Raising Animals

The Spanish taught the Pueblo how to raise animals. The Pueblo passed these valuable skills on to many Navajo. Sheep, goats, and cattle became a new part of the Native American diet. Goats produced milk to be made into cheese and butter.

The Pueblo and Navajo also used the wool from sheep. They spun the wool and dyed it with plants. Then they wove it into clothing and blankets. Raising animals and weaving became important work for many Native Americans.

Sheep and goats were especially suited to the climate of the Southwest. They could eat the dry, tough plants that grew there. Cattle did well in the rich pastures of the grasslands.

One animal, however, would change forever how the Native Americans lived. It was the horse.

A Navajo woman in the American Southwest cuts wool from sheep. Sheep are still an important part of Navajo life.