NO.'"?©]''' ^^^' ^^^'^ ^^ CHANGING WOMAN — BASSO 167 



NAIHES AND CIBECUE 



Having spoken of what na ih es does for the pubescent girl, I will 

 now discuss a few of the things it does for the community. In doing 

 so, I will make use of the ideas of adaptive and adjustive response set 

 forth by Kluckhohn. 



My basic postulate ... is that no cultural forms survive unless they constitute 

 responses which are adjustive or adaptive, in some sense, for the members of the 

 society or for the society considered as a unit. "Adaptive" is a purely descriptive 

 term referring to the fact that certain types of behavior result in survival (for the 

 individual or for society as a whole). "Adjustive" refers to those responses which 

 bring about an adjustment of the individual, .... Thus suicide is adjustive but 

 not adaptive. [Kluckhohn, 1944, p. 46.] 



Kluckhohn 's approach differs from that of the older functionalists 

 (Radcliffe-Brown in particular) in emphasis but not in basic theory. 

 Whereas the latter were primarily interested in showing the relations 

 between abstracted elements of culture, Kluckhohn directs his atten- 

 tion to the contributions culture makes toward the preservation of the 

 equilibrium of individuals. 



In his interpretation of Navaho myth and ritual, Kluckhohn (1942) 

 found the concepts of adaptive and adjustive response could be used 

 to good advantage. He concluded that from the standpoint of society 

 at large, rituals were "storehouses" of adaptive responses. In the 

 following discussion, I shall attempt to show that na ih es functions 

 adaptively; it contributes to the survival of Western Apache society. 



Unfortunately, I am unable to explain clearly how na ih es functions 

 adjustively. This would require a thorough knowledge of "motivation 

 stimulating the individual" that I do not have at the present time. I 

 know that Apaches cope daily with a wide variety of tensions, frustra- 

 tions, and anxieties which sometimes result in explosive and violent 

 behavior. But I am not at all sure about the precise nature of these 

 feelings, nor of the cultural and social conditions which foster them. 

 Consequently, in those instances where na ih es may function ad- 

 justively as well as adaptively, I can do Uttle more than suggest the 

 possibihty. 



Na ih es brings clan relatives together. — As indicated earlier, a 

 Western Apache clan is not a locaUzed kin group. Its members live 

 in different communities, scattered over the entire reservation. 

 Consequently, certain members of the same clan may see each other 

 very infrequently. Na ih es is unique in that it imites large numbers 

 of clan kin at the same place and provides them with a welcome 

 opportunity to visit and work together. 



For most Apaches, na ih es is the most festive and sociable occasion 

 of the year. It is a time of activity, excitement, and social dances; 

 a time of generosity and abundance with food and drink for everyone. 



