Navajo kinship and marriage Author:Gary Witherspoon The Navajo are one of the most studied people in the world; yet their — social organization is one of the least well understood. In Navajo — Kinship and Marriage, Gary Witherspoon, a fluent speaker of the — Navajo language who lived among the Navajo for eight years, offers a new — theoretical approach to kinship based on its cultural ... more »dimensions.
Witherspoon makes a primary distinction between culture (patterns for
behavior) and the system of social relations (observable patterns of
behavior) in this definitive work on Navajo kinship and marriage.
"Witherspoon . . . clarifies problems pertaining to Navajo kinship and
marriage through his skillful use of the concepts of cultural and social
systems. He adds to the body of knowledge on the Navajo by his own
fieldwork and unique life experiences." --R. S. Freed, Sociology
"Not only can Witherspoon's book on Navajo kinship help unravel the web
for the Anglo willing to concentrate, it can also bring to Navajo
readers an understanding of why Anglos don't understand Navajo family
relationships." --Joanne Reuter, Navajo Times
"This is an important work on Navajo kinship and marriage." --David F.