Navaho Customs. Linguistically, the Navaho is akin to the Apache and the
Tinneh of Alaska; indeed, he calls himself Tinne. In winter he lives in a
rude shelter of logs and mud called a hogan. In summer this is changed for
a simple brush stack, which affords shade from the sun, and yet allows free
course of the cooling air. He is a polygamist, and lives with his one or
more wives, as he can afford. His chief industries are cattle, horse and
sheep-raising. The latter supply his wife (or wives) with the wool needed
for blanket-weaving, which is her chief industry.
Navaho Superstition. The Navaho is superstitious about several things: If
any one dies in the hogan it is henceforth "tabu." The body is burned and
the building with it, and whatever fragments of poles, etc., withstand the
fire are regarded with distrust.
Dislikes and Fears. Another tabu of the Navaho is his fear of seeing his
mother-in-law. Whenever she comes in sight, he disappears. Technically he
never sees her, and I have often had great fun in trying to bring them
together. Fish is another object placed under the Navaho ban. He will
neither eat, see, nor smell fish, if he can help it.
Essentially Religious. He is an essentially religious being, and has a
large number of ritualistic ceremonies. He has many dances for various
purposes, the most exciting of which is locally known as the HoshKon. It is
a healing ceremony. Dr. Matthews calls it the Mountain Chant. It requires
many days for its complete performance, and one of its final ceremonies
consists of a wild fire dance which is thrilling in the extreme.
Superior Horsemanship. But perhaps it is in his every-day horsemanship that
the Navaho shows himself the superior man. Oftentimes he introduces feats
of skill on a horse into his ceremonies. A few years ago at Tuba City, I
saw a large band of Navahos unite with the Hopis in their dances and
ceremonies of harvest thanksgiving. The Hopi director of the dances was
Mootchka, whose costume was as astoundingly frightful as he could possibly
make it. His naked body was smeared over with whitewash, some of which
adhered and some of which did not. On his head was a mass of rudely woven
black wool, crowned with the duplex pads of some wild flower. Around the
waist was a similar black wool mat, fastened on with a Navaho belt of
silver disks. When all was ready the dancers began. The trader's store-yard
was the plaza, and the roofs of all the buildings on the three sides of the
square were covered with Navaho spectators.
