The Depletion of the Survival, Population, and Preservation of Culture for Women in the Navajo Tribe as a Result of Climate Change
Arya Gupta
Instructor’s Introduction
Arya Gupta wrote her outstanding research paper for WR 151: Burning Questions, a course in which students are asked to complete a semester-long research project on a topic of their choosing. Arya’s paper discusses the current and potential effects of climate change on Navajo women, a subject that has gone under-addressed in the dominant narrative about climate change’s influence on the lives of indigenous people. Her thorough, detailed argument presents analysis of vital features such as diet, maternal health, and cultural traditions, and how worsening environmental circumstances on Navajo lands are likely to affect them. Arya’s choice to seek support for her claims from a wide range of source material – she consulted drought charts, nutrition surveys, medical journal articles, and anthropological data, just to name a few – demonstrates the interdisciplinary nature of her topic and her precision and courage in pursuing it. I’m so proud of Arya, and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for her!
Samantha Myers
From the Writer
When I registered for Samantha Myer’s WR151: Burning Questions course, I had no idea that the experience of writing this research paper was going to be so impactful for me and my writing skills. Unexpectedly, I learned an entirely new style of writing, analyzed sources in a whole new way, and made connections on a research topic that is rarely discussed. After analyzing many sources, I found that there was significantly less discourse about the impact of climate change on the women of the Navajo Tribe in the United States than other indigenous populations. Interested in filling the gaps of knowledge within the topic of women and climate change, this paper aims to study the disproportionate effects of climate change on the Navajo women and emphasizes that climate change poses an overall threat to their livelihood and future. Ultimately, I wanted to research and explore the intersectionality between climate change and women specifically through the lens of indigenous populations.
Climate change is the long-term change in the average weather patterns that have now come to define Earth’s local, regional, and global climates. Over recent years, climate change has resulted in a significant rise in temperatures across the globe (Frankson and Kunkel). These human-produced temperature increases are commonly referred to as global warming, which has many impacts on our planet and our society. Recent research has shown that climate change affects our environment in many ways. This average increase in temperatures has caused a rise in natural disasters such as droughts, forest fires, flooding, less rainfall, a decrease in food production, and changes in animal habitats. Considerable progress has been made in the understanding of climate change science since 1990.
Scientists deem it likely that climate change has considerably more effects on women than men (Dunne). Within these groups of women, climate change has the potential to affect certain groups more severely than others, such as those who live off of and rely on land directly. A prime example of this is the population of rural indigenous women. Many scholarly articles talk about the impact of climate change on rural indigenous populations. However, the women mainly talked about in these articles are groups of indigenous women who reside in developing countries, such as Senegal, Uganda, Pakistan, India, and Thailand. There is not enough information about the effects Native American women are facing due to climate change.
More specifically, one of the largest indigenous tribes in the United States is often left out of this conversation: the Navajo Tribe. According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, there has been a significant increase in droughts in the state of Arizona, where most of the Navajo Tribe live (“Arizona.”). Based on what we know about how climate change affects the environment of Arizona and other established circumstances of indigenous tribes around the world, the Navajo women will likely encounter many changes in their daily lives, diets, and traditions practiced by these women. These alterations will therefore lead to a significant impact on the survival, preservation of culture, and population of the Navajo women.
This research intends to add to the growing field of women and climate change studies and fill in the gaps of knowledge within this topic. It also serves to bridge the gap between the many issues in our society and show that many of the issues and forms of oppression in our society are intersectional. Finally, by researching the biggest indigenous group of women in the United States, scholars can apply this data and analysis to other smaller groups of indigenous women around the United States for future studies. They could also expand upon certain topics discussed in this research paper and go further in detail.
The changing of our climate has clearly caused a rise in global temperatures resulting in numerous environmental changes throughout the globe. Warmer temperatures over time are changing weather patterns and disrupting the usual balance of nature, which poses many risks to human beings and all other forms of life on Earth. To understand how climate change impacts the Navajo women, we must first analyze how the environment in the state of Arizona has changed due to global warming. In the state of Arizona, many changes can be seen in the form of natural disasters, particularly with a rise in droughts. Epidemiologists Rebekah Frankson and researcher Kenneth E. Kunkel claim that “Arizona is currently in a long-term drought that has lasted more than 20 years. Multiyear periods of high and low precipitation can cause significant variations in reservoir supplies. The latest western U.S. drought has resulted in record-low water levels in Lake Mead, which is a critical water resource for Arizona” (Frankson and Kunkel). The lands in Arizona are seeing more hot days and heatwaves, as 2017 was one of the hottest years on record, with a statewide annual average temperature of 63.0°F, which is 3.3°F above the long-term average (Frankson and Kunkel). According to the National Integrated Drought Information System, there has been a greater percentage of droughts that are more severe than usual over the last ten years (“Arizona.”). Just in the past five years, a greater percentage of droughts in Arizona have been categorized as extreme and exceptional droughts, which are the most intense and hottest types of droughts. Rebekah Frankson and Kenneth E. Kunkel even state that “[t]o make matters worse, recent upward trends in average temperatures and extreme heat are projected to continue” in future years in Arizona (Frankson and Kunkel). Not only has the severity of droughts increased in the state, but they are becoming more and more frequent.
Scientists have observed that women are more likely to be affected by these disasters produced by climate change than men. These impacts can include injury and death from extreme weather, food and water insecurity, infectious disease, mental illness, and poor reproductive and maternal health (Dunne). Out of 130 studies done in different countries around the world, 89 found that women were more affected by health impacts associated with climate change than men. Additionally, the studies show how “women and girls are more likely to die in heatwaves in France, China, and India, and in tropical cyclones in Bangladesh and the Philippines” (Dunne). Principal Investigator of the Climate Change Unit Worldwide Balgis Osman-Elasha explains that “[w]orldwide, women have less access than men to resources such as land, credit, agricultural inputs, decision-making structures, technology, training and extension services that would enhance their capacity to adapt to climate change” (Osman-Elasha). Based on the studies referenced, women are more likely than men to suffer following extreme weather events in many world regions.
While women around the world are more vulnerable to climate change, indigenous women who directly rely on the land are far more likely to experience detrimental effects of climate change than any other group (Buechler and Hanson). Many articles describe the experiences indigenous women have gone through as a result of climate change in developing nations. However, the articles written about these indigenous tribes tend to disregard the impact of climate change on those indigenous groups living in the United States. For example, one article states that “[t]he Global South is broadly defined as the nations of Africa, Central and South America, and most of Asia including the Middle East. It is widely validated that the impacts of climate change – including heatwaves, flooding, drought, and famine – will be felt most strongly by poor communities in the less-developed countries of the Global South, where impacts are exacerbated by poverty and the lack of infrastructure” (Roy). The mere first sentence of this article completely ignores the entire major population of indigenous women in North America. Using the phrase “poor communities in the less-developed countries of the Global South” disregards the populations in North America which could also be in difficult situations and poorly-developed areas, like the Navajo women. Additionally, using the phrase “it is widely validated” suggests that experiences faced by populations in North America that are not in the Global South are invalid and do not face issues due to climate change when the situation is in fact entirely opposite. This could be in part due to the United States often being written about as a wealthy and “prosperous nation”, but not as a country whose government has been historically involved in decades of oppression towards indigenous populations (Flanagan). As a result, indigenous women in the United States are not talked about as much as indigenous women in developing countries, whose economy is not as strong or as well developed. It is clear that articles specifically leave out the tribes in first-world countries and even more so those that live in the United States, like the Navajo Tribe. The Navajo women will experience many changes as other tribes do around the world as a result of climate change and should not be disregarded.
Based on previous research done on other indigenous tribes, the Navajo tribe is likely to undergo a change in their traditional diet and the traditional foods typically eaten. There are many documented effects of other indigenous tribes that have experienced diet changes due to the effects of climate change. For example, one main food source of the “Cree” indigenous population in Canada is geese (Kuhnlein and Humphries). However, there are fewer geese migrating to the area due to the melting of ice and increase in temperatures in the area. Indigenous hunters would often “[catch] geese with a canoe while wading in lakes and rivers” (Kuhnlein and Humphries). However, “it has become harder to hunt [the geese] because the ice they must travel over is no longer stable throughout the winter and the waters they must traverse through in summer are unpredictably low” (Kuhnlein and Humphries). It is clear that changes in the environment can ultimately affect the main sources of food for populations like indigenous groups who live and rely on the land for their food. Based on this, we can assume that there will likely be some shifts in the environment on the reservation of the Navajo Tribe, which will ultimately cause changes to some of their main food sources.
The increasing severity of droughts in the state of Arizona (“Arizona”) will cause a severe impact on the water supply necessary for the Navajo women’s survival and traditional foods grown and eaten. For the Navajo women, water is an essential part of their culture and survival. Not only does the shrinking water sources on the Navajo reservation pose a major threat to the entire existence of the tribe, but it also threatens important cultural foods that are often prepared in many of their meals. The indigenous people of the Navajo tribe often farm and rely on the harvest for much of their food consumption. Important crops such as alfalfa, corn, small grains, potatoes, and beans are grown during the harvest season. However, the increase in drought[s] and heat [have made] it harder to grow the plants and crops of their ancestors (Flavelle and Goodluck). Many Navajo families have expressed that with the increase in droughts, there has been “less moisture for plants to grow” (Narang). Additionally, some members of the Navajo tribe are dry farmers. This means “they plant seeds into the ground and rely on the monsoon seasons to bring corn to harvest” (Narang). The correct amount of precipitation is crucial when growing these traditional crops for the Navajo tribe. Ranae Dietzel and other members of the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University performed a study in the Midwestern United States on the production of corn at optimal and non-optimal amounts of precipitation. The “optimum [yield of corn] occurred when precipitation during the growing season was 430 mm” and “[v]alues below this number generally meant decreased yield due to water limitation (Dietzel, et al). They also found that the “timing of rainfall during certain growth stages for corn is very important” and the amount of rainfall “plays [an] important [role] in determining corn yield (Dietzel, et al). From this data, we can assume that the increase in extreme droughts will have enormous impacts on the cultural foods and water security of the Navajo tribe.
Additionally, from what we know about the impact of droughts on harvests and livestock, the Navajo women will likely need to look for other food sources outside their traditional diet. Throughout the past century, “the Navajo [have] lived an active lifestyle and [eaten] a wide variety of gathered and cultivated foods in addition to the staple mutton” (Ballew, et al). It is clear that the Navajo tribe commonly relies on agriculture and livestock for much of their main food consumption. Typically, their meals consist of vegetables like corn, potatoes, berries (important for calcium), beans, nuts, squash, tortillas, and bread. In addition, their main source of protein comes from mutton and nearly all parts of the sheep are eaten (Carey Jr.). However, a decrease in their typical food sources will likely force the Navajo women to look for food sources outside their usual diet that are nutrient-poor. Some of these foods include processed dairy products such as powdered or canned milk, cereals, canned fresh fruit and vegetables, soft drinks, sugars, and candy. There will also be a decrease in “juniper or other plant ash[es] used in the preparation of blue corn dishes, [which] is a traditional source of calcium in the Navajo diet (Ballew, et al). These newer foods that have been refined and processed are very expensive, too perishable, and do not provide the amount of nutrients as foods in the Navajo people’s typical diet (Ballew, et al). Additionally, these foods pose many problems for the Navajo tribe, as “[m]any families shop infrequently and do not have refrigeration; thus perishable items must be consumed quickly (Ballew, et al). As the climate continues to warm, changes to their lands and environment will intensify, resulting in the disappearance of their traditional sources of food which will cause the Navajo tribe to rely on less-nutrient food sources. However, when searching for new food sources, the Navajo may not be able to afford these foods, preserve them, or attain a substantial amount of nutrients.
Based on previous research studies done on indigenous populations living in similar environments to the Navajo tribe, the dietary changes will also likely affect the health of Navajo women and newborn babies. Assistant Professor Kevin A. Lombard of New Mexico State University’s Agricultural Science Center states that “[s]everal factors affect healthy dietary choices, including the gradual abandonment of traditional Navajo diets and lifestyles” (Lombard, et al). This demonstrates that a change in the Navajo women’s diet of typical cultural foods will likely affect their health. Similar documented effects of this have been established in other countries around the world. A study conducted on indigenous women in Uganda suggests “that food insecurity was common during pregnancy and had a bidirectional relationship with antenatal health issues” (Bryson). The extended droughts and unpredictable seasons have had detrimental effects on agriculture in rural areas of Uganda. Julia Bryson, a member of the Indigenous Health Adaptations to Climate Change (IHACC) Research Team, claims that “[w]omen from every community whose primary food source was subsistence agriculture noticed changes in weather and climate which have impacted food security while pregnant” (Bryson). This research can be applied to what could happen to the Navajo women, as the increase and droughts have hindered their crops and harvest season. One indigenous woman from an indigenous tribe in Uganda even identified that “[i]t’s harder now for [them] to get food when [they] are pregnant, compared to the past, because the seasons are changing” (Bryson). Furthermore, we can apply this research to the Navajo tribe and assume that climate change in Arizona will also likely have detrimental health effects on the pregnant women of the Navajo tribe because of the food insecurity they will face.
The decreasing precipitation in Arizona (Frankson and Kunkel) will ultimately prevent the Navajo women from practicing traditions kept in their families for generations. Many traditions performed by the women in the Navajo tribe involve the use of livestock. The increase in heatwaves and depletion of rainfall hinder the survival of the livestock that is cultivated and raised on the Navajo tribe reservation. Multimedia producer and journalist Sonia Narang says that “one of the biggest challenges is finding water for [their] livestock right now” (Narang). This livestock is not only another main food source for the Navajo tribe, but it is also part of one of the most important traditions passed down by generations of Navajo women – the livestock raising tradition. These women depend on sheep’s wool to carry on the Navajo tradition of weaving. One Navajo woman says, “I remember when I was a little girl, water would seep from the ground, and there would be water running. We used to take our sheep there to drink water. We used to have a natural spring, but those are gone now” (Narang). Without access to this livestock, the Navajo women won’t be able to keep the livestock raising tradition for future generations. This skill of weaving is also performed by the Navajo women and is mainly learned from their mothers and grandmothers. Sonia Narang also says that “[t]ypically, after a family lunch, the sisters take a seat and begin looping sheep’s wool around large wooden spools” (Narang). However, with the climate rapidly changing, the droughts and heatwaves will make it harder to raise these sheep whose wool is used for weaving. Furthermore, the decrease in water supply will have a drastic impact on the families who have lived on their ancestral Navajo land for generations. Their traditional way of life will eventually be lost.
Not only will climate change decrease the availability of sheep used in the livestock raising tradition, but there will also likely be a decrease in the population of Navajo women who are able to perform these traditions at all. Sonia Narang claims that “[m]any young people have already left the reservation because of the difficulties endured while raising livestock” (Narang). With climate change on the rise, the population of those leaving will likely increase even further. Doug Woodruff, Chairman of the Quileute Tribal Council in Washington State, even explains that “[c]limate change has forced us to make the heart-wrenching decision to leave the village” and that “[w]ithout a cohesive national and international strategy to address climate change, there is little we can do to combat these impacts” (Flavelle and Goodluck). It can be seen that other tribes around the United States have been forced off of their reservations and we can assume the Navajo tribe will undergo the same experience. Many also worry about what will happen in the future to the Navajo women. The Navajo tribe is primarily a matrilineal society where children inherit the clans of their mothers and continue to live where their mothers’ homes and land are. The lack of livestock “could possibly drive families away from their homeland, which Navajo women have [resided] in for generations” (Narang). As a result, the increase in difficulty with raising the limited livestock population will expectedly cause the population of Navajo women to decrease further until there is no one left on the reservation to preserve and carry forward their culture and traditions.
Recognizing the relationship between climate change and the Navajo women is vital to their survival. If we fail to advocate for the indigenous women in the United States who will experience the same effects of climate change as those in developing nations, they will ultimately disappear. We cannot afford to ignore this entire group of women just because they are not as commonly mentioned in many sources, because we know that they will experience life changing events due to the impact of climate change. Indigenous populations in developing countries are already seeing the effects of climate change which the Navajo tribe will also experience, such as water shortages, changes in food sources, the inability to perform generational traditions, families leaving the reservation, and so much more. This study is also extremely important when understanding the connection between climate change and gender studies, demonstrating that many of the issues in our society are very intersectional and can affect one another. If we can understand how climate change impacts the Navajo women, we can better understand all the ways in which climate change affects the most vulnerable and neglected in our society and how to help indigenous populations in the future. Most importantly, this issue is also not only about fighting for women around the world, but it is about standing up for some of the most vulnerable and neglected women in our society.
Overall, we can predict from this research that climate change will make lasting impacts on the population, survival, culture, and traditions of the Navajo women. There is no doubt that in many ways, nature plays an essential part in the culture and daily lives of the Navajo tribe. The Navajo people depend on the lands of their reservation, and climate change has already proven to have affected other indigenous groups around the world. With global warming on the rise, the expected changes to their environment will result in detrimental effects on their lives, ensuring that they will never be the same.
Future scholars who are interested in researching this topic could take this study further by looking into the connections between climate change and its impact on young girls and babies of the Navajo tribe. Based on the research presented in this paper, climate change will likely affect the health of pregnant women of the Navajo tribes. In the future, researchers could then take this one step further by focusing on how climate change has affected the health, behavior, and childhoods of young girls in the Navajo tribe. Much of the research done in this paper has primarily focused on middle-aged and older Navajo women, but future studies could express that the impacts of climate change do not stop there and that their children, too, will be impacted by climate change. By researching the relationship between climate change and indigenous women, scholars will be able to understand and prevent marginalized groups from being as affected by climate change as the situation continues to worsen in our society.
Works Cited
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Arya Gupta is a rising junior from North Reading, MA, studying Biology in the College of Arts and Sciences and Public Health in Sargent College. She is very passionate about cellular and molecular processes and hopes to pursue a career in medicine and/or research. She wants to thank Professor Myers immensely for her investment in my paper and teaching her skills that she will now be able to take forward into everything she writes in the future!