Important Note
The Navajo Nation recognizes Daylight Savings Time, even when the state of Arizona does not. Please be aware of this while on your tour. For example, when it is 2 PM in Arizona, it is 3 PM on the Navajo Nation during the spring and summer months from March to November.
Introduction:
Among some 500 Indian tribes and 318 reservations recorded in the country by the 2000 Census, the Navajo Nation is the home of the largest American Indian tribe; and sprawls across northeast Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Navajos are believed to have originally migrated from western Canada and belonged to an American Indian group called the Athabascans. According to some scientists, some Athabascan bands first came into the American Southwest around the year 1300. Some settled in southern Arizona and New Mexico and became the different Apache tribes. Apache languages sound very much like Navajo. By the year 1700, Navajos were living in northern Arizona, New Mexico, southern Colorado and Utah. They gave their land the name of Dinétah.
Until 1846, California, Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado were still part of Mexico. By 1848, the Americans had defeated the Mexican army and annexed the above states to the United States. During those days, Navajos and the Spaniards were constantly waging war against each other. At the same time, the Navajos and the Pueblos were fighting against each other. Navajos fought against Mexicans, New Mexicans and Americans.
Navajo Reservation:
In 1864, thousands of Navajos were forced to surrender to American soldiers and endured “The Long Walk” to Ft. Sumner, New Mexico where they lived in horrible conditions. The Navajo Reservation was established with the signing of the Treaty of 1868 when they were finally allowed to return to their homeland. At that time, it was quite small, covering a territory containing Fort Defiance, Chinle, Many Farms and Shiprock. Since then, the Navajo Reservation has expanded significantly to 27,000 acres.
For more information on this community contact:
Navajo Nation Tourism Department
PO Box 663
Window Rock, AZ 86515
E-Mail: info@discovernavajo.com
Phone: (928) 810-8501
Fax: (928) 810-8500
Geography and Topography:
The Navajo Nation has an area of over 27,000 square miles and is situated on the southwestern Colorado Plateau. Very often, the size of the Navajo Nation is compared to that of the state of West Virginia. It is the largest reservation in the United States and is characterized by arid deserts and alpine forests with high plateaus, mesas and mountains reaching as high as 10,388 feet in altitude. There are also low desert regions with an altitude as low as 2,760 feet. Volcanic activities and wind and water erosions have formed and carved the Navajo Nation’s many majestic mesas, mountains and canyons. Navajoland boasts a number of world-renowned scenic wonders of the Southwest: e.g., Canyon de Chelly, Shiprock Pinnacle, Monument Valley, and the Chuska Mountains.
The traditional Navajo land is encompassed within the Four Sacred Mountains that were created by the Holy People for the Navajos. In the east is 'Sisnaajinii,' – Mt. Blanca; in the south, 'Tsoodzil,' – Mount Taylor, near Grants, N.M.; in the west 'Dook'o'oosliid,' – San Francisco Peak, near Flagstaff, Ariz.; and in the north, 'Dibe'Nitsaa,' – Mt. Hesperus.
Climate:
The continental climate has cold winters, hot summers, and average annual precipitation ranging from less than 6 inches to more than 20 inches in the mountains. Usual temperatures range from 0 degrees Fahrenheit to the mid-90s, but can drop as low as -30 degrees F., and may reach 100 degrees during the hottest summer days, but these extremes are rare. Even after a hot day, expect a balmy night in the 50s. Monsoons concentrate most of the annual rainfall in July and August. And don’t be surprised to wake up on a winter morning with a white blanket of snow covering the ground!
Population/Demographics:
(As recorded in the 2010 U.S. Census on Navajo)
Total Enrollment |
332,129 |
Total Navajos (living on the Navajo Nation) |
156,823 or 47%
|
Male |
22.59% or 75,042 |
Female |
23.56% or 78,281 |
American Indian |
96% |
Other Races, on the Navajo Nation |
|
White (anglo) |
2.8% |
Black or African American |
0.4% |
Asian |
0.3% |
Hawaiian & other Pacific Islander |
0.1% |
Median Age |
28 Years |
Unemployment Rate |
55.9% |
Avg. Household Income |
$27,389 |
Previous 2000 Census Data
POPULATION/DEMOGRAPHICS
Total Enrollment |
300,000 |
Total Navajos (living on the Navajo Nation) |
200,000 |
Male |
49.02% or 88,469 |
Female |
50.98% or 91,993 |
American Indians |
97.1% |
Navajo |
96.41% |
White (Anglo) |
2.89% |
2006 Projections were |
201,060 |
Median Age |
24 Years |
Unemployment Rate |
48.54% |