Omaha daily bee., 1907-04-21
LIFE AMONG The NAVAJOS
Interesting Facts About the Noted Indian
Tribe Of the Southwest.
INDIVIDUAL INDUSTRY OF THE MEMBERS
Crude Methods of Agriculture in a
barren RegiOn-The Making and
Worth of Genuine Navajo
Blankets.

The Navajo Indians pronounced Navaho)
occupy a large reservation, about half OF
It in the northwest corner of New Mexico
and the other half in the northeast corner
of Arizona. It is a rough, mountainous,
barren region where they and their ami
mails find n scanty subsistence, and here
and there a patch of ground can be made
productive through irrigation, by damming
some stream or arroyo"
They have been a very warlilSe people,
but since being confined upon their reserva-
ton have adjusted themselves to its hard
conditions to the best Of their ability. The
government has never fed these Indians
as it has many of the other tribes, and
individual industry has been developed to
a large extent. There are no more faithful
laborers, white, black or red, than the
Navajo Indians. One Of the remarkable
traits Of character of these laborers is their
great faithfulness. If you set them task
they will work just as faithfully at it II
you are absent as If you are present.
The women have much greater influence
in all family affairs than is generally found
among Indian people. They own all the
sheep and goats. They weave all the
blankets. Most OF the cattle are owned
by the women. The men own the ponies
The women and children care for the
sheep, goats and cattle, leading them TO
the best pastures and carefully bringing
them to their permanent or temporary
home at night. This is largely due to the
fact that the men usually go long distances
from the settlement to cultivate their crops
and sometimes are gone weeks at a time,
living in a temporary shelter near their
feds.
Crude Methods of Agriculture.
When the Indians have found a small
stream or arroyo" which will supply
enough water to be used on their little
fields, they Immediately divide up the labor
and the acreage and each person who is
to have the benefit of the land must do his
share in building the dams and bringing
the water to the fields.
Usually the streams flow but a month
or two in the spring, drying up as the snow
| from the mountains melts away, so that
what they do III the way Of getting the
water on the land has to be done in the
very early spring.
The first thing is to throw up an embank-
| ment around the little patch, usually less
than an acre. which the Navajo is intend
ing TO cultivate. These entertainments are
usually about foot high. The water is
| then turned into them until they are about
| level full and then is allowed to soak away
/ so that the soil is thoroughly saturated.
As soon as the water disappears the
Navajo, with a sharp stick, makes holes
in the mud at regular intervals over his
! little field and drops in his seed corn. AL
| the cultivating is done with a hoe.
The Navajo has to watch his crop from
| the time 1t comes up until it is gathered in
the fall. Usually there il a division OF
labor and one man will watch half a dozen
fields, the owners taking It in turn.
They are a very thrifty, industrious peO-
| pie AS soon as they are relieved from
| the care of crops, the men seek employ
ment, either on or of the reservation
while the women, when relieved from the
care OF their hocks and herds, immedi-
ately busy themselves with the weaving
| Of their blankets.
Their looms are very crude, simply two
poles set on the ground with a cross-piece
at the top which holds them in place and
holds the warp, and a loose pole at the
bottom upon which the blanket can be
rolled woven. These looms and the
weaving are always in the open air, never
inside, their hogans, or huts being toe
small and not adapted to the purpose.
Their Dwellings.