LAND OF HOPI AND NAVAJO 119 



had been destroyed by giants or demons. This 

 story of creation doubtless indicated the migra- 

 tion into Arizona of the nucleus clan. Dr. F. 

 W. Hodge, the noted American anthropolo- 

 gist, has shown that the Navajo legend of the 

 beginning of the tribe is substantially correct, 

 though he places the date at less than five hun- 

 dred years. 



Before the close of the seventeenth century 

 the Navajos had grown into a powerful tribe 

 and developed warlike tendencies. Early set- 

 tlers in New Mexico and Arizona were con- 

 stantly harassed by them. Col. Alexander W. 

 Doniphon led an expedition against them in 

 1846 and concluded a treaty of peace with them 

 in the autumn of that year, but they very 

 quickly broke it and returned to the warpath. 

 In 1849 Col. John M. Washington led another 

 expedition against them and forced them into 

 the peace treaty of Canon de Chelly on Septem- 

 ber ninth of that year. Again they broke their 

 treaty, and in 1863 Kit Carson, with a consid- 

 erable force, moved against them, determined 

 to put an end to their wars. He reduced them 

 to the point of starvation by wholesale destruc- 

 tion of their sheep and finally succeeded in tak- 

 ing the greater part of the tribe prisoners to 

 Fort Sumner. The government held them in 



