Having a good relationship, one’s nuclear unit can result in taking good care of the livestock. In the Navajo culture, it seems that family is what keeps the homestead going and operating because it is difficult to complete certain tasks on your own. "Thus dipping, shearing, shifting of pastures or emergencies such as droughts, during which water is hauled to the herd, require the presence of as many members of the family as possible" (Downs, 89). Having a helping hand from your family members can move the process a lot faster. There are so many duties that need to be taken care of on a daily basis. Men typically take care of most of the hard work, but when it comes certain jobs that I quoted above, they need a helping hand.
Sheep dipping requires a lot of people to lend a hand. The reason the sheep are dipped is so that they can get rid of “ticks and other pests and partially wash excess dirt out of the wool” (71). They need people to stand along sides to make sure that after the sheep have been dipped do not get mixed together with the sheep that have yet to be dipped. Another "difficult part of the process is moving the animals, by now terrified and confused, through the chutes and into the vats" …show more content…
Having a close kinship with one’s homestead can make everything a lot easier and less stressful. “The herds symbolize the unity of the homestead groups and the continuity of the various matrilines” (93). But a Navajo man will have considered and “identify all the animals in a herd as ‘his’ when he is speaking in general terms” (86). I think the reason behind this is because in the American culture, a man is seen to have done all the work mostly by himself to look better in others eyes. This relates to the old Navajo men because they tend to “point with pride to animals in the herd” (90). They want to make others seem that they come from a life line of ancestors that take good care of their
Sheep dipping requires a lot of people to lend a hand. The reason the sheep are dipped is so that they can get rid of “ticks and other pests and partially wash excess dirt out of the wool” (71). They need people to stand along sides to make sure that after the sheep have been dipped do not get mixed together with the sheep that have yet to be dipped. Another "difficult part of the process is moving the animals, by now terrified and confused, through the chutes and into the vats" …show more content…
Having a close kinship with one’s homestead can make everything a lot easier and less stressful. “The herds symbolize the unity of the homestead groups and the continuity of the various matrilines” (93). But a Navajo man will have considered and “identify all the animals in a herd as ‘his’ when he is speaking in general terms” (86). I think the reason behind this is because in the American culture, a man is seen to have done all the work mostly by himself to look better in others eyes. This relates to the old Navajo men because they tend to “point with pride to animals in the herd” (90). They want to make others seem that they come from a life line of ancestors that take good care of their