How do you build a hogan

Luckily, there was an old, broken down cabin not far away that supplied just enough nice, gray logs for the job. The cracks between the logs were stuffed with strips of foam rubber salvaged from the dump.

And, over the foam, we nailed wood chinking from the tumbledown log cabin. Using all hand tools, it took my wife and me five months to build it. With more help and a chain saw, the whole thing could have been completed in a month or less. As you can see, our log structure was definitely a bargain especially when you consider what most folks have to spend to get a roof over their heads.

And, frankly, we wouldn't trade our cozy mini-home in the wilderness for one of those mass-produced crackerboxes that cost thousands of dollars more! I like the innovative vertical approach just as much as the traditional horizontal log placements.

Additionally the Navajo hogan are closer to the ground as the tribe live in the desert plains area which does not have the same geographical layout as northern states but I agree we need more pictures! How is life in the structure? What is the inside like? Very nice,though more photos would have been nice. Join us for a much anticipated return to the Lone Star State! Earlybird ticket discounts are now available online. You'll find tips for slashing heating bills, growing fresh, natural produce at home, and more.

That's why we want you to save money and trees by subscribing through our earth-friendly automatic renewal savings plan. Positioned on a hillside, the author's Navajo hogan was built on an octagonal floor plan. Continue Reading. Make a primitive hogan as the sweat house. These have no smoke holes and are used mostly for bathing and ceremonial purposes. Build two polygonal hogans, one larger than the other. The larger of the two would be for the medicine lodge and group ceremonies. The smaller of the polygonal hogans houses the entire family.

Another primitive hogan, with one side left entirely open so it resembles a lean-to structure, is usually created for both summer living and for cooking. Stover earned a masters degree in education curriculum and instruction from the University of Texas, Arlington and continues to work on a masters in Educational Leadership from University of North Texas.

Regardless of how old we are, we never stop learning. Classroom is the educational resource for people of all ages. Based on the Word Net lexical database for the English Language. See disclaimer. Related Articles. 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.