ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the importance of the design of the Navajo Hogan in Navajo society and culture. Archetypal of didacticism in architecture, the multi-faceted structures not only provide safety from the outside elements but truly become a vessel of connecting Navajo to their core beliefs of respect, cooperation, and generosity. One of the earliest models of asserting the Hogan design in the planning of spaces is seen in the construction of Navajo Community College in 1973. The basis of Navajo religion is the concept of Hozho. Hozho is a philosophy that notes everything has a life essence and lives in harmony with each other; from animals, to the five-fingered people, to rocks, water, and air. Central to Navajo religion is the Hozhoji ceremony, also known as the Beauty Way or Blessingway Ceremony. The history of the Navajo Hogan has continuously been one that has adapted with the people it has housed since their creation.
