Agriculture+and+the+Economy+before+1800

__** As the women worked, men would perform a lighthearted song like this to keep the women in good spirits **__

__**Agriculture.**__  ·   Through raids on the Spanish, Navajo acquired sheep and goat. ·  By 1700 sheep herding was a central focus o  Sheep for meat ·  Corn ·  Baked broiled o  Eaten fresh o  Made into cornmeal o  Tortillas o  Tamales o  Soups o  Mushes ·  beans  ·  maize  ·  and squash  o  recognized as a staple food o  slices or circular cut o  sun/ fire dried o  kept down weed growth o  cover to dry soil ·  men hunted deer, antelope, and small game <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> ·  <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">women gathered nuts, fruits, and herbs <span style="font-family: 'Cambria','serif'; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"> ·  Mainly women did the gathering ·  Most important plants ·  Mescal plant o  Core of leaves that resembles artichoke heart o  Separated from plant o  Baked in rock-lined underground ovens o  Dried in sun and stored o  Similar to squash ·  Pinon nuts o  Grows in a the pine cones o  Roasted o  Shelled o  Ground into flour ·  Bread, soups ·  Berries, seeds, leaves ·  Used each plant to its fullest ·  Stored for later ·  Sun major food preserver ·  Dry caves, storage o  Seal opening with rocks o  Cover in mud and dirt to conceal opening ·  First people to get horses ·  Blankets textiles

**__The encyclopaedia of the First Nation Peoples of North America- by Rayna Green__** __**From the book: The Apaches and Navajos. By: Craig A. Doherty, and Katherine M. Doherty**__
 * __Native Languages of the Americas website © 1998-2008 -__ **[|**http://www.bigorrin.org/navajo_kids.htm**]

__**Econemy**__ <span style="font-size: 110%; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> ·   Navajos followed the matrilineal rule. o  Followed mothers side of the family ·  Organized the families into clans o  Over sixty Navajo clans ·  Each Navajo child is a member of his or her mother’s clan ·  When a Navajo wants to get married, they must choose someone who is not a member his mother or fathers clan ·  Families often got together and helped each other out o  By; planting or harvesting, or moving herds or flocks o  Called an outfit ·  Family is very important ·  Large families stay together ·  Head mother ·  Share a large flock of sheep ·  Share a area of range land where their sheep graze ·  Impossible to separate religion from everyday life ·  Everything is connected to religious belief ·  Good and evil in the world o  Lies within everyone ·  When someone dies, the evil in them becomes a dangerous ghost __**From the book: The Apaches and Navajos. By: Craig A. Doherty, and Katherine M. Doherty**__