A History of the Navajo

A History of the Navajo presents a sweeping and accessible account of the Diné, the people known today as the Navajo, from their sacred emergence stories to the modern Navajo Nation. Rooted in the spiritual geography of Diné Bikéyah, the book explores how creation traditions, clan identity, sacred mountains, and the guiding principle of Hózhó shaped a people whose relationship to land, family, and balance remains central to their history and culture.

The narrative follows the Diné through centuries of adaptation, beginning in their ancestral homelands of Dinétah and continuing through encounters with Pueblo neighbors, Spanish colonizers, Mexican authorities, and the expanding United States. It traces how horses, sheep, trade, weaving, and pastoral life transformed Navajo society, while also examining the cycles of conflict, raiding, captivity, and resistance that defined much of the Southwest's colonial and frontier history.

A major focus of the book is the devastating 19th-century campaign against the Navajo, including Kit Carson's scorched-earth strategy, the destruction of homes and food sources, the Long Walk, and the years of suffering at Bosque Redondo. The Treaty of 1868 and the return to their homeland are presented as a turning point, marking both survival after profound trauma and the beginning of the difficult work of rebuilding a nation.

The book also examines the challenges and transformations of the reservation era, including trading posts, livestock reduction, boarding schools, military service, resource extraction, government formation, land disputes, environmental crises, and the continuing struggle for sovereignty. Special attention is given to the Navajo Code Talkers, the growth of Navajo political institutions, and the resilience of cultural traditions in the face of federal pressure and social change.

Rich in historical scope and cultural context, A History of the Navajo is a powerful introduction to the endurance, creativity, and self-determination of the Diné. It offers readers a broad view of Navajo history while honoring the deeper themes of homeland, identity, survival, and the ongoing pursuit of balance in a changing world.