
KJZZ's Fronteras Desk: Changing Woman
The Navajo are a matrilineal society, meaning women own the land and pass it down to their daughters. When Navajos introduce themselves, they will name their maternal clan first. The stories told in cultural ceremonies revere women. But today rape and domestic violence rates surge. There are few female council delegates, and the Navajos have yet to elect a woman president. So what happened? That’s what we set out to answer in this series. We’ll learn about the many attempts to eradicate the Navajo culture and quash the matriarchy. We’ll also meet several women — a historian, a leader, a mother, a healer and a punk rocker — who prove that despite generations of cultural genocide, the heart of Navajo culture still beats.
Latest Episodes
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The Nizhoni Girls are redefining what it means to be Navajo. They're shaking down their assimilated ways in their songs and holding onto key Navajo…
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Like thousands of other Navajos, Haley Laughter was raised Mormon and had to seek out her people’s spiritual teachings. Today she bridges that cultural…
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Jeneda Benally is making music that empowers indigenous youth because she wants her daughters to grow up in a world where they feel strong and powerful.…
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Meet Navajo Council Delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty. Crotty, whose middle name means “warrior,” has started her own #MeToo movement — without the hashtags.…
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Meet Navajo historian Jennifer Denetdale. Through her story and the book she wrote about her great-great-great grandparents, better understand how the…
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The first episode of Changing Woman focuses on the Navajo coming of age ceremony for girls, one of the most important and sacred rituals is experiencing a…