Eloquence

Background

American History and Native American Indian History texts mention events that have taken place. Timelines help leaners place each event in sequence for clarity. So one has to wonder, did Native American leaders have speakers that convinced the United States Government leaders? Of course there were leaders. The famous ones are the ones we see in History books from the past. The portraits were there, but the specific speeches were not printed along side their photos. Why is that? Were speeches transcribed during meetings with the Native American Indians?

Navajo Leadership

When one envisions speakers, one selects on image of that leader in his/her mind. It is common to think they are the ones who speak for all. It is when we search and begin to analyze our immediate speakers and leaders, we begin to realize that our leaders can be one of our family members. We realize that elders, uncles, aunts and even children are speakers too. Children, also have important ideas to display. In our seminar, we learned that a middle school student can display his/her concerns about schools and be heard with deep understanding to which we as adults have to listen. A child can so eloquently design their wishes and begin to change ways of thinking as you adapt to their request. As you read further, you will see how Loyd Lee explains Navajo's view of leaders and the role of leaders.

Background on Navajo Leadership

How did the speeches and voice change the Diné Nation back in 1868. The year 1868 is important to the Diné Nation. My job will be to show how the history of the Dine at Fort Sumner at Fort Sumner had deep influence on Barboncito's choice of words in Washington D.C. Our young fourth graders can accomplish similar type of eloquence project towards the end of the unit. Studying the four scared mountains or studying the words that Barboncito spoke can help them understand eloquence. The Navajo four sacred mountains are important to the Dine for its mythological stories that are told orally during the winter months. According to our Navajo cultural and spiritual beliefs, each sacred mountain symbolizes how we think, plan, initiate the plan, and reflect on our outcome. Teachings of each mountain's representation help the Dine people to live in harmony with nature and their Creator. It is believed in the Dine culture that the symbolism of each mountain is our map of existing and shows our pathway to thinking. The east mountain represents thinking and thoughts, south mountain represents planning, west represents application of thought and plans, and north represents evaluation of one's results.

One of the prerequisites in teaching who and what a leader means to the Dine Nation, a teacher has to teach the basic Dine Culture and beliefs. There is a belief in the Diné culture that leaders are born not self- appointed. ⁶ We are told that certain persons are born to be leaders. An individual of such honor is cared for and tends to thrive in a sound cultural upbringing. A future leader has to learn and live the strict cultural lesson of being obedient. A future leader has to learn how situations will become lessons. The lesson is then used to lead. It's like a calling to become a leader. For example, at gathering elders will be observant and discuss which young boy has traits to become a leader. There has to be special coaching and discipline for such a child. The individual has to be nurtured and taught unique leadership skills. This selected individual begins to understand the Diné language in depth. Not only do they recognize words for what they mean but also be able to use it in an eloquent way to entice thinkers to format their own thoughts. Spiritually, the person is blessed by a medicine man. As to what and how such a leader is blessed is only known to the people involved.

Other qualities or behavior of leaders that Loyld Lee shared was recognition of being a leader did not mean you were treated like a king. As a leader you are the peacemaker. Not only did you have skills to lead but another requirement that was a must was being knowledgeable about ceremonies. Lee states that a leader that leads with peace knew of the Hozhooji (Blessing Way). Leaders had charisma, and outstanding oratorical skills. Like it was mentioned before leadership position were held for life. This is why when you see the name of two past leaders of the Dine Nation, Manuelito and Barboncito, Dine people regard them as true leaders. They kept the peace and led the people back from Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

As Lloyd L. Lee said in his article we the Dine Nation have to become active in teaching our children who we are and how the past leaders made way for a good life. Navajos today have to make a decision to produce Navajo speakers, not just writers and readers. We, the Dine, need to speak our language and not intertwine the English language while we are speaking. Our Dine conversation has to be entirely Dine language and must include our young Dine. ⁷ This prerequisite is important to instill in our future leaders. Teaching leadership in this unit will definitely give our fourth graders a good start in understanding the traits of leaders.

In our discussion seminar, we looked at speakers and speeches that were made by famous leaders and common people. Each and every individual had a purpose in their messages. The messages were to persuade audience of what needed to be viewed with deep sincerity. In comparison to my first example of family members, an elder can make their thoughts known through certain style or rhetoric of their own type. So how is rhetoric learned within small families?

Rhetoric at Native Gatherings

Just like our modern society, Native American Indian had their own gatherings: ceremonies, baby's first laugh party, puberty ceremonies, and offering at sacred sites. For many generations, the Native's culture and religion had symbolisms and analogies to be relied on to teach the young. Such gatherings gave speakers some practice and positive feedback from elders. Today we practice speaking in our classroom too. For example our Navajo students are required to know what the four sacred mountains' representation. Each Mountain has a certain distinction. The color, the special stone it is adorned with, the special animal that represents it, themental trait it represents, spiritual representation, and how it is a part of a person's four part life cycle. So how does this relate to rhetoric?

As in the past, children are prompted to know the basic information of each sacred mountain. So children and adults are to know the mountain's name and where the mountain is located. Reciting and memorizing the mountain's representation develops awareness of how it should be said with emotion, honor, and sincerity. By owning the words true meaning, other ideas begin to develop. Ideas change within, but the pattern and structure does not. When you listen closely to Native American Indian speakers, the structure allows words to become noticeable. Children listen to this from childhood all way through old age. They have the structure and pattern. Now they just need the ideas to complete their speeches and even poems.

Knowing the basic information of the four sacred mountains helps our children organize their thoughts and planning. Children learn in their culture class that the mountain in the west is near San Francisco Peaks (Dook'o'oslííd). This mountain is located next to the city of Flagstaff, Arizona. This mountain is positioned to the west of the Navajo Reservation. The sacred stone that is associated with San Francisco Peaks is abalone. ⁸ The Holy People that represent the west are the Yellow Evening Boy and Girl, Yellow Corn Boy and Yellow Corn Girl. Other objects that represent that mountain are the Yellow Birds, mixture of water and plants. The last representation of the west mountain is the Yellow Wing. This Yellow Wing was made to give life to this particular mountain. ⁹ Some Navajo children practice and memorize the symbolism of the west mountain. Some children learn the information by reciting it in chants or activities relating to cultural events. Practicing and repeating the same words helps Navajos, guides then and protects them on long journeys. Navajo believe that by singing the representation of the mountain, you have permission to pass the sacred mountains safely. ¹⁰ By learning the song, their voice adjusts to the high tone and low tone of each word. By doing so children begin to create their own style of how to read and memorize the meaning of the four sacred mountains. After reading the article The Indian censures the White Man: "Indian Eloquence" and American Reading Audience in the Early Republic, the ideas of learning rhythm and tone and delivering speeches with eloquence made sense.

Using this basic cultural information, anyone in our Dine Nation can create Rhetoric at gatherings.

Cultural Knowledge of oratory element

In the Navajo culture such details are recited and chanted to learn and remember. They are not only taught to children and adults but, also as a guide to help us think, plan, analyze and our thoughts to make a speech. The entire process displays the ethos and logos of how Navajo culture views their basic symbolism of the four sacred mountains.

Is this how the Native American Indian became very eloquent with their speeches in the 1800's? Omohundro Institute of Early American History and Culture published Carolyn Eastman paper and it explains why Logan's, a Mingo Indian, speeches made Americans listened to him. This Native American Indian had lost his family and expressed his thoughts about how he helped the whites in the beginning but as time went on the white man did not help him. Instead, the white men began to move him off his land. He made honest observations of his thinking and put them into words. Americans listened because of their empathy for him: he lost his family and the U.S. moved the Natives out of their own lands. The rhetoric that was taken out of the Native American speeches repeated the same theme, but the effect of it was strong. "The pedagogical uses of Indian oratory reveal its cultural power with particular clarity, since practices of elocution taught children to internalize and harness a speech's emotions to deliver it with utmost persuasive power." ¹¹ Imagine observers listening to school age children reciting speeches of Native Indians and their true feelings on unjust events. The message of being short changed. Eastman shared in her article that most speeches express how the white man lied about being friends. In time of need, they as Indians helped and welcomed the white man onto their land and into their house to survive. In return Logan's speech reiterated the white man is slowly taking the land, and how can the white man say the same message that they are feeling the same kindness towards his people and the friendship is still viewed as fair and in good standing.

Native American Eloquence

The emotion and honesty of the speeches show the eloquence of the Native American Indian. The article summarized that white people used the speeches to show British and Native American Indians that they are ashamed to behave in such a way, and using their speeches was a way to forgive them. "By prompting their readers to feel a sense of collective responsibility, magazine and schoolbook editors also found in this story the possibility of redemption, a capacity for self-criticism that might further distinguish the American character from others." ¹² Eastman goes on to say that by 1810, there was a need for great orators. Therefore, the speeches printed in schoolbooks were great. It is amazing to learn that young children in America have learned eloquence through young Native American Indian.

In addition to how eloquence was present in our Native culture, this unit will tie another concept that goes hand and hand with eloquence: Navajo leadership and the past Navajo Leaders that used eloquence to get the land back.

Navajo Leadership and classroom use

In the unit, the teacher will make the students wonder how the ten leaders knew that they were of that caliber and to lead the Diné people back to their home land. I feel, by probing such questions, my students can begin to understand the literature they will be reading. How wonderful it would be to have discussion sessions with ten to eleven year old students of how a leader from 1800's to 1900's thought and planned for the future. The future they planned a hundred years after the signing of 1868 treaty and to the future into 2000's. Loyd L. Lee wrote an article called The Future of Navajo Nationalism of Wicazo Sa Review inspring of 2007. In his article, he stated that to be self-sufficient and self-govern, the Dine Nation have to review how we run our government and compare it to our past government. He touched upon some good points about leaders and speeches. "In the role of Naataanii, leaders modeled proper behavior, maintained moral injunction, and enforced economic laws in the families. They did not function as dictator. Prosperity of the community was the goal for all leaders." ¹³

Why is this important to know? Leadership is important but before understanding leadership, the teacher will show that knowing self is important before being a leader. As I read and thought about Iverson's findings about "peace policy" after the treaty of 1868 was signed, the Dine has prospered way beyond what was planned for us. In the "peace policy" the responsibility of educating the Dine children were redirected to the churches. ¹⁴ Change has come again. Denetdale indicated in her book, Manuelito recognized the power of the Anglos. The Navajos' weapons are bows and arrows. And he continued by saying,

"How can we, at a future time, how can we increase our knowledge? Is there a time when our knowledge can be as high as the Anglos? The best thing to do was to get an education. That's why Manuelito said use the stepladder. Manuelito referred to the step as a level of how the Anglo's thinking is higher level."

He made a gesture with his hand that Navajo are lower and in the future the Navajos will be at the same level. ¹⁵ Imagine reading text that is of higher level other than fourth grade will train them to engage in deep meaningful discussion. In turn, they will demonstrate their understanding to through presentation at school or community level. Displaying their knowledge will increase their confidence. By teaching the learner as a whole, he will see the world as a whole not a piece.