Many Clans, One People

"My clan is Bitter Water. I am Bitter Water. That's my identity."
— Luci Tapahonso, Navajo poet

Most Southwestern tribes are divided into groups of related people called clans. Clan members are considered family. For example, any women in one's clan may be called "mother" or "sister," and marrying within the clan is taboo. Each clan has its own symbols, such as an animal, place or natural force, which artists often include in their work.

Separate clans are knit together by cross-membership in other groups, forming a complex, unified network. For example, some Pueblo tribes are divided into two halves, called moieties. At Santo Domingo, a child belongs to his mother's clan but to his father's moiety, creating ties that cut across the two groups. At Zuni, curing societies, priesthoods and kiva groups all overlap clan lines, creating an intricate social web.

Clan Symbols

Most Southwestern tribes are divided into "clans"—groups of relatives who trace their kinship through the maternal line. Often, people feel stronger ties to their clan than to their tribe, and many artists include clan symbols in their work. The right to produce these symbols is not always exclusive to clan members, however, as many clan icons—such as Sun, corn, turquoise, thunderclouds and butterfly—also have broader meanings.