Navajo-Churro Sheep Come Home to the Navajo Nation

Navajo-Churro Sheep Come Home to the Navajo Nation

In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Navajo Sheep Project in 2002 over 300 Navajo-Churro ewes, rams, and lambs were distributed to Navajo weavers and shepherds on October 18, 19 and 20, at the Chinle High School Agriculture Department facility. This occasion marked the return of this special breed to its place of origin, where it was given to the Navajo by the Holy People. For many years, NSP had been bringing flocks of Navajo-Churro back to the Navajo Nation. This weekend marked the first large-scale return and the fulfillment of a commitment made by NSP founder Dr. Lyle McNeal 25 years ago.

Navajo-Churro sheep are the foundational stock of traditional Diné agropastoralist lifeways and the source of wool upon which their internationally famous weaving arts are based. The breed is better
suited to survive during drought conditions often experienced in the Southwest because they more efficiently utilize diverse forage and can go without water for up to five days. Navajo-Churro wool is highly-prized in specialty markets, bringing from $1.60 up to $8.00 per pound at a time when most
wool from the Navajo Nation is being sold for only ten to 15 cents per pound. The wool also comes in natural colors, including apricot, grey, black, brown, and beige, which are avidly sought by weavers and other fiber artists.

NSP began sending application forms to weaving families and experienced sheep producers. Individuals with the proper grazing permits and sheep management facilities were given the option to either trade their cross-bred sheep for pure-bred Navajo-Churros, to trade a weaving, or to purchase a flock at a substantially reduced price. The largest flock size is 20 ewes and several rams, with many flocks averaging ten head. A select few new producers have qualified for starter flocks of four ewes and a ram.

NSP is collaborating with Diné be’ iiná, Inc., a nonprofit group in the Navajo Nation, to help with communication among the recipients and provide services. The Navajo-Churro owners will be asked to participate in technical assistance programs, as well as DBI’s Sheep is Life Celebration at Diné College in June. Modern record-keeping, genetic controls, and intensive management techniques will be melded with traditional strategies to help sheep producers make a reasonable economic return on their flocks and support sustainable pastoralist lifeways.

The famous Navajo-Churro sheep are the “Old Ones” revered by Diné elders for hundreds of years. In the early 1600s, Navajo acquisition of “la raza Churra” from Spanish colonists inspired a radical lifestyle change. As the Navajo managed their growing flocks, they developed the Navajo-Churro, a breed uniquely suited to the Southwest climate. Genetically resistant to many sheep diseases, Navajo-Churros can withstand austere conditions, frequently birth twins and triplets, are excellent mothers, and produce lean, flavorful meat. The breed is recognized by the American Sheep Industry and currently is classified as “rare” by the American Livestock Breed
Conservancy. The internationally-famous traditional Navajo weaving evolved to utilize the special qualities of the beautiful Navajo-Churro wool. Navajo-Churro wool brings higher prices than that of commercial breeds, while weavings from this wool are prized by knowledgeable collectors
fortheir luster and durability.

The Navajo Sheep Project, a tax-exempt 501c3 organization, was founded in 1977 by Dr. and Mrs. Lyle McNeal to bring back the almost-extinct Navajo-Churro breed and reintroduce it into Navajo and Spanish communities. While working with families on the Navajo Nation, Dr. McNeal recognized the genetic and cultural significance of the Navajo-Churro and determined to reintroduce the breed to the Southwest. Following the 2002 distribution of Navajo-Churro sheep, NSP continues to offer technical assistance to Diné sheep producers, support culturally-relevant economic development, work with Diné be’ iiná on the Sheep is Life celebration, and bring approximately 100 ewe and ram lambs from its breeding stock back to the Navajo Nation each
year.

For information on the Navajo Sheep Project, call Mark Petersen, President, at 435-649-6619; visit the breed association at www.navajo-churrosheep.com; or visit Diné be’ iiná’s site at http://www.navajolifeway.org/