Navajo Leadership in Antiquity

Initially, it appears as though leadership of the Navajo tribe is not much different than the leadership attributes and skills found in other cultures. This fact is particularly reinforced by the contemporary view of the Navajo nation, which has a president and implements various factors of democracy such as voting. No matter how much this current inception of the Navajo people strives to maintain its heritage in the face of both modernity and post-modernity, one cannot argue that there are fundamental points of distinction between the leadership of the tribe today and that prior to the advance of Westernization in the indigenous land of these people. The principal point of distinction between contemporary and archival or authentic leadership of these people is predicated on a communal approach to helping preserve the best interests of the tribe as whole.

Perhaps the most compelling notion about the authentic leadership of the Navajo tribe in its original form is the reliance on community as the basis for how the tribe was led. Quite simply, these people have always valued a communal approach which, in some ways, bears similarity to democratic societies. This fact is readily corroborated by a fascinating tale from the antiquity of the Navajo people in which different members of the tribe nominated different animals as their leaders (Mccarty and Wallace, 1983). Four animals were selected and each was given the opportunity to prove its worth by procuring some good for the tribe. As all of them succeeded all were selected as leaders, especially because they were able to specialize in various ways of protecting and assisting the tribe. This tale provides the foundation for the very communal spirit which fuels the original form of leadership important to the Navajo tribe to this very day (Navajo Nation 22).

The collaborative approach to leadership of the Navajo tribe is demonstrated in a number of different ways. There are some indications that "Navajo clans historically selected two chiefs: one for domestic leadership and one for ward" (Johnson, 2016). The plurality of this basic function of leadership -- selecting a chief -- helps to underscore the fact that historically these people preferred a collaborative method of leadership. However, there is another fundamental concept implied in this passage and in the previous evidence about the collaborative form of leadership that suits the Navajo. Leaders were typically selected from families who were well thought of and and taken care of, which alludes to one of the central values to Navajo leadership: it is almost entirely based on the tenet of the leader best helping the people.

This concept remains salient for at least two very good reasons. Firstly, it is the counterpoint to certain tenets of leadership in other cultures. There are several instances in Westernization, for example, when it is common for a leader to attempt to subject his followers to his own agenda, which either may or may not coincide with the best interests of the people. Such a stance on leadership is antipodal to traditional Navajo culture. Instead, it is determined that "The People choose and challenge their leaders to give something useful and valuable to the People in equal parts, and the leaders provide"(Navajo Nation 23). Therefore, the worth of a Navajo leader directly relates to his or her ability to provide for the people. Those who are able to accomplish this goal best are elevated to leadership status. However, as the subsequent passage suggests, they are not given this right exclusively but in conjunction with others who have already been accustomed to giving the tribe guidance.

So if the leadership was organized among the tribe in a communal fashion in which family members who were respected and honored were prone to participate in leadership, the specific qualities promoted by Navajo leaders were based on their ability to help the tribe. This latter aspect of the attributes of Navajo leaders was not an abstract notion. In one of the original stories about the lineage of these people, the four different animals they selected to lead them were a wolf for its protection, a bluebird for its nurturing and ability to help the tribe grow, a mountain lion as a hunter to feed the people, and a hummingbird for its spiritual prowess (Navajo Nation 22). These different characteristics are extremely pragmatic in nature, if not outright essential for the long-term sustenance of a group of people. They are demonstrative of the leadership qualities the Navajo people were promoting in this facet of their life: spirituality, protection, growth, and sustenance.

However, what is most notable about these qualities is that they are not necessarily embodied within the same being. This realization goes back to the way in which the tribe was organized. There were different people to fulfill different roles of leadership. There was no just a centralized leadership position expected to fulfill all of these roles, which frequently occurs within westernization. Therefore, the Navajo people were able to develop a unique organization and series of attributes for their leaders, contributing to the unique of these people themselves.

References

Johnson, S. (2016). "The roles and responsibilities within the community of Navajo Indians." http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/ Retrieved from http://peopleof.oureverydaylife.com/roles-within-community-navajo-indians-11375.html

McCarty, T.L., Wallace, S. (1983). Navajo leadership and government: A history. sixth-ninth grade Navajo bilingual-bicultural social studies curriculum. http://files.eric.ed.gov/ Retrieved from http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED235973.pdf

Navajo Nation Supreme Court. (2010). Navajo roles and responsibility as a leader. http://nahmus.org/ Retrieved from http://nahmus.org/navajonationsurpremecourt.pdf