Table of Contents
The Navajo were good shepherds and increased their number of livestock dramatically over the next 60 years.
The Navajo were farmers who grew the three main crops that many Native Americans grew: corn, beans, and squash. After the Spanish arrived in the 1600s, the Navajo began to farm sheep and goats as well, with sheep becoming a major source of meat. They also hunted animals for food like deer and rabbits.
Did the Navajo raise sheep?
However, the Navajo lore says that they already had sheep in the sixteenth century. The sheep provided meat, milk, and wool fiber which was used for the famous classic Navajo blankets and rugs. The effects of the initial introduction of the sheep on the people in the Southwest could be called ‘revolutionary’.
What animals are important in Navajo culture?
In Navajo mythology, owls, crows, mice, and coyotes were thought to have spied for witches and evil spirits, and they therefore cannot be trusted. Snakes are frequently seen in Navajo artwork, but they were feared on both a mythological and practical level.
In the early 1600s, Navajo acquisition of “la raza churra” sheep from the Spanish colonists inspired a radical lifestyle change to an agro-pastoralist way of life and expanded mobility.
Still, when the Spanish settlers brought sheep to North America for the first time, the Navajo were happy to give up farming and instead, in the 1600s, they began to herd sheep and goats.
What are the two main reasons why the Navajo use sheep?
Diné philosophy, spirituality, and sheep are intertwined like wool in the strongest weaving. Sheep symbolize the Good Life, living in harmony and balance on the land. Before they acquired domesticated sheep on this continent, Diné held the Idea of Sheep in their collective memory for thousands of years.
Did Native Americans domesticate sheep?
No ovine species native to the Americas has ever been domesticated, despite being closer genetically to domestic sheep than many Asian and European species. The first domestic sheep in North America—most likely of the Churra breed—arrived with Christopher Columbus’ second voyage in 1493.
They raised crops of corn, beans, and squash. Navajo men also hunted deer, antelope, and small game, while women gathered nuts, fruits, and herbs. After the Spanish introduced domestic sheep and goats, the Navajos began raising herds of these animals for their meat and wool as well.
For as long as anyone can remember, Churro sheep have been central to Navajo life and spirituality, yet the animal was nearly exterminated in modern times by outside forces who deemed it an inferior breed.
Why are sheep important to the Navajo?
Who introduced sheep to the Navajo?
Spanish
When the Spanish arrived in the Americas in the 16th century, they brought with them a particular breed of sheep: the Churro. This unique breed of sheep became crucial to Navajo life.