Łitsotah
Łitsotah, also known as Yellow Law or Eastern Customary Law, is a system of philosophies and beliefs prominent in <Diné> society and the areas they influences throughout Southern Daratanayah. Łitsotah governs daily interactions and power dynamics between social groups in <Diné> society and is different from Hozoji, which is an individualist and mystical system of beliefs.
Mother-Bond
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The Mother-Bond, or Amátłoii, is the system of unfree labor by which permission from a mother or grandmother-in-law is required for a man to have employment, own property, or get married. As a result of this tradition, women, especially women with female children, tended to amass wealth and secure more favorable positions in society. While the Mother-Bond is no longer enforced legally, it still influences the lives of men and various social systems still support it. Notably, men are eligible for conscription when they come of age and, as a result, face discrimination against holding elected legislative offices which have influence over declarations of war or dispensation of military units.
Since older women are almost always consulted for major decisions and often become trustees of jointly owned assets, families and communities tend to form around an executive grandmother or committee or grandmothers. These women often act as landlords for their extended families.
A part of the Mother-Bond is a kind of formal avoidance of close female relatives. Although historically this only applied to a mother-in-law, it has developed into a system of social obligations to any woman who is a social superior. There is a separate polite form of address for older women as well as female-only spaces that men are generally forbidden to enter. While the scale of these prohibitions and traditions have changed over time, men are still generally viewed as polite and helpful when in public and are expected to make way for women, make themselves available for small tasks, and avoid making eye contact.
Laity
The Hataałii, or "Singers", act as the lay clergy of the <Diné> and serve essential functions in the operation of religious and secular enterprise. They are almost exclusively men, although there are exceptions. The Singers perform selected religious rites as well as providing entertainment to a community, especially the women of a community. Public endowments support their needs and typically also arrange for their schedules and performances, although many Singers also require a secondary career help maintain them and provide them with artistic independence. Members of religious orders are typically exempt from military service, which is an important expectation for young men, and they are often the public voice for men's rights in <Diné> public life.
Nantan
Nantan is another role in society reserved for men. Although it literally means "leader" then Nantan is more often a middle ages man who acts as the speaker (literally) for a deliberative assembly of elected persons (typically mostly women). Historically, the Nantan was the man who took command of local soldiers for war and raiding, as well as generally acting as the local headman. In part due to a lack of enumerated powers, the Nantan has lost most of its political importance to constitutional bodies and many communities lack this role. Critics of the position describe it as pampering and overindulging the male ego, although before male enfranchisement, it was considered a critical source of consultative advice from the male perspective.
In wartime, the Nantan takes on additional ceremonial roles, but communities without one have those activities filled by a military officer.
Gardening
Gardening is considered an essential activity in sophisticated <Diné>. The cultivation of plants is considered an especially feminine activity and women--especially postmenopausal women--are often judged on their gardens. Poorer members of society will typically adopt a cutting from a maternal ancestor's garden to keep with them if they move away and the death of such a cutting is an ill omen. In addition to the importance of the activity itself, many important events take place within the confines of garden, such as asking permission to marry, sometimes even the marriage ceremony itself. For this reason, wealthy women are expected to fund the creation of parks and public gardens for use by the poor and so there is a place for unlanded, married women to practice horticulture.