“Historically, Navajo men were hunters, and later farmers, and often served in leadership roles providing for their families. While our culture is matriarchal, meaning our bloodline is traced through our mothers and much of the sociopolitical importance rests with the women in our families, Navajo men have always played significant roles in being providers and protectors.”
Working With Strength: Diné Voices in the Blue-Collar Workforce
by Amanda Teller
There is a picture of my grandfather, Charlie Davis from T’iis Yáázh Łání (Valley store, AZ), that I’ve held many times, and I’ve often wondered about how much he sacrificed to provide for my grandmother, Elizabeth Davis, and our whole family. In the picture, my grandfather is shown during his work on the railroad far from home. Like many able-bodied Navajo men of the time, my grandfather worked in the “blue collar” industry beginning in the 1940s.