the Navajo Indian Reservation, but these are not nearly so apparent on
the ground as the sacred mountains.

Before A.D. 1500, perhaps long before, the Diné settled here, com-
ing piecemeal from hostile country far to the north in what is today
western Canada; linguistics establish this pattern of dispersal. Old
NavajoLand (Dinétah) was the region running roughly from Shiprock
on the west, along a strip south of the San Juan River, through where
Farmington and Aztec are today, perhaps as far east as present-day
Pagosa Springs and Chama. The territory of the farming Apaches grad-
ually spread with time to the limits defined by the four sacred moun-
tains. There were no legal boundaries to these lands until the treaty of
1868, when Congress established the formal Navajo Indian Reservation
to include only the vicinity of the Chuska Mountains. Since that time,
the Diné have dramatically increased in numbers and cultural prosper-
ity, and the Reservation has been expanded accordingly to its present
limits largely by administrative decrees. Still, Old NavajoLand is only
partially included as "checkerboard" allotted lands; most of the Reser-
vation lies to the south and west of the historic homeland.

It is important to understand the natural relationship between the
character of the lands and the present-day Navajo way of life. To this
end, it is necessary to examine carefully the origins of the physical land-
scapes and the geological history that has led to relative Navajo pros-
perity in our changing world. The two go hand in hand, more so than
has ever been realized.

A few words of explanation are in order to elucidate the essence of this
book. My present-day address in Kansas may cast doubts on my
authenticity and qualifications writing.

I first saw Navajo Country in the early summer of 1952 after grad-
uating from the University of Utah. I was beginning my professional
career as a petroleum geologist for Shell Oil Company. I was part of a
team of field geologists assigned to map the surface geology of the
northern Navajo Indian Reservation from about the Arizona-Utah state
line northward to the San Juan River. This exercise was followed by
sporadic drilling by the company to determine the petroleum potential
of the region, leading to discoveries of major accumulations of oil and
gas. During this drilling phase, I was assigned well-sitting chores on
most of the wells drilled on and near the Reservation.

Since this dubious beginning, my geologic career has revolved
around this fascinating region, and I have returned again and again for

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