Na’nilkad bee na’niltin – Learning from Herding: An Ethnoarchaeological Study of Historic Pastoralism on the Navajo Nation

Abstract

The scale and intensity of Navajo (Diné) sheepherding in the American Southwest has varied substantially over the centuries. In the 150 years since the signing of the Navajo Treaty of 1868, a variety of internal and external pressures have impacted the traditional pastoral practices of Diné communities. Phase 1 of the Early Navajo Pastoral Landscape Project focused on ethnoarchaeological investigations of the history, settlement patterns, and pastoral land usage of one Navajo family in Black Mesa Chapter, Arizona, Navajo Nation. This article presents the project’s findings and discusses their implications within the context of local and regional events, as well as methodological concerns relevant to the identification of sheepherding sites across the Navajo Nation and beyond.