Navajo

The name "Navajo" comes from the late 18th century via the Spanish which was derived from the Tewa navahū which means "fields adjoining a ravine". The Navajo call themselves Diné, which means "the people". The Navajo were semi-nomadic from the 16th through the 20th centuries. They lived in round houses known as hogans. Hogans are houses of forked poles and brush covered with earth. This style of housing is distinctive to the Navajo, even going as far as saying that, “even today, a solidly constructed, log walled Hogan is preferred by many Navajo families.” The Navajo would have seasonal dwelling areas to accommodate livestock, agriculture and gathering practices. The Navajo people traditionally hold the FOUR sacred mountains as the boundaries of the homeland they should never leave:

Tsisnaasjini' — Dawn or White Shell Mountain
Tsoodzil — Blue Bead or Turquoise Mountain
Doko'oosliid — Abalone Shell Mountain
Dibé Nitsaa — Big Mountain Sheep




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