Navajo Tribe Research Paper

The Navajo creation involves four worlds. In the first world the First Man and the First Woman became known. In the second world it is much like the story of the Garden of Eden in the bible. The First Man and First Woman get banished to the third world where they begin to procreate. Finally in the fourth world they decide to settle down with help of the wind God. The Navajo people are the largest recognized tribe in the Southwestern United States. This tribe consists of 300,048 enrolled tribal members as of 2011. The Navajo Indians are also known as Dine, meaning “the people”.

The Navajo tribe extends into the states of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico. The reservation that the Navajo Indians live on, spans over 14.000 square miles, lying between Arizona and New Mexico. It is a very dry region which makes it very challenging to live in. The Navajo Tribe would use trees, logs, mud, and soil as their natural resources. The Navajoland is also endowed with reserves of oil, coal, natural gas, and uranium.

The Navajo people were really skillful farmers who grew

maize, squash, beans, and even fruits such as peaches. They only farmed during summer months when their fields were flooded. The men hunt for deer, rabbit, mountain goats, and prairie dogs while the women and children pick wild berries, seeds, and herbs. Most families raise sheep and goats for their milk, meat, and fleece. The Navajo used the wool and spun it into yarn to use for clothing, rugs, and blankets.

The Navajo men wore breechcloths that were made out of a long rectangular piece of animal skin or cloth that was worn between the legs and tucked over a belt. They also wore tunics with a concho belt that was fastened around their waist, these tunics were also worn with cloaks or ponchos during the cold weather. They wore high, boot-like moccasins that were fastened at the instep with two or three silver buttons. The Navajo men wore the traditional headdress which was a leather cap that was replaced by a simple cloth or leather headbands.
The Navajo women wore skirts and dresses as well as blouses. The skirts and dresses were traditionally woven with yucca fiber. The Navajo women also wore jewelry and silver ornaments.

The Navajos lived in houses called hogans. These houses were made out of wooden poles, treebark, and mud. The doorway opened to the east so that they could get the morning sun as well as good blessings. The door frame is covered with weeds, grass, and bark except where the apex is located to let the smoke from the fire in the center of the floor to escape. In the doorway they hang a blanket in place of the door. The summer houses are slightly different. The summer hogan's would only have one side completely open and one side completely closed.

The Navajo people are very well know as extraordinary artists. The Navajo women weave beautiful blankets designed to express warmth, earth colors, and unique designs. Most of these designs have a spiritual significance for the Navajo tribe. For their music many instruments were used as well as vocals. They used flutes, rasps, drums, drumsticks, and many more. They combined their vocals with their instruments and created many beautiful chants and songs.

The Navajo tribe had many leaders, Manuelito was one who had a great impact on the Navajo tribe.

n 1864 after a war, the Navajo crops, homes, equipment, and livestock were destroyed. U.S Army Colonel Kit Carson had 8,000 Navajo confined to the Bosque Redundo. Manuelito and 4,000 of his people refused to surrender and went off into the mountains and waged guerrilla warfare. Carson continued killing off horses and wild came and destroying all Navajo property. Ny 1866 Manuelito and his people were beginning to starve and decided to surrender. They were then taken to the very arid reservation Bosque Redundo. The conditions were so terrible that manuelito and his people were permitted to travel to Washington D.C. to petition the government for a new reservation. Manuelito pleaded his cause so well that they were given a reservation to live by autumn. This reservation was located in their traditional

homeland.

The Navajo people are the largest recognized tribe in the Southwestern United States. They practice many spiritual traditions and they are also very famous for their visual arts such as weaving and jewelry. The Navajo people are well known for their survival tactics and their sense of style. They have had a great impact on the Native American culture as well as many tribes in the United States.