The Navajo-Churro, or Churro for short, was the very first breed of domesticated sheep in the New World and dates back to the 16th century where it was used to feed and clothe the armies of the conquistadors and Spanish settlers.

Navajo sheepherder with Churro sheep

Although secondary to the Merino, the Churra (later corrupted to “Churro” by American frontiersmen) was prized by the Spanish for its remarkable hardiness, adaptability and fecundity.

Native American (Navajo) women and men sit beside a summer hogan constructed of logs and brush, in Arizona or New Mexico. One woman weaves at a loom made of logs and sticks. Shows wool thread and woven rugs.

Domestic scene among the Navajo Indians

Date     1873
Notes     ”Expedition of 1872, 1st Lieut. Geo. M. Wheeler. Corps of Engineers, Commanding.” printed on stereo card.; Descriptive information printed on label on verso reads: “Domestic scene among the Navajoe Indians. The women weaving blankets, and the “Lords” looking disdainfully on. The blankets seen are made from native wool, black and white.”; Formerly F6658, X-33054; Number “69″ etched in original negative and reproduced in photographic print.; Stamp on verso shows eagle logo and reads: “War Department, Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army. Geographical and Geological Explorations and Surveys West of the 100th Meridian.”; Title, attribution and numbers: “No. 25″ and “F. 69.” printed on label on verso.; Library owns additional iterations of this image in various formats: 1 photographic print ; 16 x 12 cm. (6 x 5 in.), 1 copy negative ; 18 x 13 cm. (7 x 5 in.); R7110073438
Physical Description     1 photographic print on stereo card : albumen, stereograph ; 10 x 18 cm. (4 x 7 in.

)

Video by Terry Teller (Daybreak Warrior)

Terry says:
“I get e-mails and YouTube messages saying, “I am having a baby and want to give my child a Navajo name. Can I name them such & such?” Or, “How do you translate this into Navajo for a Navajo name?” It’s kind of hard because although you’ll have a name written all cool, you may not be pronouncing it correctly or it may not flow with the general concepts that go behind the “typical” traditional Navajo names.”

See more Daybreak Warrior Videos here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/daybreakwarrior

Baby and Navajo woman interior of summer hogan.

Native American (Navajo) woman and child sit inside a brush-covered summer hogan. The woman holds a large piece of cloth; the child looks at a sheepskin. Sheepskins, a blanket, and other fur pelts lie on the floor. Others hang from a wooden pole placed horizontally along the wooden pole and brush-covered walls of the hogan. A pair of dark pants, possibly a dark shirt, and a leather ammunition belt hang from one of the horizontal poles. Date: 1908.

“Some 40 percent of the Navajo tribe’s 190,000 residents have no potable supply, and many receive their water out of the back of trucks.”

The Navajo Nation — which spans is the largest and, arguably, the driest American Indian reservation in the United States.

Delcon, Arizona: In the Navajo Nation, water is so scarce that some 40 percent of the tribe’s 190,000 residents have no potable supply, and many receive their water out of the back of trucks.

Now, with the help of veteran Arizona Senator Jon Kyl, a Republican and one of Capitol Hill’s senior experts on water law, Navajo leaders and their lawyers appear to be steadily inching closer to a long-awaited legal settlement to draw millions of gallons of water for the reservation from the Little Colorado River.

The settlement would be the 27th Indian water-rights agreement to reach completion since the federal government began negotiating water rights with tribes in the 1970s, during the Carter administration.

Like the others, the Little Colorado River agreement has followed years of intense mediation and legal negotiation by this western tribe, other water users, and the U.S. Department of the Interior.

More Information full article:
http://www.circleofblue.org/waternews/2011/world/water-law-racing-an-arizona-senators-retirement-dry-navajo-nation-draws-closer-to-securing-more-water/

The  Miss Northern Navajo Nation Fair Pageant

Click On the Photo Link below to see all photos from the Pageant.

Miss Northern Navajo 2011-2012

 Congratulations to Koltey Tso, the new Miss Northern Navajo Nation 2011-12.
Andrianna Alexia Yazzie – 1st runner up
Martha McCabe – 2nd runner up

First Prize $1.000.00 Scholarship

Second Prize $500.00 Scholarship

Third Prize $250.00 Scholarship

Will be located at:

Phil L. Thomas
Performing Arts Center
Shiprock, NM 87420-3578
(505) 368-2490
On US 64 near Shiprock High School

Pick up applications at:

Northern Navajo Nation Fair Office
100 North Uranium Boulevard
Shiprock, New Mexico 87420

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Must submit completed contestant application
Must be an enrolled female member of the Navajo Nation
Must be 17 – 25 years of age, never married, no children
Must be a senior this SY (2011-2012),HS Diploma or GED equivalent
Must have some knowledgeable of the Navajo culture, history & tradition
Must submit 50 – 100 word essay on:
“Why I choose to run for Miss Northern Navajo Fair Queen”.
Must not have previously held the title of Miss Northern Navajo Nation Fair Queen

Miss Northern Navajo Tanya Lister 2009-2010

CONTESTANT APPLICATION INFORMATION

Contestant Applications can be picked up at the Shiprock Fair Office located at: Shiprock Fair grounds in the ( white trailer).

Application Deadline: All applications must be in the Shiprock Fair Office by September 30, 2011, and attend the contestants orientation on September 30, 2011, at (PTPAC) center at 4:00pm.

CONTACT INOFORMATION:

Northern Navajo Nation Fair Board
PO Box 973
Shiprock, New Mexico 87420
Phone: (505)368-5789 or Mae Sandoval, Pageant Coordinator at (505)368-5549

Navajo People

on Google+

Northern Navajo Fair Open Junior Rodeo

October 6, 2011

Shiprock Fairgrounds

10:00 AM

Colin’s October 3 and fourth 2011

6 PM to 10 PM

Phone 505-612-0592

Books Open 8:00 AM Day of Rodeo

Cash only

Parents must sign a waiver form!

Mr. Roman McCabe rodeo announcer

All Women’s Open Show Rodeo

October 5, 2011 @ 7:00 P.M.

Shiprock Fair Grounds

Berrel Racing $40

Breakaway roping $40

Team roping 2x $30 per Roper

flag Racing $30

Goat Tying $30

$20 rodeo fee per contestant

Must be 18 years older

CES: kim R. Jim

Call Ins: October 3, 2011

6 PM to 10 PM

Phone 505-612-0592

Books open one hour prior to rodeo

First to enter last to compete

Cash only

The Northern Navajo Nation Fair is held in Shiprock, NM

Theme

“100 Years of Harvest and Healing”

The fair will be held from Wednesday, September 28,   to Sunday, October 9, 2011

Parade Begins Saturday, October 8, at 2011 7:45 am

Click here for Parade Entry Form (PDF file)

Northern Navajo Nation Fair

General Information
Northern Navajo Nation Fair Office
100 North Uranium Boulevard
Shiprpock, New Mexico 87420

Any questions about the Northern Navajo Nation Fair for 2011 call this number.
Shiprock Fair office: 505-386-5789

Northern Navajo Nation Fair Schedule of Events

Click Here to download a 8 1/2 by 11 pdf file of the below schedule

Northern Navajo Nation Fair Schedule of Events

According to the 2000 census, 42.9 percent of residents of the Navajo Nation live below the poverty level, meaning they had an income of less than $8,350 per year.

This proportion of impoverished people is more than four times the average poverty level in the United States. In addition, 21.4 percent of Navajo families lack plumbing, and 62.6 percent lack basic telephone service.

Three quarters of all people living without electricity in the United States reside on the Navajo Indian Reservation in the Four Corners region. It is conservatively estimated that around 18,000 of the 48,000 households on the Navajo Nation lack electricity.

These families use kerosene, propane, and firewood for light and heat. Navajo families spend $20-$40 per month on candles.

Despite being located in the United States, the Navajo Nation suffers from extreme poverty.

According to the 2000 census, 42.9 percent of residents of the Navajo Nation live below the poverty level, meaning they had an income of less than $8,350 per year.

This proportion of impoverished people is more than four times the average poverty level in the United States. In addition, 21.4 percent of Navajo families lack plumbing, and 62.6 percent lack basic telephone service.

The cost of extending power lines through the rugged terrain of the Navajo Nation is extremely high. The average cost to extend a line a single mile is about $27,000 and this cost often cannot be split because a line extension may only reach a few new customers.

Many elderly Navajo have lived their entire lives without electricity, despite promises from the Tribal Government and NTUA. As a result, many people have lost hope that they will ever be provided electricity.

One woman interviewed by Eagle Energy volunteers said that the government promised that electricity would arrive by Christmas over 15 years ago and it had still not arrived. Despite a clear wish for electrification, many Navajo communities have no choice but to burn kerosene and wait.

At a cost of $25 to $35, Eagle Energy’s lights are not much more expensive than a kerosene lantern, and incur no additional monthly cost after purchase. Furthermore, solar technologies provide health benefits by reducing indoor air pollution and help to protect the environment by decreasing greenhouse gas emissions when compared with kerosene use.

Economic Benefits

Cost is also an issue for families that currently have access to grid electricity. With the high poverty levels that exist on the Navajo Nation, many who have access to grid-tied electricity cannot afford their monthly bills.

Many Navajo families interviewed by Eagle Energy volunteers expressed an interest in solar-powered lighting technologies as a way to lower their monthly electricity bills.

Eagle Energy’s solar-powered lights provide a distinct economic advantage compared to kerosene and propane-fueled lanterns because they do not require users to buy multiple replacement fuel canisters per month. Although solar-powered lights come with rechargeable batteries that must be replaced after one or two years, the $5 cost is negligible compared to replacement fuel canisters.

Health Benefits

Solar Lanterns also provide a health benefit over the kerosene lanterns commonly used by the Navajo Nation. Although the health impacts caused by using fuel lighting is an understudied field, a recent article in the International Journal of Indoor Environment and Health attempted to quantify the risk.

The authors found that vendors using simple kerosene lanterns where exposed to particulate matter concentrations significantly greater than the amount present in the ambient air. Such exposure can present long-term health risks. The article concluded that the best solution to combat this problem is the use of solar LED lighting.

Educational and Productivity Benefits

Candles and kerosene lanterns provide a low-quality light source, making it difficult for children to read and do homework, while Eagle Energy’s solar technologies provide high-quality light.

Providing children with access to sustainable energy technologies is also important, as children will be responsible for making sustainable energy choices in the future. Solar lighting technologies can also provide a benefit to people without electricity who work from home, allowing them to work after dark at a lower cost compared to kerosene lanterns.

CO2 Emission Benefits

Kerosene lanterns also produce CO2 emissions, causing harm to the environment. The average kerosene lantern, when used for four hours per night, produces over 100 kilograms of CO2 emissions per year.

If we assume that each of the 18,000 households on the Navajo Nation has just one lantern and uses it for four hours per night, the net greenhouse gas emissions reduction from kerosene lanterns on the Navajo Nation would be over 1.8 million kilograms per year.

For reference, this is equal to driving over four million miles in the average car. Replacing these lanterns with solar-powered lighting technologies would eliminate these harmful emissions.

Navajo Home

Elephant Energy has expanded to the Navajo Nation in the United States with the help of a small grant from the University of Colorado and our partners Dine Care.  Eagle Energy (as Elephant Energy is known on the Navajo Nation) is working to address the energy needs of rural Navajo families,

Eagle Energy, with the help of Melton Martinez and Dine Care, is currently working with four Navajo Chapters in the Eastern Agency of the Navajo Nation, including Baca Chapter, Thoreau Chapter, Pinedale Chapter, and Mariano Lake Chapter to discuss the most effective ways to finance and distribute ASETs in these rural communities.

Please visit www.elephantenergy.org and donate to help us solve this American injustice through our unique market-based model.

http://www.elephantenergy.org/Navajo_Solar.html

Source: Eagle Energy – Navajo Solar Light Project Summary & Operational Report