The Hogan

Hogans are popular here......not the "Hulk Hogan" of wrestling nor even the Colonel Hogan of "Hogan's Heroes" but the hogan one lives in . The hogan is almost synonymous with the Navajo.
They dot the landscape and are as much a part the Navajo as the tent is to the Bedouin. However, the hogan is much more than a home.

The story of the hogan goes back to the creation of the world and mankind. The first creatures created a hogan when Coyote built one with help from the Beaver. The Beaver gave Coyote the idea for using interlocking logs as well as mud to cover the spaces and provide a roof. Thus, the hogan looks somewhat like a beaver lodge. Most hogan now have six or eight sides although the "male hogan" has five sides and have a roof of mud, shingle, or tar paper. The door always faces east to capture the morning sun and avoid the hot part of the day.

The hogan has great religious significance that is not to be underestimated. The "male hogan", which is for the male religious rites does not usually serve as a dwelling but rather a place of religious ceremonies. The practitioners of the native religion have a ceremony for each stage of life as well as healing ceremonies there. The "female hogan" serves as dwelling but is also considered sacred and must be care for appropriately.

There are still Navajo who live in hogans, especially in the summer if one is shepherd or cattle rancher. Some hogans have electricity. Even if a family does not live in a hogan many will have a hogan on their property and a source of both Navajo pride and for religious ceremonies. It is only after trust has been built that a Navajo will invite one into ones hogan. I admit there is much I do not know about hogans and I hope to learn in the coming months.