502 NAVAHO HOUSES (ETH. ANN. 17 
the cardinal points and sent the moon to make a fire near each of them. 
This fire was obtained from the “burning stars,” the comets. The 
¢o‘tce were made exceedingly hot and the twins were placed in them 
successively; but instead of being harmed they came out of the last 
one stronger and more vigorous than ever. Then the Sun acknowl- 
edged them as his sons and gave the elder one the magic weapons 
with which he destroyed the evil genii who infested the Navaho land. 
This is the reason, the Navaho say, why it is well to have many ¢0‘tce 
and to use them frequently. Their use gives rest and sweet sleep after 
hard work; it invigorates a man for a long journey and refreshes him 
after its accomplishment. 
First-woman, after coming up the qadjinai, was also foul and ill 
smelling, and after First-man she also used the ¢é‘tce. Hence the 
Navaho women use the ¢0‘tce like the men, but never together except 
under a certain condition medical in character. The ¢é‘tce is built 
usually in some secluded spot, and frequently large parties of men go 
together to spend the better part of a day in the enjoyment of the 
luxury of a.sweat bath and a scour with sand. On another day the 
women of the neighborhood get together and do the same, and the 
men regard their privacy strictly. 
EFFECT OF MODERN CONDITIONS 
Up to a comparatively recent period the Navaho have been what is 
usually termed a “wild tribe;” that is, they have existed principally 
by war and plunder. Since the conquest of the country by General 
Kearny and the “Army of the West,” in 1846, they have given us but 
little trouble, but prior to that time they preyed extensively on the 
Pueblo Indians and the Mexican settlements along the Rio Grande. 
Practically all their wealth today, and they are a wealthy tribe, con- 
sists of thousands of sheep and goats and hundreds of horses, all de- 
seended from flocks and herds originally stolen. When the country 
came into the possession of the United States marauding expeditions 
became much less frequent, and almost insensibly the tribe changed 
from a predatory to a pastoral people. But aside from the infrequency 
or absence of armed expeditions the life of the people remained much 
the same under the changed conditions. When the Atlantic and 
Pacific railroad entered the country some sixteen or seventeen years 
ago traders came with it, although there were a few in the country 
before, and numerous trading posts were established in the reservation 
and about its borders. The effect of this was to fix the pastoral habits 
of the people. Wool and pelts were exchanged for flour, sugar, and 
coffee, and for calico prints and dyes, and gradually a demand for these 
articles was established. 
The men looked after their herds of horses and took very good care 
of the few cattle that drifted into the reservation; the women attended 
