Every family even if they live most of the time in a newer home -- must have the traditional hogan for ceremonies, and to keep themselves in balance. The Navajos
used to make their houses, called hogans, of wooden poles, tree bark and mud. The doorway of each hogan opened to the east so they could get the morning sun as well as good blessings.
What is a Navajo hogan?
The hogan is a sacred home for the Diné (Navajo) people who practice traditional religion. Every family even if they live most of the time in a newer home — must have the traditional hogan for ceremonies, and to keep themselves in balance.
What is the purpose of a Hogan?
The hogan is a sacred home for the Diné (Navajo) people who practice traditional religion. Every family even if they live most of the time in a newer home -- must have the traditional hogan for ceremonies, and to keep themselves in balance. The Navajos used to make their houses, called hogans, of wooden poles, tree bark and mud.
What did the Navajos make their houses out of?
The Navajos used to make their houses, called hogans, of wooden poles, tree bark and mud. The doorway of each hogan opened to the east so they could get the morning sun as well as good blessings.
When did the Hogan evolve into a house?
The evolution of the hogan as of the 1930s. A hogan ( / ˈhoʊɡɑːn / or / ˈhoʊɡən /; from Navajo hooghan [hoːɣan]) is the primary, traditional dwelling of the Navajo people. Other traditional structures include the summer shelter, the underground home, and the sweat house.
Why do Navajos have hogans?
The hogan is a sacred home for the Diné (Navajo) people who practice traditional religion. Every family even if they live most of the time in a newer home — must have the traditional hogan for ceremonies, and to keep themselves in balance.
What does hogan mean in Navajo?
Definition of hogan : a Navajo Indian dwelling usually made of logs and mud with a door traditionally facing east.
When did the Navajo build hogans?
1400sOne of the most striking is the Navajo hogan—a basic dome-shaped, one-room dwelling that dates to the early 1400s—and it's arguably one of the greenest, too.
Why does a hogan have 8 sides?
Hexagonal (occasionally octagonal) hogans -- new style -- began to be built in the early 1900's. The main reason was the arrival of the railroad, which brought in large supplies of wooden cross-ties, which could be laid horizontally to form walls of a larger, taller home.
What is the purpose of a hogan?
Many hogans are used primarily for ceremonial purposes, but some Navajo families have begun to use them as lodging to provide tourists with the real Navajo experience. This is a primitive way of life- a traditional way of life.
What is a female hogan?
Article. It is not uncommon for the Navajo to have a summer and winter dwelling. A hogan is a traditional Navajo home. Hogans are generally round (female) or, less commonly, cone shaped (male), with the door facing east.
What was inside a Navajo hogan?
Once framed, the structure was then covered with mud, dirt, or sometimes sod. The entrance generally faced east, toward the rising sun, and was usually covered with a blanket. Except for a circular opening in the roof to allow smoke to escape, traditional hogans were without windows or interior divisions.
What is inside a hogan?
0:296:12Hogan - Indian Traditional House - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipYeah doing come inside first it's a lot cooler in here. The Navajos have two types of Hogans. WeMoreYeah doing come inside first it's a lot cooler in here. The Navajos have two types of Hogans. We have the female Hoeven and the male Hogan. This is the male Hogan. The male Hogan is different than the
How many sides does a female hogan have?
Many hogans have multiple sides, usually 6 or 8. A wood burning stove sits in the center with a stovepipe going through the open smoke hole. Canvas, old blankets, or carpet pieces may cover the packed earth floor.
What do Navajo call their land?
This land was called Dinehtah- the land of The People. Today over 130,000 Navajos live on their reservation which encompasses about 24,000 square miles of rugged, semi arid land in the states of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The Reservation, which is about the size of the state of West Virginia.
Did Navajo live in teepees?
There are no teepees on the Navajo Nation. The traditional dwelling is an eight-sided log structure with an earthen roof. The Navajo Code Talkers are national heroes. More than 400 Navajo Marines contributed to a wartime code that confounded the Japanese during World War II.
How do I get into hogan?
Note: When entering a traditional Navajo hogan, it is important that you walk in a clockwise direction, by turning left (head south), and walk around to the west. Never enter or leave in a counterclockwise direction.
What does the name hogan mean?
Hogan is an Irish surname derived from Irish Ó hÓgáin, a patronymic of Middle Irish ógán, meaning "a youth", in the genitive case (cf. Modern Irish ógánach), itself from óg, "young" (ultimately cognate with English young), with a prothetic h. A surname of the same form was Anglicised as "Hagan" in Ulster.
What is a Native American hogan?
hogan, traditional dwelling and ceremonial structure of the Navajo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico. Early hogans were dome-shaped buildings with log, or occasionally stone, frameworks. Once framed, the structure was then covered with mud, dirt, or sometimes sod.
How do you pronounce hogan Navajo?
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. A hogan (/ˈhoʊɡɑːn/ or /ˈhoʊɡən/; from Navajo hooghan [hoːɣan]) is the primary, traditional dwelling of the Navajo people.
What are the types of hogans?
There are two types of hogans: the “forked stick” and the “circular” hogan. The forked stick version is also known referred to as the “male” hogan. These structures resemble pyramids in shape, but with five faces instead of four.
What is the hogan in Navajo culture?
The Navajo hogan is more than just a place to eat and sleep and the concept of it as a "home" bears little resemblance to a white person's attitude toward his dwelling place. The hogan is a gift of the gods and as such it occupies a place in the sacred world. The first hogans were built by the Holy People of turquoise, white shell, jet, ...
How did hogans keep their homes cool?
Traditional structured hogans are also considered pioneers of energy efficient homes. Using packed mud against the entire wood structure, the home was kept cool by natural air ventilation and water sprinkled on the dirt ground inside. During the winter, the fireplace kept the inside warm for a long period of time and well into the night.
What is the center of the Navajo world?
Hogans - The Center of the Navajo World. The ancient hogan, known as the "forked stick hogan" was a conical hut constructed of three forked poles covered with logs, brush and mud. Called the "male" hogan by the Navajos, examples of this swelling can still occasionally be found in the western part of the reservation.
What is a sweat hogan?
The sweat hogan provides excellent bathing and purifying facilities for the Navajos in their land of scarce water. As in virtually everything a Navajo does, there are prescribed rituals that must be followed in taking a sweat bath.
What is the ceremony for the new hogan?
Once completed, the new hogan is consecrated with a Blessing Way ceremony whereby the Holy People are asked to "let this place be happy.". Also nearby, but out of sight, will be at least one sweat hogan.
Where is the fire in a hogan?
The fire is placed on the hard-packed floor beneath the smoke hole and a flap or hinged door covers the doorway. Traditionally the hogan lacked windows and was ventilated by the smoke hole in the roof and the east-facing doorway.
How are the sticks in the apes' door heated?
It is heated by placing hot rocks within, the door being closed with several blankets.
What is a hogan?
A hogan ( / ˈhoʊɡɑːn / or / ˈhoʊɡən /; from Navajo hooghan [hoːɣan]) is the primary, traditional dwelling of the Navajo people. Other traditional structures include the summer shelter, the underground home, and the sweat house. A hogan can be round, cone-shaped, multi-sided, or square; with or without internal posts;
Where are log hogans made?
In 2001, it began changing significantly with a joint-venture of a partnership involving the Navajo Nation, Northern Arizona University, the US Forest Service and other private and public partners – to begin manufacturing and building log hogans from a Navajo-majority owned log home factory in Cameron, Arizona, next to the Cameron Chapter House. Using surplus small-diameter wood being culled out of the Northern Arizona forests to mitigate devastating wildfires, and with a series of meetings between elders, medicine men, and project leaders – a log hogan revival is being born on the Navajo Nation. While keeping the sacred space of the hogan relatively untouched, and also meeting the requirements for modern home amenities, an ancient tradition is now once again beginning to flourish. Along with assuring the survival of a cultural heritage, this project has also created new jobs, summer school construction experience for Navajo teens, public buildings, and much more.
What is a hogan house?
A hogan can be round, cone-shaped, multi-sided, or square; with or without internal posts; timber or stone walls and packed with earth in varying amounts or a bark roof for a summer house, with the door facing east to welcome the rising sun for wealth and good fortune.
Where is log hogan wood being culled?
Using surplus small-diameter wood being culled out of the Northern Arizona forests to mitigate devastating wildfires, and with a series of meetings between elders, medicine men, and project leaders – a log hogan revival is being born on the Navajo Nation.
Is a hogan still used?
Today, while some older hogans are now still used as dwellings and others are maintained for ceremonial purposes , new hogans are rarely intended as family dwellings.
