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The Navaho Geography: Location and Environment The land lies west and south of the Chama Valley, an arid desert where it is hard place for trees and animals to live. The land is very dry. Most of the rainfall for the whole year happens during the summer in six weeks. Because it is so dry there are few plants. There is oil, gas, coal, and uranium on these lands The People: The Navajo came from the North Country in the early 1500s.
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Science Plants: There are few plants. There is some grass, sage and desert brush, nuts, fruits and seeds. Animals: The Spaniards brought sheep and goats and horses.
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Basic Needs: Foods: They planted small gardens and traveled long distances to gather nuts, fruits and seeds and to hunt. They became sheepherders after the Spanish brought sheep to the area. They raised sheep for meat, milk and wool. The Navajos were hunters and raiders of the settled villages until the Spaniards brought sheep and goats. They gradually began tending flocks of these animals for a livelihood. The Navajos followed their herds from place to place seeking pasture. They followed the same route every year because they knew where to find the best grass. Sometimes the Navajo family planted a garden and had a fruit orchard.
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The Navajos learned silverwork from the Mexicans. Their jewelry is decorated with native turquoise stones.
For more information on clothes:
REGIONAL OVERVIEW OF NATIVE AMERICAN CLOTHING STYLES
: Southwest Region
Regional Overview of Native American Clothing and Regalia
Map of North America with Native American Varieties of Moccasins
NATIVE AMERICAN CLOTHING Overview of Footwear: Moccasins
NATIVE AMERICAN CLOTHING Leather Bags and Pouches
Tanning Deer Hides and Small Fur Skins
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Shelters: The Navajos traveled most of the time. They did not build villages. Each family had winter and summer homes, called hogans, along the route. The hogans were made of logs, earth, and rocks. Hogans were cone or dome shaped round houses built at the base of cliffs or canyons. They made trips to the mountains to get pinon pine trees to frame their hogan, which they covered with mud and clay. Years later the hogans were coved with stone or adobe rather than the bark. The doorways of hogans always faced east. Hogans were built far apart because food and later grazing land was spread over a wide area. When it was very hot some families left their hogan and moved into temporary homes that they made of pointed timbers pushed into the ground and covered the roof with sage and desert brush leaving the sides open.
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Literature - To understand more of the culture of the Navajo people read an original story by clicking on the following site.
The Navajo Today
Site for Literature:
Erwin Tso - Din storyteller
2000 Population
In the 1990 US census there were 225,298 Navajo living in the United States.
All of the Navajos do no not live on reservations.
Dilcon School is a Kindergarten through Eighth grade facility located on the Navajo reservation
Encyclopedia Britannica: Navajo
Navajo Sites
