How to Build a Navajo Hogan
Have you been thinking about getting back to nature? Maybe adding a tree house to your yard? Well, you might want to consider a Navajo hogan. It is just going to take some manual labor, a vision and an admiration of a style of dwelling that has housed inhabitants of the Four Corners for centuries. Follow our easy "How to Build a Navajo Hogan" instructions.
Remember, we are going to make this hogan in the traditional Navajo way. So it all begins with a prayer. One that asks for a good home.
Now, we have to go and gather lumber. Here in the Four Corner's we use cedar logs. You are going to try and get logs that are straight as possible. Remember, you are going to need a lot of them.
This is going to be lots of work. Once you have these logs cut you are going to need and get them to your building site. So, make sure you bring some reliable transportation.
Once you have the logs at the work site you are going to have to prep them. You are going to want to take the bark off of the trees and put the notches into the logs.
Now, that you have some logs that are ready to be turned into a hogan you start assembling. Remember that you are going to have the doorway facing to the east.
Don't get discouraged. Once you have the sides of the hogan up, it will start to look great. The roof is next.
The hogan is almost done.
One of the most impressive things about a hogan is the roof. It is layers of logs that creates a nice cone shape, and places the chimney in the center. We have provided a view from the top of the roof, and one looking up into the ceiling.
Now, you are going to cover the roof and and chink the walls with clay.
It was a journey to make your first hogan, but the "How to Build a Navajo Hogan" instructions make it straight forward. In the beginning we set out to do this in the traditional Navajo ways, and that means we end our journey with another blessing of our hogan.
