CHAPTER 1 Homelands Over one thousand years ago the Navajo and their Apache relatives lived in northern Canada and Alaska Over time they moved south Some traveled east of the Rocky Mountains Some went through present-day Nevada and Utah Most eventually arrived in the deserts of northern New Mexico and Arizona The Navajo call themselves Diné It means the people 4
Monument Valley Tribal Park is part of the Navajo Nation It sits on the border of Arizona and Utah
CHAPTER 2 Society The Navajo lived in clan groups of a few related families The society is matrilineal This means ancestry and kinship is traced through the mothers Navajo clans were spread over a wide area They lived among neighboring tribes such as the Pueblo The Navajo were warriors and hunter-gatherers The Pueblo taught the Navajo how to grow corn melons beans and squash The Navajo also raised sheep and other livestock The Navajo wove rugs and made beautiful jewelry They often used turquoise and other stones they considered sacred 6
THE NAVAJO HOMELANDS WASHINGTON MAINE MONTANA NORTH DAKOTA OREGON MINNESOTA VERMONT NEW HAMPSHIRE MASSACHUSETTS IDAHO SOUTH DAKOTA WISCONSIN NEW YORK WYOMING MICHIGAN RHODE ISLAND CONNECTICUT NEW JERSEY IOWA PENNSYLVANIA NEVADA NEBRASKA OHIO UTAH ILLINOIS INDIANA DELAWARE MARYLAND WASHINGTON DC WEST VIRGINIA COLORADO KANSAS VIRGINIA CALIFORNIA MISSOURI KENTUCKY Navajo Nation TENNESSEE ARIZONA NORTH CAROLINA SOUTH CAROLINA OKLAHOMA NEW MEXICO ARKANSAS MISSISSIPPI ALABAMA GEORGIA TEXAS ALASKA LOUISIANA FLORIDA THE NAVAJO HOMELANDS HAWAII
