Social Organization and Seasonal Migrations Among the Navajo

ABSTRACTPastoral transhumance patterns involve a complicated mix of social and environmental factors. The environmental factors influencing the seasonal movements of the Navajo during the apex of their pastoral economy have been broadly outlined in previous works. This paper, using data from two areas of the Navajo Reservation and pertaining mostly to the 1930s, stresses the importance of family differences in wealth and livestock holdings for determining the extent and nature of seasonal land use by Navajo livestock raisers.