THE NAVAJO WINDIANS THE LONG ALK By Aaron

THE NAVAJO WINDIANS : --THE LONG ALK-- By Aaron Davis

The Navajos were a peaceful care-free Tribe of Indians Until the White man came acr 0 ss the sea Many a year ago. There were many examples of friction between these groups. This particular one we call today… “The long walk of the Navajo”

The Navajo Had their own language , rights , people , and territory. In their native language, their home was called “Dinetah” This is a picture of their land in somewhere after the 1800’s. As you may see, They lived in the border of the four sacred mountains, as they called them. The territory later reached from northeastern Arizona to New Mexico In Canyon De chelly. The Navajo occupied this land LONG before any white man, and long before the 1600’s. And do not be fooled , the Americans were not the only ones who had raided the Navajo’s land. There were a multitude of other Murders , Arsons , And full blown battles for the sake of stealing land that the Navajo’s had been native to for HUNDREDS of years.

The Long Walk Of The Navajo was also called “The Long Walk To Bosque Redondo” was an indian removal effort that was put into effect by the United States Government in years 1863 and. Now keep in mind while 1814 reading this that these 8, 000 to 10, 000 people were all virtually Innocent , and free from all crimes, Murders , And bloodshed for all there lives. They did nothing to anyone or there surroundings to go through what they did. This was ALL the Americans fault. And I will mince no words in the discription of this terrible event.

It started when the US government , wrongly assuming they could have the Navajos land , Started placing forts in Navajo territory around 1850. The land was called “Fort Defiance”. Near today’s modern day Arizona. The Navajo eventually got along with the American Troops and lived side by side with them. It was friendly fun you might say, For the time being. They were holding horse races , THIS WAS TRADITIONAL FUN FOR THE NAVAJO’S , Until one of the soldiers tripped one of the To. Navajo’s left : Artistshorses rendering of Fort Defiance To Right : Map of location

The Navajo’s correctly accused the soldiers of cheating, a small cheat would have been fine, but this was the Navajo’s tradition to race. So The soldiers called them savages , took the camp , and proceeded opened fire and KILLED 30 Navajo of course did not take this massacre so , and wounded many. The easily. When the Natives refused to move. The soldiers started to murder more. They burnt land, livestock , and whole villages. They revolted …THEN CONVINCED THE NAVAJO THE ONLY WAY TO SURVIVE WAS TO GO TO THE RESERVATION. The Navajo refused to let themselves be cast aside. When you think of this you say “Why would they leave? They are going to their deaths. ” You need to imagine, this was the land people you knew, You knew this land. You loved these people. Then you might understand

This Is when the Anti-Navajo campaign leader, and colonel, Kit Carson comes in the picture. He decides that the walk will be from Canyon D Chelly , all the way to Bosque Rendondo reservation. Now he began in January, 1864 to move 9, 000 -10, 000 native people, To WALK 3000 miles to the new reservation. Left : Pictures of Kit Carson Upper : Map of the long walk

There we bands of Navajo led by the army , but there were three large groups that the Navajo were split into during the long walk. They each took their on path, but they were on the same trail when they reached a certain point in the walk where they came back together. The long walk ended on June 18 , 1868. And out of the 9000, 200 Navajos dead. Not until FOUR YEARS after their arrival did the US realize their mistake and let them return to their homeland…

…But sadly, The people that lived IN THE LAND were american, and with most of THE NAVAJO dead , they would simply lose their culture, and so they decided to stay. And so their children’s children still to this day have never left their small reservations all over the us.