VAHO

[Illustration: _Tobadzischi{~COMBINING BREVE~}ni_ - Navaho]

_Tobadzischi{~COMBINING BREVE~}ni_ - Navaho

_From Copyright Photograph 1904 by E.S. Curtis_

LANGUAGE--Athapascan.

POPULATION--About 17,000 (officially estimated at 20,600).

DRESS--Primitively the men dressed in deerskin shirts, hip-leggings,
moccasins, and native blankets. These were superseded by what has been the
more universal costume during the present generation: close-fitting cotton
or velvet shirt, without collar, cut rather low about the neck and left
open under the arms; breeches fashioned from any pleasing, but usually
very thin, material, and extending below the knees, being left open at the
outer sides from the bottom to a little above the knees; deerskin
moccasins with rawhide soles, which come to a little above the ankles, and
brown deerskin leggings from moccasin-top to knee, held in place at the
knee by a woven garter wound several times around the leg and the end
tucked in. The hair is held back from the eyes by a head-band tied in a
knot at the back. In early times the women wore deerskin waist, skirt,
moccasins, and blanket, but these gradually gave place to the so-called
"squaw-dress," woven on the blanket loom, and consisting of two small
blankets laced together at the sides, leaving arm-holes, and without being
closed at top or bottom. The top then was laced together, leaving an
opening for the head, like a poncho. This blanket-dress was of plain dark
colors. To-day it has practically disappeared as an article of Navaho
costume, the typical "best" dress of the women now consisting of a velvet
or other cloth skirt reaching to the ankles, a velvet shirt-like waist cut
in practically the same manner as that of the men, and also left open
under the arms. Many silver and shell ornaments are worn by both sexes.
The women part their hair down the middle and tie it in a knot at the
back.

DWELLINGS--Whatever its form or stability, the Navaho house is called
_hogan_. In its most substantial form it is constructed by first planting
four heavy crotch posts in the ground; cross logs are placed in the
crotches, and smaller ones are leaned from the ground to these, the corner
logs being longer, forming a circular framework, which is covered with
brush and a heavy coating of earth. The entrance is invariably at the
east. The building of a hogan and its first occupancy are attended