Although it is not so prevalent today as it was in years past, grandparents are the teachers of the Navajo youth. They make young people aware of life at an early age. The parents grant them the privilege of teaching the children, and the grandparents take great pride in raising or having part in raising the children.

 

Young children often stay with their grandparents for years at a time. They help to bring vitality and vigor into the lives of their elders. During this time of companionship, a closeness and trust develop to bind them as one. During the development of this close relationship, the grandparents tell many legends and teach principles of life, emphasizing cultural orientation and the preservation of traditions.

 

The grandparents are also often the dominant figures in teaching the youth the arts of rug weaving, caring for the livestock, using herbal medicine, and other arts and crafts of the people.

 

The children are taught to respect their elders, to care for them, to help them whenever they are in need, and to learn from them. Young people are urged to listen with care to the words of their elders and to retain as much wisdom as possible. Grandparents often go to social gatherings and to traditional events, and the young have opportunities to learn more about their culture and traditions.

 

In a more traditional home, children are well disciplined, possessing probably more respect for culture, tradition, and beliefs than in places where the home has been influenced by the western world or the non-Indian society. Not so long ago, this respect was shown in every home. Now that the world of the Navajo is expanding, there is less control and influence from the grandparents. But those young people who have been a part of their teachings have lived a life beyond the present world. 

I lived with my grandmother for thirteen years. She raised me in the old ways of our people. Although I was going to school, she taught me as much as she could about the tradition of our people. She is a beautiful woman. If I had a chance, I would listen again to her wise teachings, expressed with kindness in a soft voice that touched my heart.

 

We used to plant corn and squash every summer. They never grew big enough to feed us, but we planted them anyway. I asked Grandmother why we did so, because all I could see were green plants dying in the hot sun. She said, “Grandson, our plants will be far more beautiful than that flower outside the fence.” I did not understand at the time, but one day when I came over the hill with a bucket of water for the plants, I saw beauty and asked Grandmother why it was so. She said, “Anything that is a part of you is always far more beautiful than that which you pass by.” We had some beautiful years together. I am glad she is a part of me and I a part of her.

 

In this series of short stories, Louis takes us from the Hogan—a traditional Navajo dwelling—to the importance of family and elders; the role of the woman, wife and mother; responsibilities; survival; the clan system; the land; the medicine man and more. Be sure to read all the stories and to “Discover Navajo”.