|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The gods, of course, had the animals from the beginning of time. When they arranged the world and planned the pattern of the stars in the sky, they first laid out the glittering objects out on a sheepskin. The Sun, father of the war gods, possessed a flock of sheep in four colors already. The Sun put down all the wild animals, and when the sheep were placed, this is what was said; "Their faces will be dawn, their eyes will be rock crystal, their ears will be plants, their wool be white fog." (Dine Creation Story)
|
|
|
The stories coming from our elders talk about the "real sheep"; they say it was similar to the Navajo-Churro sheep that we now occupy. They were very hardy, with long hairy wool, skittish when approached; they lived and roamed within the four scared mountains of Dinétah (Navajoland). This sheep soon became extinct for no apparent reason and the Diné people prayed for another tamer sheep to come to them and it did at a later time...
|
|
|
|
More than four hundred years ago the first Churro sheep were brought into the Southwest by Don Juan Onate. The fact that these sheep still exist today is a testimony to their endurance and endearment. No other sheep population in the history of the world has survived such selective pressure with such dignity and spirit.
Even though the Navajo-Churro breed still exists, it is considered a Rare Breed. The gene pool is presently large enough to maintain the breed type with the diversity of available unrelated lines. Fortunately for breeders, a well established network of registered stock is available, scattered throughout the US and Canada.
|
|
|
Navajo-Churro sheep are descended from the Churra, an ancient Iberian breed. Although secondary to the Merino, the Churra (later corrupted to "Churro" by American frontiersmen) was prized by the Spanish for its remarkable hardiness, adaptability and fecundity. The Churra was the very first breed of domesticated sheep in the New World. Its importation to New Spain by the Spanish dates back to the 16th century where it was used to feed and clothe the armies of the conquistadors and Spanish settlers.
|
|
|
|
By the 17th century the Churro had become the mainstay of Spanish ranches and villages along the upper Rio Grande Valley. Native Indians acquired flocks of Churro for food and fiber through raids and trading. Within a century, herding and weaving had become a major economic asset for the Navajo. It was from Churro wool that the early Rio Grande, Pueblo, and Navajo textiles were woven -- a fleece admired by collectors for its luster, silky hand, variety of natural colors and durability.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
