Creating Traditional Inter-Generational Wealth

The other day I went to my form of a retreat back to our family sheep camp. A sheep camp is a traditional Navajo homestead out in the country that consists of an decent size sheep herd, corrals, grazing areas, a herder with lots of knowledge of the range, a hogan which is a traditional round housing structure, usually horses, and these days cattle.

As I worked alongside my relatives, we shared stories and laughed in our old Navajo language. While digging and clearing out the sheep dung with the dusty smells in the air, working hard alongside relatives, we started talking about just how valuable that moment was: richness in family relations, steeped traditions, family obligation, love, humor, ties to the earth, old language, meaningful life. We discussed how these practices were always vital to our societies through the ages.

Some perspectives from our conversation: I have to say that the wealthiest people in our nation are the ones that still have sheep breed off the land, carefully raised through herding, and processed with immense respect. Such individuals have extended family who still help one another among homesteads which usually contains multiple homes. The homesteads usually have a hogan built specifically for ceremony. The layout also has traditional planting areas. Many families still carry on the ceremonies and have a medicine man in the immediate family. A family like this usually has prestigious community standing and hosts large gatherings for ceremonies and family activities. Some of them still have large grazing areas that also offer places for firewood gathering. In the way of our ancestors, of the mandates of clan responsibilities, they maintain strong relations to their extended family. These responsibilities ensure cohesion in the community and that all get the help they need.

How does this translate to wealth? Such a family must teach their kids how to carry these processes and values forward also, learning ancient knowledge, survival knowledge, ceremonial knowledge, and successful life knowledge. Thus a form of inter-generational wealth is forwarded to successive generations. The elders instill the importance of the clan, family, language, the homestead. Most important, they teach skills that create future self-sufficiency. These teachings start very young. For example, kids are taught to get up before the sun to run. To pray with carefully harvested corn pollen and corn meal throughout the day. To maintain positive thought and language. To ensure everyday use of humor and light thinking. To understand clan and community obligation. To prioritize the livestock, sheep, farm, ceremony over trivial activities. They also instill discipline and self care - one teaching that all kids hear is of the early morning Gods that visit our homes - they assess if we deserve blessings by how we take care of ourselves and our homes, our homestead. If we dont take care of ourselves, our homes, our family, then the morning Gods will simply say that we are already wealth and go on to the next home. These teachings and way of life form a tribal version of intergenerational wealth that ensure future prosperity.

How does this look in practice: you have to be up at 5 am or earlier in order to pray, run, take care of your sheep. At all times you take care of your home. Thus, you have to be of high drive energy and positive mindset at all times. It’s a lot of work to maintain such high energy and positive focus. To keep this, you have ceremony, you eat right. You stay away from negative people and those with bad words. Following the teachings, you create an aura and a shield around you. You raise a strong family that learns these processes. Great wealth has been transferred to your future generations.