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.