article

Changes in Navajo mortuary practices and beliefs

American Indian quarterly4 (4) • Published In 1978 • Pages: 383-395

By: Shepardson, Mary.

Abstract
This is a discussion of changes in Navajo mortuary practices and beliefs (also see document no. 309.) Shepardson first discusses Navajo beliefs about death, ghosts and the afterlife; then traditional burial practices. She next discusses several types of modified burials, including Christian funerals. Shepardson explains the changes in burial practices to the institutional changes in Navajo society from a matrilocal extended family to one centered on a variety of institutions including church, army, school, hospital, etc. No longer do Navajo die at home or if they do, urban homes cannot be destroyed or abandoned as rural hogans were in the past. No longer can Navajo avoid contact with the dead, if they are soldiers or hospital workers for example, and therefore rely on Christian guarantees of protection.
Subjects
Acculturation and culture contact
Burial practices and funerals
Eschatology
culture
Navajo
HRAF PubDate
2004
Region
North America
Sub Region
Southwest and Basin
Document Type
article
Evaluation
Creator Type
Ethnologist
Document Rating
4: Excellent Secondary Data
5: Excellent Primary Data
Analyst
Ian Skoggard ; 2003
Field Date
no date
Coverage Date
1860-1970
Coverage Place
Navajo Nation, southwestern United States
Notes
Mary Shepardson
Includes bibliographical references (p. 395)
LCCN
74647596
LCSH
Navajo Indians