Megan Moore

November 6th, 2017

LBST 2102

Navajo: Kinaalda

Out of all of the Native American tribes federally recognized in the United States today,

the second largest, behind the Cherokee Indian Tribe is The Navajo. Like in most Native

American tribes and Indigenous cultures around the world they have ritual acts that are specific

to their tribe that have a large impact on their lives. The ritual that will be discussed in this paper

is the Rite of Passage called Kinaalda, which is a ritual for the coming of age in females.

Kinaalda can be compared to modern day Sweet Sixteens in American cultures or

Quinceaneras in Latin American cultures. In this paper, you will learn about the different

stages of the Kinaalda and the impact that it has on the Navajo women.

The Navajo tribe is mainly located today in the South Western region of the United

States. The general states of New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah are where a large population of

the tribe resides today. There were over 300,000 members enrolled in the Tribe in the year

2015. The specific language that the Navajos speak called Din Bizaad (meaning Peoples

Languagebut most of them today now speak mainly English. The tribe is very similar to the

Apache tribe and they are both known to have come from Northern Canada. Today, the Native

American tribe is trying to continue to live their lives the way they have the last few hundred

years but it has been difficult with the way the United States Government runs today. The

Navajo people have no choice but to interact with people of other cultures so they sometimes

lose their set ways of life. In order to stay connected with their ancestors, most indigenous

cultures still try to practice their ancient traditions. One tradition that still is followed today by the

Navajo tribe is the Kinaalda to demonstrate the transition between girl to womanhood.

Kinaalda is an Ideological Ritual that seeks social control by changing the motivations

and values of the Navajo women for the sake of the community. This specific ritual falls under
the category of a Rite of Passage which is a transition in the life and practices of an individual

from one identity to another in their society. A Rite of Passage typically has three stages,

Separation, Transition, and Incorporation. All of which will be explained and connected to the

Kinaalda ritual below.

The Separation is the first stage in the Rite of Passage and means that there is a loss of

Identity. It is usually abrupt in nature. The Separation stage in the Kinaalda for a young girl is

when she first menstruates, The puberty ceremony often begins on the fourth night after the girl

enters womanhood. In American cultures, the initial arrival of the period symbols womanhood

and there is not much more that comes about it, but for the Navajo, there is a much bigger

celebration that celebrates the maturity of the girls before they officially enter womanhood. On

the first morning following the change for the girl, she bathes and puts on her finest clothes. A

woman's first period can happen at any moment in a young girl's life which allows for it to be a

strong separation between youth and adult life for the female. The various times in which it can

happen to all of the girls in the tribe allows it to be more of a special moment for that specific

girl. Instead of one big ceremony for all girls, they are more singled out and special.

The Transition is the second stage in the Rite of Passage and is considered the in

between time. The person has lost their old identity but has yet to fully transitioned into the new

identity. In the Transition stage in the Kinaalda ritual the young girl kneels with her head down

and a women that is related to her, usually an Aunt or Sister unmold her until her arms and

legs are completely outstretched. Then another female will put her hair up using deerskin strings

until her hair is in a knot. If there are any small children around the home, then the girl will go

and lay her hands under each ear and lift the baby up in order to help it grow faster. She then

will go run to ensure that she will be healthy and active for the rest of her adulthood. At the end

of the Transitional stage the young women enters four days of abstinence where she can only

eat products containing corn, which all of the women help prepare for her. If she indulges in any

other foods she will be destined to become ugly at an early age. She must also refrain from
scratching herself as any marks on her skin made during this time will be sure to become

lifelong scars.

The third and final stage of The Rite of Passage is the Incorporation Stage. This stage

moves the individual back into the community as a new person with a new identity. In the

Kinaalda Ritual on the 4th night, the Medicine Man is called upon to lead the ceremony. Friends

and neighbors are notified and come early to attend the ceremony. The Medicine Man sings

twelve Hogan songs of the Bohozhochi. Friends and Family are asked to come up and sing songs

as well. The mother then washes her hair and then the women all dry her hair with corn-meal. The

last moment is when the new woman runs to the east again with all of the young children running

after her to show that she will be a strong and loving mother. This Ritual has been practiced for

many years to symbolize the transition between girl and women in the Navajo Tribes.

Works Cited

Navajo Nation Government. (n.d.). Retrieved November 06, 2017, from

http://www.navajo-nsn.gov/history.htm
 Kinaalda Celebrating maturity of girls among the Navajo. (n.d.). Retrieved November

06, 2017, from http://navajopeople.org/blog/kinaalda-celebrating-maturity-of-girls-among-the-

navajo/

Berry, E. (1984). Rites Of Passage (Rep.). Cambridge: Shakespeare's Comic Rites.