles as mothers and grandmothers are central to their respected position in Navajo society. Mothers bestow membership in matrilineal clans at birth and follow the example of the beloved deity Changing Woman. As guardians of cultural traditions, grandmothers actively plan and participate in ceremonies such as the Kinaald?, the puberty ceremony, for their granddaughters.Drawing on ethnographic interviews with 77 women in Crownpoint, New Mexico, and surrounding chapters in the Eastern Navajo Agency, Joanne McCloskey examines the cultural traditions evident in Navajo women?s lives. Navajo women balance the demands of Western society with the desire to preserve Navajo culture for themselves and their families."--Publisher description. |
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| Physical Description: | 228 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 207-220) and index. |
| ISBN: | 0816525781 9780816525782 0816526311 9780816526314 |