Dinétah
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Dinétah is the traditional homeland of the
Navajo The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized tribe in the United ...
tribe of Native Americans. In the Navajo language, the word means "among the people" or "among the Navajo" (''diné'' is the Navajo word that refers to the Navajo people; it also means "people" in the generic sense; ' means "among, through, in the area of"). In the geographical sense, Dinétah encompasses a large area of northwestern
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...
, southwestern
Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
, southeastern
Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
, and northeastern
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
. The boundaries are inexact, and are generally marked by mountain peaks which correspond to the four cardinal directions.


Geography and topography

The Dinétah region is marked by high mesas and deep canyons that drain to the San Juan River. The canyons of the area are composed of irregular layers of sandstone, marked by multiple benches and talus slopes. Elevations average approximately 5,000 to 6,500 feet, with a few mountain peaks rising to more than 14,000 feet. The traditional boundary of the land is demarcated by four mountains: Blanca Peak (Sis Naajinį́), to the east, Mount Taylor ( Tsoodzil), to the south, the
San Francisco Peaks The San Francisco Peaks (Navajo: , es, Sierra de San Francisco, Hopi: ''Nuva'tukya'ovi'', Western Apache: ''Dził Tso'', Keres: ''Tsii Bina'', Southern Paiute: ''Nuvaxatuh'', Havasupai-Hualapai: ''Hvehasahpatch''/''Huassapatch''/''Wik'hanbaja'', ...
(Dook'o'ooshį́į́), to the west, and
Hesperus Peak Hesperus Mountain (Navajo: ) is the highest summit of the La Plata Mountains range of the Rocky Mountains of North America. The prominent thirteener is located in San Juan National Forest, northeast by east ( bearing 59°) of the Town of M ...
, (Dibé Nitsaa), to the north.Iverson, 2002


Cultural overview

The Navajo regard Dinétah as their ancestral homeland. The traditional Navajo creation story centers on the area, and Navajo place names within the region reflect its role in Navajo mythology. While Dinétah generally refers to a large geographical area, the heart of the region is regarded to be the canyons of the Largo and Carrizo washes, south of the San Juan River in New Mexico. These canyons are located to the east and south of Farmington, New Mexico, and include Blanco, Largo, Carrizo and Gobernador Canyons. The cultural significance of Dinétah is documented throughout Navajo oral history, and is supported by numerous
archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
and
rock art In archaeology, rock art is human-made markings placed on natural surfaces, typically vertical stone surfaces. A high proportion of surviving historic and prehistoric rock art is found in caves or partly enclosed rock shelters; this type also ...
sites. According to Navajo tradition, the infant Changing Woman (), one of the best known Navajo deities, was found by the Holy People () on top of Gobernador Knob (), located within Dinétah area. The region is also indicated as the place to which the first four Navajo clans arrived after their migration from the north.


Archaeological sites

There are thousands of recorded archaeological sites within the Dinétah region. The sites include the remains of several cultures, including the
Ancestral Puebloans The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, a ...
(also known as the
Anasazi The Ancestral Puebloans, also known as the Anasazi, were an ancient Native American culture that spanned the present-day Four Corners region of the United States, comprising southeastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, a ...
), the Navajo, and early
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
settlers. The naturally dry conditions of the region have contributed to a generally good state of preservation for a variety of site types, which include structures of stone and wood, as well as pictograph and
petroglyph A petroglyph is an image created by removing part of a rock surface by incising, picking, carving, or abrading, as a form of rock art. Outside North America, scholars often use terms such as "carving", "engraving", or other descriptions ...
sites. The most visible archaeological sites are known as
Navajo pueblitos The term Navajo Pueblitos, also known as Dinétah Pueblitos, refers to a class of archaeological sites that are found in the northwestern corner of the American state of New Mexico. The sites generally consist of relatively small stone and tim ...
. These sites are usually stone structures consisting of from one to six rooms. The pueblitos are thought to date to the end of the 17th century, and appear to be largely defensive in nature. Pueblitos take the form of multi-storied towers, fort-like enclosures, and cliff dwellings. Several pueblitos are included on the
List of Registered Historic Places in New Mexico This is a list of properties and districts in New Mexico that are on the National Register of Historic Places. There are more than 1,100 listings. Of these, 46 are National Historic Landmarks. There are listings in each of the state's 33 count ...
.


History

There is increasing evidence for Navajo presence in Dinétah as early as 1500 CE. While there is continuing debate as to the dating of Navajo sites in the area, it is generally agreed that they inhabited Dinétah at some point well before the Pueblo Revolt of 1680. The Navajo occupation of the region has been divided by archaeologists into two major phases - the Dinétah phase (ca. 1500-1630), which includes the entrance and settling of the area by the Navajo, and the Gobernador phase (ca. 1630-1800), during which time the Navajo culture became fully defined. The difference between the two phases has been based on the recovery of Gobernador Polychrome ceramic shards from reliably dated sites, and the presence of pueblitos.


See also

*
Four Corners The Four Corners is a region of the Southwestern United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, southeastern corner of Utah, northeastern corner of Arizona, and northwestern corner of New Mexico. The Four Corners area ...
*
Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...
* Canyon de Chelly * Denedeh, a name from the same root words used to refer the Northwest Territories in Canada


References


Sources

* Powers, Margaret A., and Johnson, Byron P. Defensive Sites of Dinetah. New Mexico Bureau of Land Management Cultural Resources Series No. 2, 1987. Albuquerque, New Mexico. * Roessel, Robert A. Jr. Dinétah - Navajo History Vol. II. Navajo Curriculum Center and Title IV-B Materials Project, Rough Rock Demonstration School, Rough Rock, Arizona, 1983. * Zolbrod, Paul G. Diné bahané: The Navajo Creation Story. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1984. * Iverson, Peter: Diné: A History of the Navajos. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2002.


External links


Dinetah Rock Art & Pueblitos - Photos, Videos, and Maps




{{DEFAULTSORT:Dinetah Religious places of the indigenous peoples of North America Ruins in the United States Colorado Plateau Navajo history Cultural regions Geography of the Navajo Nation Navajo Nation