Narbona or Hastiin Narbona (1766 – August 31, 1849) was a

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 ...

chief who participated in the

Navajo Wars The term Navajo Wars covers at least three distinct periods of conflict in the American West: the Navajo against the Spanish (late 16th century through 1821); the Navajo against the Mexican government (1821 through 1848); and the Navajo again ...

. He was killed in a confrontation with U.S. soldiers on August 31, 1849. Narbona was one of the wealthiest Navajo of his time due to the number of sheep and horses owned by his extended family group. He was not a "chief" of all of the Navajo as the independent minded Navajo had no central authority. However, he was very influential in the tribe due to the status gained from his wealth, personal reputation, and age during the time he negotiated with the white men. Narbona became one of the most prominent tribal leaders after the massacre of 24 Navajo leaders in June, 1822 at

Jemez Pueblo Jemez Pueblo (/ˈhɛmɛz/; tow, Walatowa, nv, Mąʼii Deeshgiizh) is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sandoval County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 1,788 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Albuquerque Metropolitan Statist ...

. They had been travelling under flag of truce to a peace conference with the New Mexican government.Navajo Timeline 1821-1847
/ref> In February 1835 he led the Navajo to a decisive victory in an ambush of a Mexican expedition in the

Chuska Mountains '' The Chuska Mountains are an elongate range on the southwest Colorado Plateau and within the Navajo Nation whose highest elevations approach 10,000 feet. The range is about 80 by 15 km (50 by 10 miles). It trends north-northwest and is cros ...

led by Captain

Blas de Hinojos Blas de Hinojos was a military commander of New Mexico who was killed by a force of Navajo warriors led by Narbona in 1835. Capitan Blas de Hinojos married Maria de Jesus Trujillo. His men were poorly paid. In 1834 he received a complaint from the ...

. The site of the battle, Copper Pass (), is now known as

Narbona Pass Narbona Pass (formerly Washington Pass) is a pass through the natural break between the Tunicha and Chuska Mountains, an elongated range on the Colorado Plateau on the Navajo Nation. A paved road, New Mexico Highway 134, crosses the range through N ...

.Pages 75-77, Sides, ''Blood and Thunder'' In 1849, Narbona, with several hundred of his warriors, rode to meet a delegation led by Col.

John M. Washington John MacRae Washington (died 1853) was a United States artillery officer who became military governor of New Mexico Territory, New Mexico shortly after the end of the Mexican–American War of 1846–1848. Early career John M. Washington was bor ...

to discuss peace terms between the Navajo and the "New Men", Americans who had driven the Mexicans from what is now the Southwestern United States. The U.S. party was composed of both U.S. Regulars and local New Mexican auxiliaries. After several misunderstandings, translators managed to work out an acceptable list of terms for peace between the two parties. As the peace council broke up, Sadoval, a young Navajo warrior of some distinction, began riding his horse to and fro, exhorting the 200–300 Navajo warriors in attendance to break the new treaty immediately. At this point, a New Mexican officer claimed that he noticed a horse that belonged to him being ridden by one of the Navajo warriors. Washington, put in the position of backing one of his troopers, demanded that the horse be immediately turned over. The Navajo refused, and the horse and its rider departed. Washington commanded his troops to unlimber their cannon and prepare to fire if the Navajo refused to return the, now absent, property the Americans said was stolen. The Navajo again denied his request, and the Americans opened fire with cannon as well as rifles. Narbona was mortally wounded in the fusillade, and according to eyewitnesses, he was scalped by one of the New Mexico militiamen. He was buried by his sons in the traditional Navajo fashion, bound in a "death knotted" blanket and cast into a crevice. Two of his finest horses were slaughtered to ensure he would not walk to the afterlife.

Notes

References

* Sides, Hampton, ''Blood and Thunder: An Epic of the American West'', Doubleday (2006), hardcover, 462 pages,
"Narbona", URL accessed 08/28/06
{{Navajo Nation 1766 births 1849 deaths Navajo leaders Military personnel killed in action

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