Navajo Nation: Lifestyle Generally speaking, Navajos do not live in villages. Their traditions did not dictate this necessity, as is common with other Native American societies. They have always banded together in small groups, often near a source of water. Their wide dispersion across the reservation is due in part to the limited amount of grazing land, and the limited availability of water. The traditional Navajo dwelling, the hogan was a conical or circular structure constructed of logs or stone. The more modern version is usually six-sided with a smoke hole in the center of the roof constructed of wood or cement. The doorway typically faces the East to recieve the blessing of the day's first rays of sun. Traditionally, the Navajos are a matriarchal society, with descent and inheritance determined through one's mother. Navajo women have traditionally owned the bulk of resources and property, such as livestock. In cases of marital separation, women retained the property and children. In cases of maternal death children were sent to live with their mother's family. Traditional Navajo have a strong sense of family allegiance and obligation. Today, Navajos are faced with large unemployment rates; and "acculturation" to a more nuclear family structure similar to Anglos in the U.S. is increasingly present. As a culture in transition, the Navajo people and their traditional lifestyle is under the substantial stress brought about by rapid change in their society. THE LAND HISTORY - THE PEOPLE LIFESTYLE