Title: FW: Navajo-Churro on Board the Slow Food Ark USA & Navajo Sheep Project Flock to the Reservation 8
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From: "Michele Brane" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2002 10:12:54 -0400
To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Navajo-Churro on Board the Slow Food Ark USA & Navajo Sheep Project Flock to the Reservation 8
Contact: Don Bixby
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Barbara Bowman
Slow Food Sonoma County
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Deborah Madison
Slow Food Santa Fe
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
First Red Abalone and Delaware Bay Oysters, then Four Historic American
Turkey Breeds
Now Navajo Churro Sheep Board the Ark
October 24, 2002 New York, New York Slow Food U.S.A. announces the
selection of the Navajo-Churro sheep for Ark U.S.A., Slow Food¹s program to
protect food threatened with extinction. The Navajo-Churro sheep breed is
North America¹s earliest domesticated farm animal. Spanish explorers and
colonists first brought them into New Mexico¹s Rio Grande Valley in the 16th
Century. Once numbering two million, the breed was dissipated by a
federally- imposed interbreeding program and a government-mandated livestock
reduction program. By the 1970s, only 450 Navajo-Churro sheep were left in
the United States. Characteristics of Navajo-Churro sheep:
- The meat is lean with distinctive, sweet lamb flavor
- The breed is of regional importance to the Hispanic and Native American
cultures of southwestern United States
- Navajo-Churro sheep provide excellent meat, abundant milk and highly
desirable fleece
- The breed is extremely hardy and lives lightly on the land, requiring less
water and grass than other sheep.
Now aboard Ark U.S.A. the Navajo-Churro join other foods identified by Slow
Food as endangered: Narragansett, Jersey Buff, Bourbon Red and Standard
Bronze turkey breeds, Tuscarora or Iroquois white corn, the Blenheim apricot
and others. Slow Food¹s Ark project identifies and promotes high quality
foods that reflect the history and culture of a region. Food selected for
the Ark differs significantly from food produced by modern, standardized
industry and agriculture.
*******
Fact Sheet - Navajo-Churro Sheep
Ark U.S.A.
selection: June, 2002
Species: Ovis aries
Breed: Navajo-Churro -
hardy, adaptable, disease resistant,
long legged, narrow body, fine bones
Taste: Sweet, lean, delicate lamb
Fleece: Double coat prized for natural colors
History: Descended from the Churra, an ancient
Iberian breed. Introduced to North
America by the Spanish in the 1500s
Producers: 2000 sheep now registered with the
150 members of the Navajo-Churro
Sheep Association
Potential for
increased
production: High. Currently considered endangered
by the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy
Resources:
American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, P. O. Box 477, Pittsboro, NC 27312,
919/542-5704, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.albc-usa.org
Navajo-Churro Sheep Association, P. O. Box 94, Ojo Caliente NM 87549,
e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
*********************
Navajo Sheep Project
a nonprofit organization
Contact: Mark Petersen, President, [EMAIL PROTECTED] or 435-649-6619
Navajo-Churro Sheep Come Home to the Navajo Nation
October 18-20, 2002, Chinle High School Agriculture Department
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Navajo Sheep Project, over 300
Navajo-Churro ewes, rams, and lambs are being distributed to Navajo weavers
and shepherds on October 18, 19 and 20 at the Chinle High School Agriculture
Department facility. This occasion marks the return of this special breed
to its place of origin, where it was given to the Navajo by the Holy People.
For many years, NSP has been bringing flocks of Navajo-Churro back to the
Navajo Nation. This weekend marks the first large-scale return and the
fulfillment of a commitment made by NSP founder Dr. Lyle McNeal 25 years
ago.
Navajo-Churro sheep are the foundational stock of traditional Diné
agropastoralist lifeways and the source of wool upon which their
internationally famous weaving arts are based. The breed is better suited
to survive during drought conditions often experienced in the Southwest
because they more efficiently utilize diverse forage and can go without
water for up to five days. Navajo-Churro wool is highly-prized in specialty
markets, bringing from $1.60 up to $8.00 per pound at a time when most wool
from the Navajo Nation is being sold for only ten to 15 cents per pound.
The wool also comes in natural colors, including apricot, grey, black,
brown, and beige, which are avidly sought by weavers and other fiber
artists.
Over six months ago, NSP began sending application forms to weaving families
and experienced sheep producers. Individuals with the proper grazing
permits and sheep management facilities were given the option to either
trade their cross-bred sheep for pure-bred Navajo-Churros, to trade a
weaving, or to purchase a flock at a substantially reduced price. The
largest flock size is 20 ewes and several rams, with many flocks averaging
ten head. A select few new producers have qualified for starter flocks of
four ewes and a ram.
NSP is collaborating with Diné be¹ iiná, Inc., a nonprofit group in the
Navajo Nation, to help with communication among the recipients and provide
services. The Navajo-Churro owners will be asked to participate in technical
assistance programs, as well as DBI¹s Sheep is Life Celebration at Diné
College in June. Modern record-keeping, genetic controls, and intensive
management techniques will be melded with traditional strategies to help
sheep producers make a reasonable economic return on their flocks and
support sustainable pastoralist lifeways.
The public is invited to witness the historic return of the Navajo-Churro
sheep on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Chinle High School Agriculture
facility, located just east of the new Primary School off of Highway 191,
right before the junction with Highway 7. Signs will be posted on the
highway. The sheep will be unloaded from the truck on Friday morning, with
distribution beginning Friday afternoon and continuing Saturday and Sunday
from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. each day.
The non-Churros that are brought in for trade will be sold to the public on
Saturday and Sunday as mutton sheep and lambs. Cash prices are $30 to $40
each. Since NSP had a large crop of males this past breeding season,
interested Navajo shepherds can apply on-site to purchase surplus Churro
rams and ram lambs at a reduced price.
The famous Navajo-Churro sheep are the ³Old Ones² revered by Diné elders for
hundreds of years. In the early 1600s, Navajo acquisition of ³la raza
Churra² from Spanish colonists inspired a radical lifestyle change. As the
Navajo managed their growing flocks, they developed the Navajo-Churro, a
breed uniquely suited to the Southwest climate. Genetically resistant to
many sheep diseases, Navajo-Churros can withstand austere conditions,
frequently birth twins and triplets, are excellent mothers, and produce
lean, flavorful meat. The breed is recognized by the American Sheep Industry
and currently is classified as ³rare² by the American Livestock Breed
Conservancy. The internationally-famous traditional Navajo weaving evolved
to utilize the special qualities of the beautiful Navajo-Churro wool.
Navajo-Churro wool brings higher prices than that of commercial breeds,
while weavings from this wool are prized by knowledgeable collectors for
their luster and durability.
The Navajo Sheep Project, a tax-exempt 501c3 organization, was founded in
1977 by Dr. and Mrs. Lyle McNeal to bring back the almost-extinct
Navajo-Churro breed and reintroduce it into Navajo and Spanish communities.
While working with families on the Navajo Nation, Dr. McNeal recognized the
genetic and cultural significance of the Navajo-Churro and determined to
reintroduce the breed to the Southwest. Following this current distribution
of Navajo-Churro sheep, NSP will continue to offer technical assistance to
Diné sheep producers, support culturally-relevant economic development, work
with Diné be¹ iiná on the Sheep is Life celebration, and bring approximately
100 ewe and ram lambs from its breeding stock back to the Navajo Nation each
year.
For information on the Navajo Sheep Project, call Mark Petersen, President,
at 435-649-6619; visit the breed association at www.navajo-churrosheep.com;
or visit Diné be¹ iiná¹s site at www.recursos.org/sheepislife.
