The Navajo arrived here much more recently than the ancestors of the Pueblo People. They come from a region in Alaska called Athapaskan, arriving here about the same time as the Spanish.
Blending many of their cultural traditions of their adopted heritage to their own, the apprehension of the Navajo suggests a refined set of values: order, stability, harmony and the interaction and mutual relation of all things.
These values are all contained in the concept of "hozho". Hozho is not the easiest word to explain, but it's essential meaning can be felt through experience. Think of those times when you felt as if you truly were part of the creation around you, perfectly matched, balanced and in tune with the beauty and harmony with every step and every breath. That is hozho.
The introduction of art to the concept of hozho is especially interesting. For the Navajo, a finished work of art MUST incorporate the elements of hozho and communicate just what it is to achieve the condition of hozho.
All who participate in a creative action must thus be in a state of hozho. All aspects of Navajo culture are interconnected through their association to hozho.
The finished piece, from the Navajo perspective, is merely the vehicle whereby beauty, hozho, is transmitted from an artist who is in a state of beauty, to a recipient or audience. The end result is that the receiver will also be brought into a state of beauty through viewing, wearing or appreciating what the artist has created.
All Navajo artisans authenticate their work with their name or initials and a census number for verification.
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