The Navajo for AP U.S. History

Mar 27

3 min read

The Navajo are an illustrative example of the Native American Societies before European Contact topic in Period 1 of AP U.S. History. You could reference this example on your AP U.S. History test.

The Navajo, or Diné, as they call themselves, are an indigenous tribe living in the Southwestern United States. Before the arrival of Europeans, they resided in a vast territory encompassing parts of present-day Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Colorado. Navajo communities lived in clan groups of a few families, fostering close-knit social bonds and shared responsibilities. Navajo society was matrilineal, with kinship traced through the mother’s lineage, and women held ownership over property and resources.

The Navajo were originally hunter-gatherers, but they learned agriculture from the Pueblo. They grew corn, beans, and squash, which formed the cornerstone of their diet, supplemented by wild plants and herbs found in the desert environment. Additionally, they hunted game such as deer and rabbits. When Europeans brought horses, sheep, and goats to the Americas, the Navajo also began herding animals.

The Navajo constructed hogans made of wooden poles in a circle covered in mud. The mud helped to keep them cool in the desert heat. A fire pit in the center of the hogan kept it warm in the winter. The one door of the hogan always faced east to greet the sun each morning.

Within clans, each family member had specific roles: men were responsible for hunting and protecting the community, while women played vital roles in agriculture, gathering and preparing food, and decision-making. Children helped the adults and were taught about practical daily activities and spiritual beliefs and rituals.

The Navajo are famous for their weaving. They use looms to weave blankets and rugs as well as clothing. Women wore dresses called biils. These dresses were like blankets with an opening for the woman’s head. The dress went past the knees and was open on either side. Women gathered the dress in the middle with a belt. Men wore similar outfits, but they were shorter, and they also wore pants made of either cloth or deerskin.

When the Navajo arrived in the Southwest, several centuries before Europeans arrived, they had to fight their new neighbors, the Apache, Ute, Pueblo, and Comanche for land. However, the tribes developed a mostly peaceful relationship over time. They became important trading partners in the vast trade network of the area.

In 1582, Antonio de Espejo, a Spanish explorer, became the first European to make contact with the Navajo. The Navajo greeted him warmly and fed him tortillas. Unfortunately, the Europeans settled in their land and would often capture and enslave Navajo individuals. The Europeans also brought diseases that were deadly to the Native Americans.

Later, the Navajo Long Walk, occurring primarily in 1864, marked a dark chapter in Navajo history. Thousands of Navajo people were forcibly relocated from their lands to the desolate Bosque Redondo reservation in eastern New Mexico. The Navajo were subjected to harsh conditions, including starvation, disease, and cultural dislocation. Despite the adversity they faced, the Navajo persevered. In 1868, they were allowed to return to a portion of their traditional lands, where they established the Navajo Nation.