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| | Popular Myths About the Navajo
This list is a brief summary of some commonly held, but inaccurate
assumptions about the Navajo People and life on the Reservation.
The Navajo are perhaps the most studied and written about tribe in all of
North America, but this exposure has also created many false impressions of life
in Navajoland.
[Note: this list was prepared by the Navajo Tribal Government.}
 | Navajos do not receive monthly government checks just for being
Native Americans. All tribal income received from minerals, land leases, or
industry are given to the tribe, then shared among many of the People as
supplemental income. |
| The Navajo People are not poverty stricken, although annual mean
income is very low compared to the rest of the United States. Average
per-capita income reservation-wide is $4,106. The current unemployment rate is
49%. The People, according to the tribal government, are used to living
on less and continue to show by this their adaptability to any environment. |
| The Navajo do not live in villages or pueblos except where they have clustered
around facilities such as the local agencies. |
| The Reservation is not all desert, but rather a land of great
diversity and opportunity. The altitude ranges from 4,000 to 11,000 feet, in
the mountains of the northern parts of Navajoland. |
| The war bonnet, with its many feathers framing the wearer's face and
covering his head, is not, and never was, a part of the Navajo costume. |
| Navajos do not live in tepees, but rather a home called a hogan.
Many today live in conventional or manufactured houses. |
Final Thoughts
In the study of the Navajo traits and customs it must always be remembered
that the Dine' are a people in continual change. Man of the new, modern
conveniences appeal to them as they do to everyone, yet they long to retain
their traditional ways as well. For this reason, a wide range of customs
can be seen in any town on any given day.
       
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