The Navajo Indian (1943)

herdsman long ago a warlike nomadic people came from the north and settled in the plateau country now known as Arizona they quarreled among becoming the Apache and the Navajo these warlike tribes used to rave their more peaceful farmer neighbors the Pueblo Indians seeking food but when the Spaniards brought sheep to the southwest the Navajos gradually turned from war to herding an occupation suited to their wandering life the Spanish influenced the Navajo in many things as in the scarf this boy carries as he drives the family flock to graze today sheep herding is one of the Navajos chief sources both of food and an income through trading of wall and the famous Navajo rugs with a white man in exchange for machine-made the Navajo people have greatly increased in numbers since they first came into the southwest and even after being placed in a reservation are one of the few Indian tribes still growing although we know they were intruders from the north their origin myth tells that the first clan of the Navajo was created by the gods in Arizona or Utah about five hundred years ago the Navajo call themselves Danae which means simply the people although they are not farmers by tradition the men raised corn plus some beans squash and melons the Navajo man is far from lazy he must cultivate the crops herd cattle and haul water from the nearest spring with stream often five miles from his home in this arid region the corn must be planted deep to reach the damp earth and a number of grains are sewn together to shield the inner stalks from the hot sunshine and dry winds the Navajo woman has an unusually high social position and great influence she is sole manager of the Hogan a lodging made of logs branches grass and earth often so low that one must stoop to enter the doorway and the average man cannot stand inside a woman's life is a busy one and cooking is one of her endless duties an Indian child is never considered too young to observe and health his elders at work you may think it odd that jewelry is worn while at work but you will always find a navajo wearing turquoise in some way as they believe it gives them protection from lightning snakebite and all forms of evil cornmeal is made into several kinds of bread your mother would use a muffin tin the Indian housewife shapes the dough like this the cornbread is placed under the coals of an outdoor fire and baked thoroughly cornmeal dough is also baked in round loaves or made into flat pancake like tortillas which are fried and mutton fat these are a hospitable people they take pride in always having food on hand when a guest drops in the Navajo used to make crude pottery in which to cook and serve their food but now find it more convenient to use the white man's metal pots and inexpensive dishes the children have pets of all kinds the puppy is this small boy's companion and toy this child is too young to have acquired the patience which we associate with his race and he decides a Porsche will help the dog make up its mind about eating as the boy grows older the father is responsible for training his son archery which was once used as such an effective weapon is now more or less a pastime reaching the age of seven or eight the Navajo boy is able to ride a horse and herd sheep he is often given a few lands as the start of his own future flock even if he is sent to a government boarding school his parents will care for his sheep and when he returns from a shepherd as his people have been for over three centuries when we hear the word Navajo we immediately think of the Navajo rugs and blankets which have become world-famous Navajo women probably learned the art of weaving from their Pablo neighbors but soon surpassed them in it the first articles were made of wild cotton then growing in northern Arizona after sheep were introduced the women began experimenting with the wool and the resulting blankets were so finely made that early flight explorers described them as waterproof the wool is crowded with two metal brushes which arranged the fibers evenly and remove sand burs and loose dirt the war must still be washed to remove all oil so that the dye will take after carting the water spun into yarn by twisting and winding the fibers on a spindle like stick though the Spaniards brought the spinning wheel into Mexico the Navajos never copied its use the yarn have been spread out to dry after being dyed spending the yarn into balls ready for weaving besides sorting the natural wool colors of creamy white tan and Brown Navajo women early invented a number of plants and mineral diet processors however the white man's commercial dyes were so much easier to use that the old methods were until recently almost forgotten the setting up of a loom is a tedious process and the father husband or brother may be called upon to lend a hand the warp is the first threading to go on the loom it must be strung great care for one mistake at this stage will fall the Weaver all through the rug now the Loom is set up for weaving in the cross threads called the wool though the design elements are based on mythology the pattern of each rug is a new invention created and carried in the Weaver's mind the first design was credited to the spider woman who warned the weavers to leave a small hole or other imperfection in the center of the blanket to let out the evil spirits or the weaver would become dizzy for many years this superstition persistent until the traders refused to pay as much for blankets which were not complete thereafter perfect blankets have been made such as the one we see here making silver jewelry is the work of the men who rank among the finest silversmiths in the world this art was learned from the Spanish probably by way of wandering Mexican craftsmen and the silver itself was never mined by the Navajos yet there is no more characteristic Indian product than the jewelry which has been developed by the Navajo tribe there's nothing a Navajo Indian enjoy is more than driving a good bargain and a trip to the trading post is a family outing the traders success depends on his reputation for fair dealing and much of the Indians opinion of all white men is based on their experience with this one representative of the white race he must be licensed by the Indian Bureau and his dealings with the Indians are regulated by laws the Trading Post is not even touch with events on the reservation as well as with those happenings in the world outside that may affect their lives much of the business must be conducted on a credit basis the Navajos chief source of income is from the Sheep and the government only allows wool and sheep to be bought in the spring and fall at other seasons the family may have used up its income from the last sale of wool then unless the woman has made a rug for the man some jewelry for trade the suppliers needed must be bought on credit by leaving with the trader some personal jewelry as security for a loan without interest in this way the trader has accumulated thousands of dollars worth of jewelry which is of no value to him since he cannot sell it without breaking faith with his customers the Navajo tribe is unusually fortunate in having been placed by the government on a reservation of the same land in which their native way of life was developed their wisdom in taking over only those useful things that fit in with this traditional life accounts for much of this Indian people's success in adjusting to the changes brought about by the coming of the white man [Music]