The Navajo People Are The Largest Native American Tribe

The Navajo people are the largest Native American tribe in the United States, now with over 300,000 members. They are native to a large chunk of Southwestern United States, mostly in New Mexico and Arizona, but also partially in Utah and Colorado. It was sometime between 1100 - 1500 A.D. when a distinguishable Navajo culture began to appear. The first Western contact that is known with the Navajo occurred near 1581 - 1583 A.D. Historians believe that the Navajo were relatively peaceful with their new Spanish neighbors. However there were some times over the centuries after the Spanish settlement in which the Navajo fought Spanish settlers to retain their land. The Navajo’s first contact with the United States came during the Mexican American War. The area where the Navajo lived was seen as a strategic area for the United States military. Troops were therefore brought to Navajo land to form treaties with them. Both sides more or less ignored these treaties. Navajo groups and New Mexican settlers would often clash. The United States government began mobilizing troops to New Mexico, and proceeded to establish military bases there. This initially established a precedence that the government could take advantage of the Navajo people. For the most part, the Navajo wanted to avoid any conflict, and the United States government chose to exploit this. Uranium is a naturally occuring chemical element that can be mined from ore in many parts of the Southwestern United States whereShow MoreRelatedNavajo Traditions1573 Words   |  7 PagesThe Navajo Indian Cultural Anthropology The Navajo Indians of the Southwestern United states have a distinct social organization, kinship, and a both traditional and biomedical way that they approach sickness and healing. Their social organization revolves around their community and the Earth. Kinship for the Navajo is matriarchal and they are a pastoral society. 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They first descended from the Apaches, who came from the Pueblos. Their native language is Athapaskan. â€Å"Navajo† came from the word navahu’u meaning â€Å"farm fields in the valley.† The Spanish chroniclers first referred to the Navajos as Apaches de Nabajo’ meaning Apaches who farm in the valley. Then the name was eventuallyRead MoreNative American Tribe : The Tribes Of Now Arizona And New Mexico1190 Words   |  5 Pages Starting in the 1400s, the Native American tribe called the Dineh occupied the territories of now Arizona and New Mexico. In their language, Dineh means â€Å"the people†, in which they call their homeland Dinetah. They got the name Navajo from the Spanish so that they wouldn t get confused with the Apache tribe, for they looked very much alike. The Navajo had a unique lifestyle and focused on art, religion, and farming. 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They gathered plants and nuts to eat, hunted animals for meat, and used the skins to keep warm at night as the temperature in the desert drops to below freezing. As times changed the Navajo adapted their skills to benefit them. TheyRead MoreNative American Traditions And Traditions Of Clothing, Shelter, And Food1118 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"The Navajos did not make war just to steal and kill; they earned their reputation as warriors fighting to protect their lands, properties, and families- and a just cause it was.† The Navajo tribe is one of the oldest and is the largest tribe in the United States and branches from the Apache tribe. Their characteristics and traditions of clothing, shelter, and food are still around today. 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Pastoralists have an impact on different aspects with in the culture. The aspects that I will be discussing will be the Navajo’s beliefs and values, sickness and healing, kinship, and their social organization. â€Å"Pastoralists are those who regularly move in search