In primarily oral cultures, great energy is invested in repeating what has been learned from the past. Such a value establishes a highly traditionalist or conservative mind set which "inhibits intellectual experimentation" (Ong, 1982, Orality and Literacy, p. 41). Ong (1982) points out that writing and printing are considered external to storing knowledge traditionally and have the potential to minimize the role and status of knowledge conservers--repeaters of the past--or storytellers. However, there exists complementarities within communication technologies of orality and literacy in translating and extending one kind of knowledge into another mode (McLuhan, 1964, Understanding Media). Becoming digital explores the complementarities of orality, literacy, and telecommunication technologies within cultural contexts and cultural frameworks.

Ya'at'eeh Shilakei

Ya'at'eeh Shilakei. Dii ei shahane'. (Hello, my colleagues. This is my story.)

As a teacher and librarian at Lake Valley Navajo School on the Navajo reservation for six years, I had the opportunity to observe the emerging technology of computers and its use by students, parents and community members. This dynamic continues to sustain my research and dissertation focus. Such research sets the stage for future inquiries and research agendas that will play a major role in understanding issues related to the dynamic interface of Navajos and electronic computer technologies.

The Navajo reservation encompases 25,000 square miles the land size of West Virginia, extending through New Mexico, Arizona and Utah, with a population of over 200,000 (Iverson, 1981). Throughout their history, Navajos or the Dine' (as they sometimes wish to be referred), have retained their sense of tribal identity adapting and absorbing external material items, beliefs, ideas and technologies from the Puebloans, Utes, Apaches, Zunis, Spanish, Spanish-Americans, Mexicans, Mexican-Americans, Euro-Americans and Anglo-Americans. Given such eclectic cultural infusion, the Dine'creatively rendered them uniquely "Navajo", Acrey (1988) observed. According to Bailey and Bailey (1986) mandatory education of Navajo children impacted Navajo lifestyles and attitudes more profoundly than that of any economic change. Education continues to expose children to cultural alternatives and not necessarily in alienating ways, Bailey and Bailey (1986) add.

One of the questions I originally posed was, "How will the Dine' use electronic computer technologies making it distinctively Navajo as reflected with previous cultural changes? How will such a tool be used in teaching and extending Navajo oral tradition and culture? How and will computer technology become a metaphor within the cultural construction of the Navjo lifeworld? Does it share a homologous relationship to elements of the Navajo universe? What can we learn from the Navajo culture about storytelling, orality, literacy as a mediated technology?

With these questions, I began to explore the characteristics of Navajo culture as an oral tradition. Walter J. Ong (1982) in his book, Orality and Literacy provides a framework in which to begin discussing the qualities of oral cultures and literate cultures. Based on Ong's work, I have adapted a matrix highlighting contrasting qualities and characteristics.

A Navajo analogy may describe the relationship between orality and literacy: all are born into orality and born for literacy. In the Navajo culture one is born into the mother's clan (ei nishli) but born for the father's clan (ba shishchiin). Traditionally, the mother-child relationship represents a stronger bond between that of father-child. However, both dynamics of relational kinship are considered fundamental to the Navajo system of solidarity (k'e)(Witherspoon, 1975, p. 28). And so it is with orality and literacy. Such a symbiotic relationship is mutually beneficial in that literacy can enhance orality in restoring cultural memory and human consciousness within technologizing cultures (Ong, 1982, p. 15).

Navajo culture, according to Ong (1982), would be described as a culture of secondary orality. Contrasting a primary oral cultural where there is no knowledge of writing or print, Navajo culture is mediated with the technologies of radio, television, telephone and more recently, computers which are dependent upon writing and print (p. 11).

One must also realize that even to talk about and understand an oral universe of communication is difficult for those mired in a literate world. To help transcend and challenge this bias, I have looked at varying aspects of Navajo culture: research of the literature, language, sheepherding, creation stories, storytelling and WWW homepages.

I have interviewed several Navajo college students about their engagement with the WWW and their homepages. Their responses corraborate the negotiation within a secondary orality destined for literacy. In both interviews there seems to be a conflict in straddling between the oral culture, which is considered conservative, and the literate culture, which encourages experimentation. The interests of the Navajo students extended and transcended Navajo cultural kinship system into a more global arena.

This straddling is uneasy, for some things of the oral world are compromised in exchange for the world of literacy. Ong (1982) expresses this liminality when he says "We have to die to continue living" (p. 15). I question what happens to those caught in a state of limbo during this transition?

Individual homepages seem to allow for individual expression while at the same time connecting and communicating within a community, vis a vis, virtual community. Orality and literacy are complementary in that literacy enhances orality. As Ong (1982) describes it "Literacy...is absolutely necessary for the development of a society not only of science but also of history, philosophy...and for the explanation of language (including oral speech) itself" (p. 15).

Navajo Nation Home Page

I am also looking at this question from the visual perspective. Photographing sheep within situational contexts of sheepherding and butchering will serve as a comparison of Navajo and non-Navajo cultural paradigms. More specifically, how is meaning negotiated and interpreted when a Navajo and non-Navajo look through their own eyes, respectively, at the the same events? What is seen and not seen?

I have talked with Larry King, a Navajo storyteller, about cultural change, traditional values and the Navajo language. Larry King's stories emphasize the cultural dynamics of change with humorous stories.

I continue to read the Navajo creation story (Dine' bahane) which is the basis for understanding Navajo cosmology, common sense behavior and social relationships.

I have immersed myself in reading prominent literature about Navajo culture overseen by Louise Lamphere, professor of anthropology at the University of New Mexico whose research in Navajo culture is cited frequently.

I also have the opportunity to talk with two other anthropologists, Garrick Bailey, professor at the University of Tulsa and Joanne McCloskey from the University of New Mexico in addition to Paul Zolbrod, a linguist, from Navajo Community College who all have conducted research on the Navajo reservation.

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More Questions

More questions are emerging.

• If there is such a thing as secondary orality, is there such a thing as secondary literacy?
• If Navajos are to become literate in Navajo and English, will it be via the computer?
• Paul Zolbrod has said, "Students don't take to print the way they take to computers." Posed in another way, Zolbrod said "If literacy takes hold...it will be by way of the computer and not the page" (personal communication, October 11,1997). The challenge is how will Navajos become adaptive to the world of print without destroying their basic cultural assumptions?

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Method

 

Looking at orality and literacy within the Navajo Nation involves more than a community analysis but a more ethnohistorical approach that is rooted in anthropology. The method of this qualitative inquiry will be an ethnographic enterprise involving field work on the Navajo reservation conducted through extensive interviews and observations.

In keeping with the spirit of this inductive, qualitative research, the form of presentation and representation will be equally important as will be the gathering of information. Therefore, my intention is to design my dissertation as a website. In this way the symbiotic relationship of orality and literacy will be honored, as well as utilized an appropriate technology in which to relate the research story.

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Literacy Example

 

The following poem by Rex Lee Jim is a contemporary poem that reflects the tradition of values and the significance of words and language to the Dine' (Navajo). To me, this poem illustrates the complementarity of literacy enhancing orality.Saad was translated from Navajo to English by Alice T. George.

SAAD (Language)

The beginning of time, I was here

Yesterday, I was here

Today, I am here

Tomorrow, I'll be here

It was named when I came

.........I am language

........I am Holy Language

.......I am the Holy Language

my thoughts

my plans

my prayers

my songs, my talk

......I am language

......I am Holy Language

.......I am the Holy Language

As a person my ways are different.

Because of me, thoughts are different.

Because of me, plans are different

Because of me, prayers are different.

Because of me, songs are different.

Because of me, language is different.

......I am language

.......I am Holy Language

.......I am the Holy Language

Because of me, we value mixed life

I value different crafts

I value possessions

I value precious stones

Because of this, I give myself to the earthly people

Earthly people are holy

Earthly people are special

Earthly people are merciful

Inside of this we succeed

Life and my people are increasing.

Because of this, I give myself to the earthly people

.......I am language

.......I am Holy Language

.......I am the Holy Language

When it was named, I came

Tomorrow, I'll be here

Today I am here

Yesterday I was here

The beginning of time, I was here

.......I am language

.......I am Holy Language

.......I am the Holy Language

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References

Witherspoon, G. (1975). Navajo kinship and marriage. Chicago: The University of Chicago.

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Aheeh

Dii baah aheeh nisin. T'aa' akodigo shahane'.

(About this I am thankful. That is the end of my story.)

Alice T. George, Navajo musician, educator, and weaver, demonstrating weaving techniques in Manhattan, KS.

The Navajo universe and values are reflected in the hand. Dine' are referred to as Five Fingered People. Artwork by 7/8th grade students of LVNS.

Author's Outline

Dissertation Proposal Presentation Tour Guide

Original research written and maintained by

Frances Vitali,

PhD candidate at Emporia State University. Discourse Invited.

Last updated January 17, 1999

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