Hogan

The Hogan is the traditional home of the Diné.

The original form was a domed circular building. The framework formed upright in the ground set tree trunks, which were covered with clay or earth. It was mainly the wood of the Piñon Pine (Pinus edulis ) are used, one to 10 m tall pine species of the semi-deserts.

Today, the Hogans are mostly six - or eight-sided and have a diameter of approximately 8 meters. The entrance always faces east so that the residents of the rising sun and thus welcome the new day can. According to the traditional design, they are still being built out of logs, which cross at the corners. The joints of the side walls are filled with clay, the roof covered with a thick layer of soil. Meanwhile, stone and cement are used as building material, but the basic shape and the orientation of the compass are always maintained.

However Hogans are not only dwelling place and space for ceremonial events, they are also regarded as sacred place. If someone died in a particular Hogan. The deceased must not be brought out through the entrance. Either a hole is broken in the wall for it on the north side or the deceased remains in Hogan, who then becomes a tomb. Then the input is closed and no one will ever enter it again.

• Ancient American Studies
• Design ( residential)
• Local design
• Type of wood