NAVAHO HOUSES 
3y Cosmos MINDELEFF 
INTRODUCTION 
The account of the houses or hogans of the Navaho Indians which 
is presented here will be of interest to the student of architecture, it is 
believed, because data concerning such primitive types of house struc- 
tures are quite rare. It is also thought to be of interest to the arche- 
ologist and ethnologist as well as to the general reader, for it is well 
known that no one product of a people’s art exhibits so clearly their 
mental attitude and their industrial status as the houses which they 
build. 
Much of the material here presented was obtained some ten years 
ago, when the recent changes which have taken place in Navaho life 
had only just begun. Although the same processes are now employed 
in house construction as formerly, and although the same ceremonies 
are observed, they are not so universally nor so strictly adhered to as 
they were. The present tendency is such that ina comparatively short 
time the rules for the construction of a hogén which have been handed 
down through many generations and closely followed, and the elaborate 
ceremonies of dedication which formerly were deemed essential to the 
well-being of the occupants, will be so far modified as to be no longer 
recognizable, if, indeed, they are not altogether abandoned. Such 
being the case, even a bare record of the conditions which have pre- 
vailed for at least two centuries must be of value. 
As the architecture of a primitive people is influenced largely by the 
character of the country in which they live, a brief description of the 
Navaho reservation is deemed necessary. Similarly, the habits of life 
of the people, what a naturalist would term their life history, which in 
combination with the physical environment practically dictates their 
arts, is worthy of notice, for without some knowledge of the condi. 
tions under which a people live it is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain 
an adequate conception of their art products. 
The winter hogans are the real homes of the people, but as the form 
and construction of these are dictated by certain rules and a long line 
ot precedents, supported by a conservatism which is characteristic 
of savage life, the summer shelters, which are largely exempt from 
such rules, are of considerable interest. Moreover, the effects of mod- 
ern conditions and the breaking down of the old ideas should have 
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