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Show VII. NAHONZHOOD^V: THE FEARING A Time of Change Pressed by Utes, Comanches, and Spanish settlers, the Navajos fought back in the 1770s. Pueblos and Spaniards both had good reason to regret this end of a half-century of peace. Although New Mexico was a secure Spanish holding by the late eighteenth century, its people were still poor and weak. Spain had largely given up its hopes of finding wealth in New Mexico. The province was held only because it was the key to the defense of New Spain's whole frontier. Seeing that the Navajos could be a strong enemy, the Spaniards worked hard to restore the peace. The last half of the eighteenth century was a time of change and growth for the People. An age-old lifestyle had slowly become something new. There was never a sudden break with the past. But, by 1800, many years of change had produced the distinctive people we now think of as Navajos. The cultural exchange with the Pueblos went on, mixing new materials and ideas with the old way of life. And, after two hundred years of European contact, the Navajos had added many Spanish things to their lives. Above all, the Spaniards had brought horses and sheep to the People. By 1800 these animals had much to do with how the Navajos lived. Depending on their wealth in stock, the Navajos lived well or simply survived. Many of their customs and habits had come to be based on seasonal movement and the needs of their animals. Many Navajos risked death in raids to add to their herds and flocks. The change caused by these animals was so complete that the Navajos found it hard to believe that the People had ever existed without them. The horses gave them strength and the sheep sustained their lives. Under the influence of the Pueblos, the Navajos went on adding to their complex ceremonial life. Navajos were, and still are, a very religious people. Their religion suited them so well that Spanish missionaries had very little success. Pueblo influence was strongest on Navajo clans. Navajo social structure had also borrowed from the Pueblos. A Navajo traced his clan lineage through 85 |