Building the Hogan

A renewal of self-reliance, simplification and harmonic living

Archive for the ‘Housing’ Category

I took a brief hiatus from posting to focus on some other projects, but hopefully I can now get back to regular posting.  I see from the lack of responses that my property tax idea didn’t go over so well.  I was hoping to stimulate some dialog on the issue but perhaps everyone gets enough debate on issues like the economy and the government spending elsewhere.  With that behind us, today I want to talk about something more pertinent to the subject matter - choosing a construction technique.

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Posted by Terry in Housing

May 8, 2009

What is a Hogan?

I thought it might be a good idea to stop here and explain why we chose the title of this blog.  What exactly is a “Hogan” and why are we building one?

First, a bit of background.  The term “Hogan” comes from the Native American Navajo word “hooghan” and it was their traditional dwelling place.  When you research the Navajo Hogan, you’ll find that the structure was much more than just a house.  It was also a sacred ceremonial place.  The earliest Hogans were circular in shape, came in a variety of sizes and were built of logs, sticks and mud.  The door was always placed on the east side of the house to welcome the rising sun, for good health and fortune. 

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Posted by Terry in Housing, Philosophy