Navajo Women and Abuse: The Context for Their Troubled Relationships

In this article, on the basis of interviews with seven Navajo women, the author discusses the Navajo womans perspective on domestic violence. These discussions reveal several factors that distinguish the Navajo womans experience of abuse from that of the Anglo³ woman. These factors are examined in light of historical and contemporary understandings of the Navajo world. Three cultural elements can help us understand the Navajo womans experience of abuse: the cultural concept of hózhó, the searing tale (in the Creation Story) of the quarrel between First Man and First Woman, a quarrel that brought great tragedy to the people; and the Kinaáldá, the female puberty rite. It is the authors argument that these facets of the Navajo culture, in addition to Western explanations for womens staying with abusive partners, are powerful contributors to the Navajo womans understanding of abuse in her life and if we are to develop successful techniques for intervention, we must consider these elements as well as those of the dominant culture.