Summary: The Navajo

CHAPTER 3, LESSON 1

Living in the DesertThe Navajo are American Indians. Many Navajolive in the southwestern United States. Their landincludes mountains and deserts.

The Navajo learned skills to live in the desert.They adapted to the land and used things theyfound in the desert. They hunted animals for meatand skins. They gathered plants and nuts to eat.They grew food like corn, squash, and beans.

The desert has little rain, so the Navajo plantedseeds deeply to reach underground water. Later, theNavajo had herds of sheep and goats. They usedsheep’s wool to weave warm blankets.

The Navajo Today

Religion is an important part of Navajoculture. Navajos believe nature is sacred.

Navajo stories also show respect for nature. Onestory tells how Spider Woman taught the Navajo toweave. The Navajo believe she is one of the HolyPeople, or spirits.

Sometimes the Navajo have a ceremony to askthe Holy People for help. At times, the ceremoniesuse paintings made with colored sand. Today,Navajo live in many places and have many differentjobs.

honor the sunrise.food. Some Navajo build homes facing east to Navajo thank the plants and animals they use for

Manychildren.The Navajo teach their culture and beliefs to their

Find and underline eachvocabulary word.

adapt verb, to changethe way you live tofit a new place

culture noun, the wayof life, or beliefs,ideas, and languageof a group of people

religion noun, thebelief in God or gods

ceremony noun, aformal act or eventthat honors apeople’s beliefs

What skillsdid the Navajo learn inorder to live in thedesert? Circle thesentence about plantingseeds.

In whatways does Navajoculture continuetoday? Highlightsentences that tell theanswer.

REVIEW

REVIEW

Resources for Reaching All LearnersCopyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. Use with Communities, pp. 74–77

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57353_UN2_IAS pp5 3/10/04 12:38 PM Page 7