The Navajo, or Diné, of the Southwestern United States are the second largest Native American tribe of Northern America. In the 2000 U.S. census, 298,197 people claimed to be fully or partly of Navajo ancestry. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the Four Corners area of the United States. The traditional Navajo language is still largely spoken throughout the region, althou...
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The Navajo, or Diné, of the Southwestern United States are the second largest Native American tribe of Northern America. In the 2000 U.S. census, 298,197 people claimed to be fully or partly of Navajo ancestry. The Navajo Nation constitutes an independent governmental body which manages the Navajo Indian reservation in the Four Corners area of the United States. The traditional Navajo language is still largely spoken throughout the region, although most Navajo speak English fluently as well. Navajo refer to themselves in their native language as Diné, which is translated as "the people" in English.
The Navajo lived in round houses known as hogans. Hogans are houses of forked poles and brush covered with earth. According to Kehoe, this style of housing is distinctive to the Navajo, even going as far as saying that, “even today, a solidly constructed, log walled Hogan is preferred by many Navajo families.” (Kehoe, 133) However, the Navajo have another style of housing. Around the 17th...
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