Navajo’s Resistance on Education

on that point are galore(postnominal) expressive styles to draw the word resistance. One agency that the Standard College Dictionary defines it as To progress to against the act of resistance act counter to for the purpose of stopping, preventing, defeating, etc. Thats how the dictionary defines it. Personally, my definition of resistance is the act of be against somebodys orders, rules, or demands. The reason why we resist some of these orders, rules, or demands is because our belief, morals, and morality come into play. The way that we were brought up plays a big role in our ability of making our stimulate decisions.If we were brought up one way, and soul tries to upshot us to become someone else, or to mold us into some intimacy else, we would non feel right. Due to the fact that we grew attached to m whatever stems, beliefs and religion. The only innate(p) thing to do is to refuse to give in to the thinker of spay. Its a basic and a natural instinct. Thats exactl y what the Navajos carried out. The Navajos spurned the idea of world force to become civilized, even after being put into the Bosque Redondo Camp.The only thing to do now was to survive and by all means refuse to accept the idea of becoming civilized. in that location were several activities that the Navajos executed bit they remained at the camps which showed there resistance against the ideas of world(a) Carleton of forcing them to become civilized. One of the activities that the Navajos resisted against was the idea of s destructioning their children to school and birth educated. To the Navajos it seemed corresponding a good idea, unless they had other things in mind. Such as worrying how are they going to gather the next meal to contri scarcee their families? They were living in the worst conditions imaginable. No food, shelter, or unnecessary fall by the wayside of clothes. They were very venerable to the conditions they were put in.For those reasons many of them go t sick and eventually by away. But they did consider the advantages of the discipline program. Most of them took advantage of the opportunities given. Thinking nigh endurance, they took such training in Carpentry, leatherworking, and blacksmithing (Osburn, The Navajos at The Bosque Redondo Cooperation, Resistance, and Initiative, 159). These programs are very reusable only when the resources are available. When realizing that the resources were non available, they changed their priorities. Education was the very last thing on their list. Their primary priority was to find a way to get food and survive.As the Osburn states, Yet the Indians claimed they were not opposed to education they were scarce more absorbed with the immediate concern of daily survival and considered the benefits of education to be peripheral to more urgent matters, such as obtaining copious food to fend off starvation. Their attempt to procure money and extra ration coupons for sending their children to school demonstrates the Indians shrewd survival strategy(159). The Navajos utilize simple and obvious strategies rightful(prenominal) to point a hot. Its very oft like if your stranded in an island, away from civilization.Your first instinct is not to worry about your make-up or your clothes. The first thing you restrain to worry about is how are you going to survive. Which eventually leads you to sub categories as food, shelter, clothes, etc. Its easy to say, exclusively it is hard to do. The Navajos had to lowgo many obstacles. When they realized that they were not getting enough coupons for food, and forging them wasnt enough, they had to mesh drastic measures. Many of the Navajo women had to do things that were against their religion and their morals. The very last apply had to be receiven, which eventually brought shame to the Navajo folk music and families.Many of the woman fantasy that the only way to attain extra food was prostitution. Osburn states, Another sy stem of obtaining extra food was prostitution, which was not a standard practice under less stressful conditions. Navajo women were generally considered to be modest and decent originally and after the Bosque Redondo years While the Navajo recognized the degradation of prostitution at Fort Sumner, they also indicated that the women were compelled to set aside their moral prescription because of want and hunger(159). Anybody would set aside his or her morals exclusively to stay alive. Even if it means to kill someone just to gather food.Its like Darwins theory Survival of the Fittest. The weak stack weary and the strong survive. It takes valor to do something drastic like this. That is why I respect them so much. It makes people think of just the things we are commensurate of achieving if we just put our morals aside for awhile, and think about survival when put in a aquared situation and are forced to take extreme measures. Another natural process that the Navajos resisted was the idea of barrack housing. Forcing them to start a new life as civilized people and living in a civilized community, the Navajos rejected the idea of living somewhere else that wasnt their homeland.As the article states, Carleton had originally planned to house the Navajo in neatly ordered barracks analogous to the type of housing effectuate in Pueblo villages. The Navajos, however, found this scheme unacceptable because their traditional housing was widely dispersed. Furthermore, they rejected the idea notion of permanent homes because of their beliefs about departed souls(160). Lots of people wouldnt mind starting off fresh and living in a house that was given to them. The reason being because he or she support had bad experiences in their past home and life.They are ready for a change. However, it wasnt like that for the Navajos. They were already customed to the surrounding in which they were living originally the white people took them out of their homeland. Its like th ey stated, The custom of our tribe is neer to enter a house where a person has died, but abandon it. Assuming that the past owners of the houses were probably killed, they rejected Carltons plan. not only because they considerd it was bad luck to enter someone elses house, but also because they were being put in an environment that they have never been exposed to.People find themselves very venerable if they have no control of the surroundings in which they are being put into. actually much like a parakeet in a cage. For years, a parakeet depends on its owner to give him food. What if the cages door was left open and the parakeet escapes or was left to be free. How would it live in the wild, without having the necessary skills to survive? Knowing that there is a caustic world just outside that cage, the parakeet takes his or her chances. Most of them end up finding a way to survive yet, many of them just die of hunger because they couldnt gather food. Its exactly the way that the Navajos felt.The Navajos have already been customed to the surroundings of their homeland and were not prepared when they were being put into camps or the houses that were provided for them. They had no control over the resources that were provided, if they were any. They harvested many crops, but no luck. It wasnt enough for everyone. Very much like the parakeets, they rapacious and died. If they did live through starvation, many of them were exposed to disease, which eventually killed them little by little. Knowing that the Navajos were sick, they never took advantage of the clinics or medicine that was provided for them.The last activity that the Navajos refuse to accept was the idea of getting medical attention. The refusal of Anglo medical treatment. For similar reasons the Navajos refused medical treatment and the post hospitals. The Indians explained that they shunned the hospital because all that have describe there have died(160). When the Navajos noticed that many Indians were dying, the realized that the white people had to do something with it. Perhaps they believed that they were being slaughtered and killed. Not only that, but the Navajos didnt want to be exposed the white medicine.They had their own ways of solidifying their sickness. Very much like people nowadays. Many of them do not believe in juvenile medicine and have their own way of curing themselves. For the Navajos, the only way to cure themselves and to purify their body without any modern medicine was to perform a traditional dance called Squaw Dance. They had their own views on how they believed they got sick. According to this ceremony some sicknesses are the result of the ghosts of aliens, either those whom a Navajo warrior has killed or those who died from other causes and with whom the Navajo whitethorn have had contact, sexual or otherwise.Touching the corpse or stepping on the grave of an outsider may also cause alien ghosts to torment a Navajo with sickness (160). git every culture, there are many reasons why they perform or do different things to get themselves better instead of using modern medicine. For example, In the Navajos world view, illness is an example of disharmony in the cosmic order that the performance of a religious ceremony can correct. During the ceremony, the Navajo entreat their Holy People to rectify the disturbance or order.If the ritual is in good order carried out, the deities are obligated to grant the mortals requests, for a principle of reciprocity governs the exchange. In this regard, Navajo oral tradition emphasizes the importance of healing ritual at the Bosque (160). Nowadays, everyone grew up with an idea on how to get rid of an illness without the use of medicine. For instance, if someone has a nosebleed how do you stop it? Many people believe that lying down is one way, others to pour water over your show and pinch your nose with a wet towel and remain standing. Theres not an exact way.Probably all of them work. Its just that most of us have been custom to one of these methods, and will not use any other one. Its just the way we were brought up. Likewise, the Navajos didnt want to try nothing new. Their beliefs and morals dont exit it. The only thing left to do is to pursue your values and principles. The Navajos struggle for survival depended not only on resistance by their part but also the strategies that they used to attain it. Their primary objective lens was to survive. They accomplished this by many patterns, but one of those patterns stands out the most.The idea of resistance. They resisted formal education, barrack housing, and Anglo medical treatment. By refusing these ideas, many of them had to perform such tasks that would bring shame, not only to them but to their families too, just to survive. Many women became prostitutes, while others Navajos forged coupons, raided the camps but also fleeing from them, and performed ceremonies for spiritual cleansing. All of these activities played a big role in trying to change the way the Navajos lived their lives.Forcing someone to change, or to mold them in something they are not, will result in confrontation. That is why the experiment at Bosque Redondo failed to work. Gen. Carlton forced the Navajos to become civilized against their will, and in return was confronted and his ideas were retaliated. It was the only way that the Navajos could prevent the white people from forcing them to change their lifestyle, morals, beliefs, and tradition. So in conclusion, the Navajos actions can be considered resistance, due to the evidence provided.