Canyon de Chelly
Canyon de Chelly, located near Chinle, Arizona, is a significant archaeological site and a designated U.S. national monument. The area has been inhabited since approximately 350 CE, originally by Ancient Puebloans and later by the Hopi and Navajo tribes. It served as a defensive stronghold for the Navajo people during conflicts with neighboring groups, including the Western Apache and Spanish colonizers. Notably, the site features impressive cliff dwellings that reflect the rich cultural history of the region.
In the mid-19th century, tensions escalated between the Navajo and the U.S. government, culminating in the tragic Long Walk of 1864, where thousands of Navajo were forcibly relocated to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. Following this period of hardship, a treaty in 1868 allowed the Navajo to return to their ancestral lands in Canyon de Chelly, establishing boundaries that recognized their sovereignty. Today, Canyon de Chelly is not only an important cultural landmark for the Navajo Nation but also a site that attracts visitors interested in its historical and archaeological significance.
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Canyon de Chelly
- CATEGORY: Archaeological site
- DATE: Since 350
- LOCATION: Near Chinle, Arizona
- CULTURES AFFECTED: Ancient Pueblo, Hopi, Navajo
Canyon de Chelly, located near Chinle, Arizona, and designated a US national monument, was first inhabited by the Navajo as early as 350 Common Era, although the site was likely used by Ancient Puebloans and Hopi tribes. Traditionally, the Navajo were at war with the people to the south, first with bands of the Western Apache and later with the Spanish. The Navajo learned to withdraw into the mountains for defense, and they turned Canyon de Chelly into a defensive stronghold. Though the Spanish and later Americans raided the cliff dwellings, Canyon de Chelly remained a feasible defensive stronghold until the era of the American Civil War.
Early treaties between the Navajo and the US government appeared in the 1850s and early 1860s, but each Navajo chief was willing to commit only for his own band or village. All Navajo chiefs never reached a consensus, so the earlier treaties were never fully implemented. In 1863, Colonel Christopher “Kit” Carson, leading US Army troops, raided the cliff dwellings at Canyon de Chelly. Carson, perhaps anticipating General William Tecumseh Sherman’s march of the following year, first destroyed the Navajo sheep and orchards and captured as many horses as possible. The Navajo finally surrendered in early 1864 as a preferable alternative to possible starvation in the blockaded canyon. All eight thousand members of the Navajo tribe were forced to walk 300 to 400 miles to the northeast to Fort Sumner, New Mexico. After this Long Walk, the Navajo remained imprisoned at Fort Sumner—with their traditional enemies, the Mescalero Apache, sharing their incarceration—for four years.
In 1868, a new and binding treaty was signed between the U.S. government and the Navajo Nation. The treaty allowed the Navajo to return to their ancestral lands in Arizona and stipulated that no one else was to enter Canyon de Chelly without the express permission of the Navajo Nation. Although the original size of the lands returned was smaller than their traditional lands, the Navajo gained additional reservation lands over time through legislative acts. The Navajo, in return, were to pledge peace, a promise which they kept even during the so-called Indian Wars that occurred in the two decades after the 1868 treaty was signed.
Bibliography
"The Long Walk of the Navajo - Peoples of Mesa Verde." Crow Canyon Archaeological Center, www.crowcanyon.org/EducationProducts/peoples‗mesa‗verde/historic‗long‗walk.php. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
National Institutes of Health. "1864: The Navajos begin 'Long Walk' to imprisonment." Native Voices, www.nlm.nih.gov/nativevoices/timeline/332.html. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.
Pettit, Maddie. "The Navajo Trail of Tears from Fort Defiance to Bosque Redondo." Intermountain Histories, 16 May 2023, www.intermountainhistories.org/items/show/191. Accessed 30 Sept. 2024.