Foods and Clothing:

The earliest type of clothing for the Navajo probably was a simple skirt made from the skins of deer, antelope, and buffalo. Robes were worn for protection against the weather. The people also wore moccasins on their feet.

 

As time went on, they made more fancy clothing from buckskin. Buckskin is leather made from animal skin. Women began to wear buckskin shirts and skirts. Men wore a buckskin loincloth that hung down to the knees in front and to the ankles in the back. In the summer, the men did not wear a top.

In the winter, they wore long sleeve buckskin shirts. Navajo clothing styles were influenced by the Pueblo Indians of the Southwest. The women began to wear woolen dresses and high buckskin leggings. Many men wore Pueblo style pants. Today, the modern Navajo wear western style clothing. Corn was the most important crop. Men raised the corn. Women ground it into flour for bread. The Navajo probably learned how to farm from the Pueblo Indians. The Pueblo Indians were good farmers.

The Spanish brought sheep and horses with them from Europe in the 1600s. In time, the sheep herd became very important to the Navajos. Sheep provided meat for food and wool for clothing.

Religion:

Singing had a special meaning for Navajos. Each song or chant was a prayer to the Holy People, or supernatural beings that the Navajo believe watch over life. Some of the Holy People were named Talking God, Changing Woman, Bear, Ant, and Corn People.

The Navajo believe that everything in the universe had a purpose. The Navajo believed in good and evil. Evil and danger happen when the normal balance of the universe was disturbed. To restore balance, a medicine man, or singer, performed a "sing" or ceremony. The medicine man sings in ceremonies to cure the sick or to protect their families, homes, crops, and herds.

Some ceremonies may last several nights. If the Holy People are happy with the ceremonies, they will restore the balance between good and evil. Some of the more important Navajo ceremonies are called "Blessingways." They provide a blessing for a long and happy life. The Blessingway ceremony was performed to protect livestock, to bless a new marriage, to help a woman in childbirth, to protect a warrior from his enemies, and to do many other things.

 

 

When a ceremony was performed to help cure sickness, a sandpainting was made on the floor of a hogan. A sandpainting is a picture formed from colored powder. Sometime during the ceremony the sick person sits on the painting to receive power from the Holy People. When the ceremony ends, the painting is rubbed away.

Crafts:

Navajo were very skilled at making crafts. They were known for their skill in weaving and silversmithing. The Navajo Indians learned how to weave from the Pueblo Indians. Navajo women began weaving in the late 17th century. Navajo used a loom made of wood to weave blankets and rugs. The wool is often dyed to make different colors. The Navajo people learned how to make silver from the Pueblo Indians. They made many types of jewelry, bracelets, rings, earrings, belts, necklaces.