hich is
presented here will be of interest to the student of architecture,
it is believed, because data concerning such primitive types of house
structures are quite rare. It is also thought to be of interest to the
archeologist and ethnologist as well as to the general reader, for it
is well known that no one product of a people's art exhibits so clearly
their mental attitude and their industrial status as the houses which
they build.

Much of the material here presented was obtained some ten years ago,
when the recent changes which have taken place in Navaho life had
only just begun. Although the same processes are now employed in house
construction as formerly, and although the same ceremonies are observed,
they are not so universally nor so strictly adhered to as they were. The
present tendency is such that in a comparatively short time the rules
for the construction of a hogan which have been handed down through
many generations and closely followed, and the elaborate ceremonies of
dedication which formerly were deemed essential to the well-being of the
occupants, will be so far modified as to be no longer recognizable, if,
indeed, they are not altogether abandoned. Such being the case, even a
bare record of the conditions which have prevailed for at least two
centuries must be of value.

As the architecture of a primitive people is influenced largely by the
character of the country in which they live, a brief description of the
Navaho reservation is deemed necessary. Similarly, the habits of life of
the people, what a naturalist would term their life history, which in
combination with the physical environment practically dictates their
arts, is worthy of notice, for without some knowledge of the conditions
under which a people live it is difficult, if not impossible, to obtain
an adequate conception of their art products.

The winter hogans are the real homes of the people, but as the form
and construction of these are dictated by certain rules and a long line
of precedents, supported by a conservatism which is characteristic of
savage life, the summer shelters, which are largely exempt from such
rules, are of considerable interest. Moreover, the effects of modern
conditions and the breaking down of the old ideas should have some place
in a discussion of this kind, if only for the hint afforded as to the
future of the tribe.

The elaborate ceremonies of dedication which in the old days always
followed the con