Dictionary of the American West

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N nagoonberry The fruit of the dewberry, prized in Alaska for its taste. naja (NAH-hah) A pendant on the bottom of a squash blossom in Navajo jewelry. naked possessor In early American Texas, a person who held land by a long occupancy, though without title. Napa leather Hides of sheep or goats tanned by a method created in Napa, California. National Park Service (NPS) Although this Department of Interior agency administers parks throughout the country, it had its genesis in the West. The first national park was Yellowstone, which was protected by Congress in 1872. The National Park Service was formed in 1916. The Park Service has two missions: “to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and wildlife,” and to provide for public use and enjoyment of these special areas. As everywhere in the West, conservation and public enjoyment are sometimes in conflict. Native American A contemporary term meaning American Indian, often deemed appropriate (or politically correct) because it avoids the historic error of Columbus in giving an Asian name to Native peoples of this continent. (See also Indian.) Though the good-hearted want to call minorities by the names they prefer, Native American is not necessarily the first choice. Many traditional Native people do not especially like it. AIM has not supported it. It has other associations that are hard to like (see below). Concerning the term Native American, Tim Giago, editor of The Lakota Times, the newspaper of the Great Sioux Nation, wrote on December 4, 1991: As the publisher of an Indian advocacy newspaper, the largest of its kind in America, we use American Indian, Indian or Native American, but we prefer to use the individual tribal affiliation when possible. For instance, if the subject of an article is Navajo we use that or Lakota, Ojibwa, Onondaga, etc. We are, more and more, pulling away from using Native American, because as so many phone calls and letters have pointed out to us, and correctly so, anyone born in America can refer to themselves as Native American. We realize the word “Indian” is a misnomer, but for generic purposes, we are often forced to use it when speaking of many different tribes. American Indian is also acceptable in Indian country. nagoonberry 250  The term Native American also has unfortunate associations historically. In the nineteenth century Native Americanism was prejudice against all Americans except native-born Protestants. The Native American Party of about 1840 promoted this intolerant view. It also meant a Hispanic born in America rather than Spain. So to use tribal affiliation is the first choice, perhaps, and American Indian, Indian, Native, and Native American acceptable choices. (See the Introduction.) Native American Church The American Indian Christian church centered on the peyote ritual. Thought by some to have been brought to the United States from the Yaqui in Mexico by Quanah Parker, it is still growing rapidly and is believed by its adherents to help contemporary Indians transcend the problems of living on reservations. The central ceremony of the church, always held at night, preferably in a tipi, is the eating of the peyote medicine as a sacrament. In the half-moon branch of the church, this ceremony is supervised by a priest known as the road man, because he advocates the good, red road. The other branch, called Cross-Fire, is more traditionally Christian. According to an April 1990 Supreme Court decision, the religious use of the drug peyote is not protected by the Constitution. Many states and the federal government give the practice legal protection. natural bridge A span of stone formed by erosion across a stream or a wash; it’s similar to an arch. The Four Corners country has many, including the celebrated Rainbow Natural Bridge. Navajo (NAH-vah-hoe) The most numerous contemporary tribe of U.S. Indians. They call themselves the Diné, meaning the people. The word Navajo is originally a Spanish form of a Pueblo name for Navajo country; though it is sometimes spelled Navaho, the Navajos themselves usually use the Spanish spelling, with a j. The Navajo have lived in Arizona, New Mexico, and southeastern Utah for more than four centuries and speak an Athapascan language. Their economy was and is based substantially on raising sheep and crops, and their social organization is strongly based on the family, extended family, and clan. Inclined to raiding and territorial expansion, the Navajo were historically often in conflict with their Pueblo and other neighbors. They resisted white encroachment...