Native American Tribes: Cherokee and Navajo

The Cherokee was one of the largest Native American tribes to settle in the southeast. The Navajo settled in the four corners area of the Colorado Plateau. When considering the Cherokee and the Navajo, the Cherokee would have had the most long-term success if European settlers had never arrived in North America because the Cherokee had better rites of passage, traditions, and religious beliefs, and the second had better social and gender roles and they finally had better tribal governing systems than the Navajo

The Cherokee and the Navajo rites of passage, traditions, and religious beliefs. The Cherokee would blindfold boys in the woods and leave them there overnight to prove they were men. The numbers four and seven repeatedly occur in myths, stories, and ceremonies. The wood from trees was sacred and used to carry the honored dead. The Navajo had to marry outside their clan, many built and lived in traditional hogans. The Navajo had a puberty ceremony for girls, the would get dressed in their finest clothes, and a female would symbolically remold them. The Navajo goal is seeking to maintain a balance between people and the universe and to live in harmony with nature. However, the Cherokee had better rites of passage, traditions, and religious beliefs than the Navajo.

The Cherokee and the Navajo social and gender roles

Cherokee men and women lived as completely separate people, women farmed and controlled the domestic place, men hunted and served as warriors, and they came together for economic, political, and biological necessities. The Navajo had five different genders woman, man, nadleeh, masculine-feminine, and feminine male. Nevertheless, the Cherokee had better social and gender roles than the Navajo.

The Cherokee was one of the largest Native American tribes to settle in the southeast

The Navajo settled in the four corners area of the Colorado Plateau. When considering the Cherokee and the Navajo, the Cherokee would have had the most long-term success if European settlers had never arrived in North America because the Cherokee had better rites of passage, traditions, and religious beliefs, and the second had better social and gender roles and they finally had better tribal governing systems than the Navajo

The Cherokee and the Navajo rites of passage, traditions, and religious beliefs

The Cherokee would blindfold boys in the woods and leave them there overnight to prove they were men. The numbers four and seven repeatedly occur in myths, stories, and ceremonies. The wood from trees were sacred and used to carry the honored dead. The Navajo had to marry outside their clan, many built and lived in traditional hogans. The Navajo had a puberty ceremony for girls, the would get dressed in their finest clothes, and a female would symbolically remold them. The Navajo goal is seeking to maintain balance between people and the universe and to live in harmony with nature. However, the Cherokee had better rites of passage, traditions, and religious beliefs than the Navajo.

The Cherokee and Navajo tribal governing

The Cherokee had a tripartite democratic form of government, including the judicial, executive, and legislative branches. The Navajo had a lack of political integrity, they never properly had a tribal chief, and many leading men could only command a small following. Moreover, the Cherokee had better tribal governing systems than the Navajo.

In conclusion, the Cherokee would have had the most long-term success if European settlers would have never arrived in North America than the Navajo.

References 

1. Website Design & Content Management by http://www.rosemconsulting.com
2. The Traditional Belief System, webtest2.cherokee.org/About-The-Nation/Culture/General/The-Traditional-Belief-System
3. “Kinaalda – Celebrating Maturity of Girls among the Navajo”
4. PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/independentlens/missnavajo/religion.html”
5. “Frank on Perdue, ‘Cherokee Women: Gender and Culture Change, 1700-1835’”
6. Website Design & Content Management by http://www.rosemconsulting.com
7. PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, www.pbs.org/independentlens/missnavajo/religion.html”
8. Cherokee History, www.fivecivilizedtribes.org/Five-Tribes/Cherokee/Cherokee-History