Native American Clan System
Some native American tribes have a clan system that establishes relationships through marriage within the family. A clan cannot marry into the same clan, usually the same clan as the matrilineal clans and close paternal clans. Most southwestern tribes have matrilineal clans, and some eastern tribes have patrilineal clans. Clans can be a large family or many families, with about fifty to a hundred people. Some tribes have large clusters of clans, like the Navajo, while others have three or five. The Mohawks have three clans, Turtle, Bear, and Wolf. Certain clans have status like land for farming and hunting, wealth like livestock, money, material goods, a healer (medicine and ceremony), and/or leadership positions. Clans are expected to show hospitality to clans that have the fewest members and to adopted clans. Clan names distinguish relations of kinship, lineage, and which clan not to marry.
Common clan names are usually animals, birds, totems, nature (water, rock, plants, mud, salt, mountain), patterns of human movement (folding arm, one walks around), and structures (towering house, red house) and names of adopted tribes (Naakai dine’e, Nooda’I dine’e, Naashgali dine’e). Most tribes have stories about their clans and how they originated when the tribe came into existence. Some clans are identified by sacred colors, animal protectors, or a weapon.
In some tribes, clan mothers, aunts, and grandmothers raise children. Other tribes raise children within clan families (parents, matrilineal grandparents). Clans are expected to care for all children, especially those without parents or grandparents. Women and children were valued; they kept the next and future generation going.
During early times, Native American tribes controlled marriages to ensure future generations continued. Parents and relatives carefully selected couples to prevent incest. Incest consisted of marrying within the known cognatic personal kindred, a person's own matrilineal clan, or any of the clans to which a person’s clan was "closely related" or "related."13 Marriages were controlled largely by the older generation, usually through a contract agreement between families to ensure their children followed the social norms of clan relations. Children were taught and trained at an early age to follow the norms of the tribe, bands, and clan system.
The common clan names are usually animals, birds, totems, nature (water, rocks, planets, mud, salt, mountains), patterns of human movements (folding arm, one walks around), and structures (towering house, red house), and names of adopted tribes (Naakai dine’e – Mexican people, Nooda’I dine’e- Ute tribe, Naashgali dine’e-Mescalero Apache Clan). Most tribes have stories that identify the clans and how they originated. Some clans are identified by sacred colors and protectors, like an animal or a weapon.
Within some tribe’s children are raised by clan mothers, aunts, and maternal grandmothers. In contrast, other tribes raise children within clan families (parents, matrilineal grandparents). Clans are expected to care for all children, especially those without parents or grandparents. Native people valued women and children.
The Apache
The Apache tribe has about nine cluster bands with different names, located in southern Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma. These bands are federally recognized tribes: Cibecue, San Carlos, White Mountain, Tonto, Chiricahua, Mescalero, Jicarilla, Lipan, and Kiowa Apache.
These bands married into other bands from the 1700s through the 1800s. Other tribes, such as the Navajo, Comanche, Yavapai, and Pueblo, invaded them. Other intruders were Mexican, Spaniards, American soldiers, and white settlers. Apache bands began to dwindle, and to protect and sustain their groups, they married within their bands. The eight bands in the region helped sustain one another when a band began to dwindle. For example, Geronimo’s family was killed by the Mexican. He lost his wife, children, and mother. He remarried and had multiple wives and continued to fight the Mexican and American soldiers until he surrendered.
As settlers encroached onto the land, the Apache rebelled and captured women and children to expand their bands. Women were married into the band and raised their family. Her clan was adopted into the band, adding a new clan to the tribe. The captured children were replaced with families who lost a member and were adopted into the band. The Apache are a matrilineal family; her family cares for the home, children, and parents.
The Navajo
The Navajo people are known as the Diné, meaning “The People,” and they refer to each other as the Diné. The Navajo clan system has about twenty-three clan groups, composed of original clans, subgroup clans, and adopted clans from other tribes. Children are told the origins of the clans. According to a legend, a woman named Changing Woman created the four original clans,
Changing Woman created four clans, which are Kin Yaa’ Aanii (towering house people), Honaghaanii (he walks around you people), To Di Ch’ii Nii (bitter water people), and Hash Tl’ish Nii (mud people). Changing Woman created the four clans from portions of her body. She gave each clan a sacred color cane, an animal protector, and special gifts of cognition, interpersonal skills, artistry, professionalism, and creativity.
First, Changing Woman rubbed her chest to create the Kin Yaa’ Aanii clan and was given a gish (cane) made of white shell, with special gifts of leadership, guides, and teachers for the people. The animal protector is the shash (bear), named dzil yaah naaghahi, meaning “one that walks on the mountains.” The bear is a strong symbol, and its claws and coat appear in sand paintings for the Mountain and Bear ceremony. Some people say the keeper of the Gish used it to dig for water but found none. The keeper grew frustrated, threw the Gish against the canyon, and mistook it for a home structure. The clan is now known as Kin Yaa’ Aanii (towering house clan).
Next, she rubbed her back to create the Honaghaanii clan and was given a gish (cane) made of turquoise with special gifts of songs and prayers to become medicine men and women. Turquoise is worn to protect the traveler and speaker for songs and prayers. The animal protector is nash doi tsoh (mountain lion) as their symbol of protection and healing, which was named “one who walks around you, clan.” Ceremonies and songs tell of the mountain’s special powers, including the ability to see evil in the darkness.
Then, she rubbed her right underarm to create the To Di Ch’ii nii clan and was given a gish (cane) made of abalone shell with special powers of philosophers and educators to share their knowledge. The animal that protects is diyoosh (bull snake) or ma’ii’tsoh (wolf). When a wolf howls, it signals to turn back from battle, a raid, or a hunting trip. Snakes are known as evil, but a bull snake is respected and harmless. When it is about, it represents lightning, and when it rains, respect is for the bull snake. The clan To Di Ch’ii Nii originated when a spiritual leader used the gish to dig for water, and bitter water spouted from a hole. The clan is now known as To Di Ch’ii Nii (bitter water).
Last, she rubbed her right underarm to create the Hash tl’ish nii clan and give a gish (cane) made of jet-black stone with special skills, gifted, and creativity to become rug weavers, artists, and agriculturalists. The animal protector is dah sani (porcupine), and sani means old. It is known for being wise, skillful, and able to outsmart the enemy. The under hair, bristles, whiskers, and quills are used for healing in ceremonies. They apply burnt quills to infected sores, and inhale the smoke to clear congestion from colds. During the journey back to their homeland, the gish dug for water, and the hole spouted muddy water. The clan is known as Hash tlish nii (mud people clan)
Within these four original clans, additional clans are added. For example, I am Naakai Dine’e (the Mexican people), so I cannot marry my own clans. My clan cluster includes six additional clans. Then I cannot marry my father’s clan because I was born into it. His clan is Dibe Lizhini (black sheep people). Within my father’s clan, there are eight additional clans in his cluster. My mother’s father’s clan is To Di Ch’ii nii (bitter water), which has fourteen additional clans in its cluster, and my father’s father’s clan, Tlizi Lani (many goats people), has eight additional clans in its cluster. I cannot marry into my four main clans.
Marriage
Some Navajo men have about four to five wives, and most have two. Two or more wives were common in the mid-1800s because Navajos were returning from their incarceration during the Long Walk to their homeland. Girls were married at an early age, between twelve and fourteen, after their kinaalda (womanhood) ceremony. Some of these men were hataaliis (medicine men) who could afford the payment for young wives. Clans played a prominent role in arranging many betrothals. These wives were usually sisters.
Their families arranged a common marriage between a young couple, and the uncle set the value of the present. At the time, horses, silver jewelry (concho belt), and saddles were valuable. Today, horses, cattle, turquoise jewelry, and money are what the groom gives to the bride’s family.
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