Introduction
On the first day of school, I would introduce myself to my students by introducing my four clans. Introducing yourself by clans helps establish respect, clarify family and clan relations, and tell your audience who you are and where you come from.
The Diné Standards of History and Language Concepts outline what students need to do when introducing themselves to an audience. The Navajo people have always used this practice when presenting in public.
Navajo students knowing and saying their clans is one of the topics I will use when teaching Punnett squares in the unit I developed while attending the Asking Questions in Biology seminar. Other topics include Gregor Mendel’s pea plant experiments on the rules of genetic inheritance, Reginald Punnett’s invention of the Punnett square, European Royal Marriages within families, Egyptian marriages, and the Native American clan system, specifically the Navajo clans known as K’é.
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