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The Navajo call themselves Dineh. This word means" the people." They came from Canada hundreds of years ago. The Navajo became sheepherders and spread out over the country with their flocks of sheep. The Navajo are one of the largest Native American groups in the United States. They are the biggest tribe in Arizona. They are called the Navajo Nation. A nation is a very large group of people with the same language, beliefs and government. The Navajo Nation elects their own government leaders.
Learn
more about the Navajo Nation
Schools
Navajo children learn to speak and write Navajo and English at school. they are also taught the beliefs of their people. They are taught to live in harmony with the earth and with other people.
Hogans
The Navajo sheepherders lived in hogans. Hogan means "house." The hogan walls had to form a circle. They can have eight or twelve sides if they are made of logs. All hogan doors face east to greet the morning sun. Some people still live in hogans today. Some hogans have glass windows and are made of stone. Today many Navajo also live in modern houses.
Family
Family is very important to the Navajo. A man must marry a woman from a different clan. When a baby is born, her or she becomes a part of the mother's clan. A clan is made up of families who have the same ancestors. A clan name is like a last name. Examples of clan names are Feather People, Blue Bird People, Mud Clan, Many hogans Clan and Red Streak Clan.
Arts and Crafts
Some Navajo women weave blankets and rugs. They use the wool from the sheep they raise. They spin thread from wool. They color thread with dyes made from roots, berries, plums and soil. Some of the Navajos are good silversmiths. The make silver crosses, buttons, belts, necklaces and other jewelry. They use turquoise and other stones in the jewelry.
Work
Like other people in Arizona, Navajo are ranchers, policemen, government workers, miners , factory workers, and teachers. They run restaurants, auto repair shops, and gas stations. Some families on the reservation help tourists. Others raise sheep like their ancestors did a long time ago.
A Spiritual People
The Navajo believe the earth is sacred or holy, and should be respected. They want to live in harmony with the earth and other people. Navajo people look for beauty in all that is around them. Dances are important to the Navajo. The dances keep people in harmony with nature and the gods. Some dances are held to cure sickness. People sometimes dance at night around a bonfire. one of their dances is called the Fire Dance. This dance is done to protect the Navajo from fires that could hurt them.
Learn more about the Navajo Fire Dance
Navajo Singers
The Navajo use chants to honor their gods. Chants are special songs or words. They are like prayers. There are chants to cure sickness, to bless a new home, and to keep dangers away. Sometimes people chant to music.
Navajo men called singers speak chants. A singer is a holy man. He is sometimes called a medicine man because he helps people feel better when they are sick. Singers make sand paintings when they chant. The Navajo word for sand painting means "place where the gods come and go." A singer makes a sand painting on the dirt. The singer colors sand with ground rocks, flowers and wood. He uses the sand to draw pictures of sacred people and symbols. When the sand painting is done, the singer wipes it off the ground. The Navajo believe that sand paintings have special powers and the gods would be upset if they did not destroy the paintings. They don't want people to steal the paintings sacred powers. Today the Navajo make sand paintings to be kept. You may see them in museum and shops.
The Apache are cousins of the Navajo. The Apache also came from Canada many, many years ago, but the two groups split after they got to the Southwest. The Apache settled in the mountains. They divided up into groups of related families. Each group has its own chief and headwoman.
The groups did not stay in one place very long. They roamed from place to place. When they did stay in one place, they lived in wickiups. These were huts made of poles covered with grass or brush. The top was shaped like a dome. Like the Navajo hogans, the door of the wickiup faced east. Today, the Apache live in modern homes instead of wickiups.
The Apaches were said to be kind and gentle to their families, but they could be cruel to their enemies. The Apache used bows and arrows. Later they used guns. Apache warriors knew how to hide themselves. They would tie brush to their heads and rub dirt on their bodies. Sometimes they would crawl on the ground to sneak up on their enemies.
Two Groups
Today, Arizona is home to two Apache groups. They are the San Carlos and the White Mountain Apache. Many San Carlos Apache work for the government. Some work in copper mines or on cattle ranches. Some make jewelry from a green gemstone called peridot.
The White Mountain Apache make money from logging and cattle ranching. Many also work for the Fort Apache Timber Company. Tourists visit Fort Apache Reservation. There are trout streams, lakes and forests on the reservation. Ski slopes are popular in the winter.
Apache Rodeo and Fair
A fun event on both of the Apache reservations is the rodeo and fair that is held every year. Apache cowboys compete for prizes.
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