Time, Resources, and Authority in a Navaho Community

Abstract

Social units in the Rimrock Navaho community are examined to support the thesis that variation in Navaho social organization is part of an integrated system operating in accordance with consistent principles. These units are defined, and it is shown how they are related to one another through processes of formation, growth, and fission. Changes over time in the composition of social units and in their spatial distribution are related to the control and transmission of economic resources. It is suggested that the matrilineal system of the Navaho differs from societies with large, corporate matrilineages. IN THE description of any society, its social groups constitute important units of analysis. These groups should be unambiguously defined, and the principles relating them in the total social structure should be clearly stated. Most authors agree that Navaho society is composed of households, extended family groups, and larger cooperating groups, with descent traced through matrilineal clans.