Amarillo daily news. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 19??-current, 1913-04-18


like a gigantic saddle blanket,
and may be- briefly described further
as a great broken plateau Of some
10000 square miles IN area semiarid
In IL climatic features and oyergrown
quite generally with a harry growth Of
vegetation including many valuable
forage plants unsurpassed for grazing
purposes resource long since turn
ed to account by its interesting In
habtants the Navaios. The owners OF
9U0OOOU sheep the income from which
renders them practically Independent
OF the whites and the benevolent pa
ternalism OF the federal government
Al the time OF the American uccupa
ton OF New Mexico IN lNlS the Naya.
JOS had become quite generally pas
tOral people. subsisting upon their
hocks. which we're added to. accord
ing to accounts OF the times. by others
stolen from the puoblos and the Mex
lean settlers with whom they were not
inirequently AT enmity During the
COS when the tribe was at war with
the United States their herds aud
property were ru,hlessly killed and
destroyed aud the men. women and
children carried on IN captivity to
Fort sumner
Children Belong to Mother.
Following their release aud return
10 the reservation. the United States
government. In 1859. gave them 80,
GOO sheep and 1000 goats. which by
careful outstanding they have iucreas
ed TO the present extensive dimen.
sons, becoming the principal posses
sion Of each family and It's chief means
Of support, the nocks OF the more
thrifty, IN many Instances. numbering
several thousand head thus enabling
/ the possessors 10 live iu comparative
ease or ailluencc even II Is. indeed.
the exception rather than the rule To
/ find a family without herd OF sheep
They, ia fact are the royal road TO
/ power and Influence In the tribe. one s
I rank being automatically regulated
( by the size Of his flock. the greater
ones possessions the more exalted his
/ position
As among other primitive peoples.
womans standing la the navajo tribe
/ IL high, descent and inheritance being
10 her line. the children belonging TO
the mother and her elan IS tribal
prerogatiye she is the principal prop
! crty owner. the lands. houses. crops
and sheep being hers exclusively ana
II 10 on her thar their care and man
agemeut largely dcsolye
The scarcity o. water and grass al
certain seasons. the difference In alti
tude OF the various sections the couse.
Qucut attendant climatic variations
and the peculiar character o. me plan,
life on the reservation make it uoces
sary to move the flocks during certain
seasons. For these reasons 20 which
must be coupled the itinerant pro
cliyities OF the tribe m" navajo has
no permanent abode. hts movements
being regulated tO d very great extern,
BY the waxing and waning OF the pas
lures, a state 90 Affairs haf MS lu we'll
With Navajo disposition 10 wander. In
herlted from his forb"ars who lived
by hunting and pluHderug. the
change from rowing hunter 10 q
nomadlc herdsman being sn easy and
perhaps n natural one
Ranges DIVIDED
In the summer months the iamIl,
repair With their Hooks 90 the hirl
mountainous areas where thrive mag
nihcent belts OF timber consisting o.
yellow pine. m spruce scrub oak
pinon juniper and cedar f1our.shln,
within these umbcrnd tracts are nu
merous grassy stretches TIA. furnish
excellent pasturage FOR he herds
Then. too. the climate b. nor. con
genial and water more abundant thar
on the lower semi arid sections else
where
As a rule. whether on the summc
or winter pasture lands. the family &C
cupy the same locality. 10 each case
year after year the range being dl
vided Ia some manner among the va
rious clans tfat constitute the Naval,
tribe. and again subdivided among M
families. where Il is handed dow
through some system 90 entail iron
one generation Ia another Ia "a a.
cluded place remote from springs va
tering sites and trails near snail
arabic tract the summer hogan IL ~
uated near which are the corrals 20