The Hogan

The Hogan. . , The hogan is the traditional home of the Dineh, or Navajo people of the southwest It was made of wooden poles or logs covered with earth, clay, or thick adobe. Adobe is clay mixed with dried plants It absorbs the sun's heat during the day and keeps the interior of the lodge warm at night., Modern hogans , By 1900, railways crossed the Southwest, and the Navajo began using wooden railroad ties to build hogans. These later hogans were not covered with earth and adobe. Instead, layers of mud cemented the wooden ties together., Hogans today , People still build hogans on the Navajo reservation and use them for ceremonial purposes. Navajo shepards often live in hogans as well while tending their sheep on the reservation's outlying grazing land., Hogans interiors , The hogan door traditionally faced the rising sun in the east. Inside, men sat on the south side and women sat in the north. Honored visitors sat in the west, facing the door. In the middle of the floor was a fireplace. Family members slept around it on fluffy sheepskins.