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Navajo Indian Culture and Experiences
Published in Shush-Be-Toh News
Written by Moses Tofoya, a Navajo boy studying at the Santa Clara Pueblo, Santa Fe Indian
School. New Mexico. 1936.
"There are many interesting things about the Navajos and their homes.
and how they dress. They have their hogans made of logs and/dirt. They dig holes down about
a foot and then they place their logs around in the holes."
"They build up until they finish the hogan. They leave a hole at the top for the smoke to come
out. Then they fill the cracks with mud and leave it until it gets dry. Some Navajos do not
live in hogans. They live in houses. They move into the hogan when they want to."
"The Navajo ladies know how to make bread without measuring their
materials. They know just how much of baking powder, salt and flour to put in to make their
bread. They make Navajo bread with skillets and on grates and some in ashes and in Dutch
ovens."
"They also make soup and dumplings, and it sure is good. They know
how much salt to put in their soup. They also make fried bread, pepper bread, kneel-down
bread and some other kinds of bread."
"They cook inside when it's rainy and windy and cook outside when it
is nice and cool or warm. They wear Navajo middies and skirts. Some have about four or five
on and about sixteen or eighteen widths to them. They make their skirts out of pretty print
and other pretty cloth. They trim them with very bright bias tape."
"They wear moccasins and have buckskin tied around their legs. They
also ha.ve a Navajo sash which some Navajos know how to weave. They have their hair tied up
in the back. They roll it up about four inches each time. They have some kind of hair string.
They tie up their hair with the string."
"The Navajos have holes in their ears. They put Navajo earrings in
through the holes in their ears. They wear other jewelry too, such as beads, rings, bracelets
and silver bolts. They put Navajo silver buttons on their moccasins and on their waists on the
front."
"Weaving is the most interesting thing among the Navajos. The very
first thing you have to do before you start to weave is to shear the wool off the sheep.
Then, of course, it would be very dirty so you have to wash it before you card it. Soap weed
seeds make the wool very clean. They hang it up to dry. When it is dry you card it into little
rolls."
"Spin some for warp and some for weaving. They dye the wool with native dyes and bought
dyes. The people weave pretty rugs. After the rugs are done they sell them and get so much
money for them. They buy what they need for the children and themselves."
"They buy their food with what is left. Some of the Navajos do not raise as much vegetables
as others. Corn is the native crop among the Navajos. They grow corn, carrots, cabbage, chili,
beans, cantalope, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, squash, radishes and watermelons."
"Lots of little animals come about the garden and eat anything. The
animals such as prairie dogs, skunks. chipmunks, badgers and rats dig up the seeds and store
them away for winter. Sometimes snakes come into the garden and eat corn."
"The boys have to get up very early in the morning and have to come
have their breakfast so that they can go and herd sheep. Their mother or sister have to get
up to cook their breakfast for them. The boys have some mutton, Navajo bread and coffee.
They have to herd p where there is lots of green grass."
"They have to be careful that no wolves or foxes are around their sheep. They have to be
good shepherd boys and have a good dog with them."
"They have to have their corral near the hogan so the fox won't get any lambs or goats. They
have to milk the goats, too, so they can have milk for breakfast. They either put some
cornmeal in it and make some mush or put it in the bread. to make it good. They make
pancakes with milk and spread it on the skillet, and let it cook. They can eat it for dinner."
"The Medicine Man is a very helpful man to the Navajos. When anybody
gets sick and they don't want to go to the hospital, they go for a medicine man."
"They do not have a telephone so they go on horseback. They bring the Medicine Man, and he
sings for about three days. He wiggles his hand and tells the sick person what ails him. At the
end of the song, the sick person's parents give something to the Medicine Man. They either
give him a blanket or some money or goats. If the person gets well, the Medicine Man did a
good job. He has to sing all day and half the night."
Written by Moses Tofoya, a Navajo boy studying at the Santa Clara Pueblo, Santa Fe Indian
School. New Mexico. 1936.
"There are many interesting things about the Navajos and their homes.
and how they dress. They have their hogans made of logs and/dirt. They dig holes down about
a foot and then they place their logs around in the holes."
"They build up until they finish the hogan. They leave a hole at the top for the smoke to come
out. Then they fill the cracks with mud and leave it until it gets dry. Some Navajos do not
live in hogans. They live in houses. They move into the hogan when they want to."
"The Navajo ladies know how to make bread without measuring their
materials. They know just how much of baking powder, salt and flour to put in to make their
bread. They make Navajo bread with skillets and on grates and some in ashes and in Dutch
ovens."
"They also make soup and dumplings, and it sure is good. They know
how much salt to put in their soup. They also make fried bread, pepper bread, kneel-down
bread and some other kinds of bread."
"They cook inside when it's rainy and windy and cook outside when it
is nice and cool or warm. They wear Navajo middies and skirts. Some have about four or five
on and about sixteen or eighteen widths to them. They make their skirts out of pretty print
and other pretty cloth. They trim them with very bright bias tape."
"They wear moccasins and have buckskin tied around their legs. They
also ha.ve a Navajo sash which some Navajos know how to weave. They have their hair tied up
in the back. They roll it up about four inches each time. They have some kind of hair string.
They tie up their hair with the string."
"The Navajos have holes in their ears. They put Navajo earrings in
through the holes in their ears. They wear other jewelry too, such as beads, rings, bracelets
and silver bolts. They put Navajo silver buttons on their moccasins and on their waists on the
front."
"Weaving is the most interesting thing among the Navajos. The very
first thing you have to do before you start to weave is to shear the wool off the sheep.
Then, of course, it would be very dirty so you have to wash it before you card it. Soap weed
seeds make the wool very clean. They hang it up to dry. When it is dry you card it into little
rolls."
"Spin some for warp and some for weaving. They dye the wool with native dyes and bought
dyes. The people weave pretty rugs. After the rugs are done they sell them and get so much
money for them. They buy what they need for the children and themselves."
"They buy their food with what is left. Some of the Navajos do not raise as much vegetables
as others. Corn is the native crop among the Navajos. They grow corn, carrots, cabbage, chili,
beans, cantalope, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, squash, radishes and watermelons."
"Lots of little animals come about the garden and eat anything. The
animals such as prairie dogs, skunks. chipmunks, badgers and rats dig up the seeds and store
them away for winter. Sometimes snakes come into the garden and eat corn."
"The boys have to get up very early in the morning and have to come
have their breakfast so that they can go and herd sheep. Their mother or sister have to get
up to cook their breakfast for them. The boys have some mutton, Navajo bread and coffee.
They have to herd p where there is lots of green grass."
"They have to be careful that no wolves or foxes are around their sheep. They have to be
good shepherd boys and have a good dog with them."
"They have to have their corral near the hogan so the fox won't get any lambs or goats. They
have to milk the goats, too, so they can have milk for breakfast. They either put some
cornmeal in it and make some mush or put it in the bread. to make it good. They make
pancakes with milk and spread it on the skillet, and let it cook. They can eat it for dinner."
"The Medicine Man is a very helpful man to the Navajos. When anybody
gets sick and they don't want to go to the hospital, they go for a medicine man."
"They do not have a telephone so they go on horseback. They bring the Medicine Man, and he
sings for about three days. He wiggles his hand and tells the sick person what ails him. At the
end of the song, the sick person's parents give something to the Medicine Man. They either
give him a blanket or some money or goats. If the person gets well, the Medicine Man did a
good job. He has to sing all day and half the night."
Santa Fe Indian Boarding
School, 1934
School, 1934
This is a fascinating look at Navajo
home life, written by a Navajo boy for
a class assignment while at the Santa
Fe Indian Boarding School in 1936.
home life, written by a Navajo boy for
a class assignment while at the Santa
Fe Indian Boarding School in 1936.
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