The
Navajo weren't just
given that large
reservation which they live on now. Actually, after a bloody little war with plenty of civilian slaughter, etc, they were marched about in the winter for quite a while (similar to the
Trail of Tears) and left in a cold fort with poor supplies. Many died in this ordeal. They still have a strong grasp on their culture, despite rather severe
poverty on the reservation lands. The Navajos (or
Dine' as they call themselves) probably owe much of their survival to their extreme hardiness and their philosophy which encourages acceptance, adaptability, living in harmony with ones surroundings, and seeing beauty in everything.
I had an opportunity to visit the big reservation about 4 years ago. It is a huge place, indeed, and it seems to distort space and time. The land is incredibly harsh, frigid in the winter, scorching in the summer, punctuated by intense thunderstorms. One night i was awakened at 2 AM by constant thunder and looked outside to see the sky flickering like a strobe light. The next morning it became evident that flash floods had washed out quite a few roads.
The culture of the Navajos is surprisingly intact, albeit affected by western society. I had the opportunity to take a trip up Canyon de Chelle with an old Navajo man, who talked about the land and how he interracted with it in an amazing way. I didn't get to talk to anyone else really, but I wouldnt blame them for harboring resentment. I was content to be an observer. My mom told me about a time when a Navajo came in to her school to talk about his life. He talked about how his family had been torn apart, and how he lived in poverty - all the time seeming perfectly calm. The Navajo are an amazingly resilient and strong people. I wouldnt be surprised (or disappointed) at all if their culture outlived ours. A lot of people on the reservation still live in traditional 6-sided hogans and grow straggly-looking corn. But they have integrated trucks, rifles, and alcohol into their culture. It doesnt seem to matter much though, because the Navajos have always absorved elements of other cultures - sheep, which they rely on now for substinence, were brought in by the Spanish a few centuries ago. The Navajos even played an integral part in World War II - Navajo Code Talkers communicated across enemy lines using their native language, which is extremely difficult to learn or translate.
Tony Hillerman writes some excellent books set in the Navajo reservation and culture, which, from what i can tell as a white boy, seem quite accurate to the Navajo culture.