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When a Navajo baby is born, he or she belongs to the clan of the mother. The clan name passes on through her to her children. When a young man marries, it must be to someone completely outside of his clan. This way, the blood would be strong and produce healthy offsprings. Even though people in his clan are not all blood-related, it is considered inappropriate to marry within one's own clan. This rule is strictly observed. Should it occur, it would be considered as "incest" to the Navajo people.

An important Navajo custom is to introduce one's maternal and paternal clans on both sides of his family when meeting another Navajo or introducing yourself to the Navajo public for the first time. In the Navajo way, this is how Navajos know where you came from. Navajo children are "born to" the mother's clan and take her clan name, and are "born for" the father's clan. Therefore, Navajos precisely know who they are through identification by their mother's, father's, maternal grandfather's and paternal grandfather's clans. For example, Harrison Lapahie Jr.'s Navajo lineage is "Bit’ahnii T1chii’nii", with the mother's clan listed first. Bit’ahnii (Folded Arms People) from his mother's (Lillie Todychini) side, born for the T1chii’nii (Red Running into the Water Clan) from his father's (Harrison Lapahie) side. The T0d7ch’7i’nii (Bitter Water Clan) are his maternal grandfather, and the Ta’neeszahnii (The Badlands People) are his paternal grandfather's clan from their moms. In Navajo (Din4), this is how it is said:

Y1’1t’44h shik’is!  Harrison Lapahie (Jr.) yinishy4.  Bit’ahnii nish[9, T1chii’nii b1sh7shch7n7.  T0d7ch’7i’nii dash7chei d00 Ta’neeszahnii dash7n1[7.
 
Hello my friend!   My name is Harrison Lapahie (Jr.).   I am of The Folder Arms People Clan, born for The Red-Running-Into-Water Clan.   The Bitter Water Clan are my maternal grandfather's clan and The Badlands People are my paternal grandfather's clan.
 
OR
 
Hello my friend!   My name is Harrison Lapahie (Jr.).   I am Bit’ahnii, born for T1chii’nii.   My cheii is T0d7ch’7i’nii and my n1l7 is Ta’neeszahnii.

Haashd0one’6 N7l7?   –   What is Your Clan?

In the Navajo way, two Navajos of the same clan, meeting for the first time, will refer to each other as "brother" or "sister". Navajos that are cousins to each other in the American sense, think of each other as "brother" or "sister" in the Navajo sense. Father's and mother's cousins in the American way are thought of as aunts and uncles in the Navajo way. Grandparent's brothers and sisters in the American way are thought of as grandma's and grandpa's in the Navajo way. Harrison Lapahie Jr. has many brothers, sisters, Aunts, Uncles, Grandmas, and Grandpas, in the Navajo way, that are his Cousins, his father's and mother's cousins, and his grandparent's brothers and sisters in the American way.

When a Navajo is in strange surroundings, it is not uncommon for his relatives (in the Navajo way) or his clan members, to have the responsibility for his housing, food, and welfare, while this individual is in the immediate area.

A Navajo through his own clan (his mom's clan) and the clan groups to which his father as well as his spouse belong, has a great potential for personal contacts. This complex network of inter-relationships served in the past to fuse the scattered bands of Navajos and other American Indians together as a Navajo Tribe.

Many strange things happened in the earliest days before the Navajo (Din4) became Nihook33’ Dine’4 (Earth Surface People). Pre-human beings (described as people animals) were moving about and upward from the First World to the Fourth World.

The earliest celestial clans were created in this period of upward movement. They were Early Dawn, Yellow Evening Twilight, Blue Twilight, and Folding Darkness. Early Dawn is clan-related to Blue Twilight. Yellow Evening Twilight is clan-related to Folding Darkness. Likewise, Mother Earth is related to parts of the day, and the four seasons are related to our earliest ideas of the yearly calendar. Rain is related to rainbow, and mountains to rain clouds. These connections go on and on. The colors of our blood, veins and bones are associated with these first early celestial clans.

Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4) was created in the Fourth World, somewhere near Gobernador Knob (Ch’0ol’9’7), New Mexico. First Man (’Ats4 Hastiin) and First Woman (’Ats4 ’Asdz33) found Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4) as a baby girl at Gobernador Knob (Ch’0ol’9’7) whom they named Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4). Changing Woman was then raised at Huerfano Mesa (Dzi[ N1’oodi[ii) to give birth to twins, Naay44’ Neizgh1n7 (Monster Slayer) and T0b1j7shch7n7 (Child Born of Water), who killed the monsters on the earth. Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4) played a principal role in the making of the original Din4 clans. It is said that Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4) rejuvenates herself every season and is a divine force.

The Sun (J0honaa’47) then wanted Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4) to come and live with him. He built a beautiful and sparkling home in the western ocean for her. It was built of rock crystals that shimmered with wonderful moving lights, beautiful clouds, and rainbows in the long waters to the West. In order that Changing Woman would not be lonely, certain invisible Air People called Ni[ch'i Dine’4, decided to go with her to keep her company and to decorate her new home. She also took animals, birds, and insects. As Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4) prepared to leave, she saw that the pre-human beings were filled with anger and negativity. They were constantly squabbling and complaining. As Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4 packed her belonging, she decided to take away their natural elements, such as rain, mist, and clouds; perhaps to punish them for their constant bickering. Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4) then traveled to the Western Ocean to be with her husband, the Sun (J0honaa’47).

Eventually, the weather turned hot and still. Droughts came and wiped out cornfields and plants. The animals moved away. The angry ones of the pre-human beings grew hungry and became frightened. They asked Hummingbird (Dahiit9hii) to find where the natural elements were. Hummingbird (Dahiit9hii) hurried away and found the missing elements at Changing Woman's (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4's) home in the West.

In time, Ni[ch’i Dine’4 (The Air People), began to miss their homelands and tried to persuade Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4) to return home to the four sacred mountains. Meanwhile, twelve Diyin Dine’4 (The Holy Ones), and others from the sacred mountains who greatly missed Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4), journeyed West to visit her.

These people animals (pre-human beings) lived with her in the west for some time, but later they became lonely and also frightened as they heard of people like themselves who still lived in their old homeland (Din4tah). Finally, they decided to return. Changing Woman who thought there should be more people and who wanted to help her frightened people, decided to create more of them (pre-human beings now called humans) by rubbing the skin from her breast, from her back, and from under both arms, and from the Ni[ch’i Dine’4 (The Air People). In this way, she created the first four clans, a male and female in each clan. Changing Woman rubbed the skin from her breast and formed people who became the Kinyaa’32nii ¹³ (Towering House Clan). From the skin rubbed from her back, the Hon1gh1ahnii (One-Walk-Around Clan ¹⁰) was formed. From the skin under her right arm, the T0d7ch’7i’nii (Bitter Water Clan) was created, and from the skin under her left arm, the Hasht[’ishnii (Mud Clan) was made. She sent these four pairs to her sacred cornfields within the boundaries of the four sacred mountains. Traveling together, their clan names became known later in their action filled journey homeward. Changing Woman (’Asdz33 N1dleeh4) gave each pair a s3 gish (cane representing old age), and an animal protector. She gave them beautiful forms of transportation including, sh1nd77n (sun rays), n11ts’77lid bit[’00l (rainbow beams), sh1 bit[’00l (sunbeam), N7[ts3 Bik2’ (Male Rain), and N7[ts3 Ba’11d (Female Rain).

As the years passed, most of the people of Din4tah started moving around from place to place, and other American Indian tribal bands were adopted into the Navajo tribe. When the Din4 moved back from Hw4eldi (Ft. Sumner), New Mexico, in the 1860s, some newcomers joined them on their walk back home. These people had also been imprisoned and now formed their own clans, the Ch7sh7 Dine’4 (Chiricahua Apache Clan) and Naashgal7 Dine’4 (Mescalero Apache Clan). It is said that these people tried, but were not accepted by many Din4. The Beiy0odz7ne’ ³⁴ (Paiutes) from Naatsis’11n (Navajo Mountain) were adopted but were left there because of differences over religious matters. The people (Din4) then moved down toward the south, where they left the Ch7sh7 (Chiricahua Apaches), and adopted the Mexicans (Naakaii). Then they went to the east, where the Naashgal7 (Mescalero Apaches) decided to stay. The Mescaleros now live from Albuquerque (Be’eld77ldahsinil) all the way down to the home of the Naakaii (Mexicans). From there, the Din4 again moved to the vicinity of Dib4 Nitsaa (La Plata Mountains), where the Beehai (Jicarilla Apaches) eventually settled. The People remained there for seven winters. They were happy, but there was one problem. The summers were too short. Because there was not time for the squash and corn to ripen, the main group moved to Ts4 Naajiin (Cabezon Peak).

The names of more than half of the Navajo Clans suggest that they derived from the places in which the Clans originated, such as Kinyaa’32nii, a Pueblo ruin in the Crownpoint area of New Mexico, or Deeschii’nii, a canyon in the Cibecue area of the Western Apache country. The remainder, something less than half, claim origin from other American Indians including the Mexicans, Apaches, Utes, Commanches, and Puebloans (Zuni, Jemez, Zia, Santa Ana, and Hopi).

Now the Navajo Tribe has grown to it present system of about 90 different Navajo Clans. As of now, no official clans are represented for Anglos (Bilag1ana), Blacks (Zhinii), or Asians (Bin11’1daa[ts’0z7 Dine’4), although Navajos who have one parent that is non-Navajo are still "born to" or "born for" Anglo-Americans, African-Americans, Asian-Americans, etc.. These clans are divided into nine major clan groupings, although a few smaller groupings are also recognized.

The clan stories take us back in time to our earliest history. The clan stories tell of the Din4 (Navajo) movement upward through the other worlds, emerging at Din4tah (original homeland of the Navajos), the large area east of Blanco, New Mexico.

Stories tell of Din4 movement from and along the Pacific coast as they made their way to Din4tah. Other stories describe our migration in and around our homelands. They tell of our ancestors' keen observations of their surroundings, the geography, mountains, trees, water, and canyons. Our ancestors observed and respected the natural elements and the web of life it weaved.

Stories describe movement through time following the pathway of the Sun (J0honaa’47), and always moving with reverence and respect for the sacred cardinal directions, the Four Directions.

Our ancient clan stories describe the gradual inclusion of neighboring tribes, from the Pueblos (Kiis’1anii), Utes (N00da’7), Paiute (B4yoodzin), Pima (K4t[’1h7), Havasupai (G00hn7inii), Apaches, and the Mexicans (Naakaii). Today, the Din4 is the largest American Indian tribe on this continent.

The clan stories also teach us the strict rules about marrying close relatives. This moral code protects future generations from weakening bloodlines that may cause health problems.

There are social rules to encourage sharing and taking responsibility for one another. Thinking in the K’e way, k’e nisin, relates to a life of goodwill and solidarity, kindness and helpfulness. K’e teaches us how to behave within our family and clan, and with others. We are taught to show love and respect to one another and to address each other properly.

K’e nisin is the core of Din4 traditions.