What Was the Navajo Long Walk
The Navajo Long Walk refers to the forced relocation of the Navajo people in 1864 by the United States Army, when approximately 8,000 to 9,000 Navajo men, women, and children were compelled to walk over 300 miles from their homelands in what is now northeastern Arizona and northwestern New Mexico to the Bosque Redondo reservation at Fort Sumner in eastern New Mexico. This action was part of U.S. military campaigns to suppress Native American resistance and assert control over contested territory during the American Civil War era. The walk was arduous and marked by exposure, scarcity, and hardship, leading to widespread suffering and death before the establishment of the reservation.
Background and Causes
Conflict between the Navajo and expanding U.S. settlers, combined with livestock raids and disputes over resources, prompted military action. In 1863, Brigadier General James H. Carleton ordered Colonel Christopher "Kit" Carson to subdue the Navajo through a scorched-earth campaign, destroying crops, orchards, and dwellings to force surrender. With limited options for resistance and winter approaching, many Navajo leaders and families chose to capitulate to avoid further violence. The U.S. government subsequently decided on removal to a designated reservation, believing that relocation would facilitate control, assimilation efforts, and agricultural settlement by non-Native populations.
The March and Conditions
Beginning in the winter of 1864, groups of Navajo prisoners of war were escorted under military guard on the journey to Bosque Redondo. The route traversed harsh desert and high plains, with insufficient food, water, and shelter. Reports from soldiers, tribal members, and observers describe widespread malnutrition, exposure, and illness. Children and elders were especially vulnerable, and mortality increased as the march progressed. Upon arrival at Fort Sumner, the Navajo faced overcrowding, inadequate rations, poor sanitation, and tensions with other tribal groups also held at the reservation.
Key Facts at a Glance
| Attribute | Verified Detail | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Year of the Long Walk | 1864 | Historical records, military orders |
| Number of Navajo forced to march | Approximately 8,000–9,000 | Government and tribal estimates |
| Starting region | Navajo homelands in present-day Arizona and New Mexico | Historical geography, tribal accounts |
| Destination | Bosque Redondo reservation (Fort Sumner), New Mexico | Military and reservation records |
| Distance | Over 300 miles (exact routes varied by group) | Route analyses, diaries |
| Duration | Several weeks to multiple months, with multiple groups arriving between 1864 and 1866 | Military logs, oral histories |
| Deaths during and shortly after the march | Hundreds en route; thousands perished at Bosque Redondo due to disease, malnutrition, and exposure | Deaths estimates from historians and tribal sources |
The Treaty of 1868 and Return to Dinété
In 1868, the Treaty of Fort Sumner (also called the Navajo Treaty) allowed the surviving Navajo to return to a portion of their traditional homelands and established the Navajo Nation. Conditions at Bosque Redondo had deteriorated, with ongoing struggles over resources and governance, which contributed to the decision to end the experiment and permit the return. The negotiated agreement acknowledged the trauma of the Long Walk and sought to stabilize relations, though challenges of land encroachment and cultural preservation persisted.
Long-Term Impacts and Commemoration
The Long Walk and subsequent reservation experience left enduring legacies on Navajo society, influencing land tenure, political structures, health outcomes, and cultural continuity. In the decades since, the Navajo Nation has worked to memorialize this period through education, oral histories, and public recognition. Descendants of those who endured the Long Walk continue to shape the community today, and the event remains a critical reference point in discussions of tribal sovereignty, historical injustice, and reconciliation.
Distinguishing the Long Walk from Later Events
It is important to differentiate the 1864–1866 Long Walk and Bosque Redondo period from other forced relocations or policies, such as the Dawes Act (1887), boarding school systems, or mid-20th-century relocations. While each affected Indigenous peoples across the United States, the Long Walk specifically refers to the military-driven removal and imprisonment of the Navajo in the 1860s. The term should not be conflated with broader federal assimilation policies that occurred later and operated through different mechanisms.
Key Context and Clarifications
- The Navajo refer to themselves as Diné, and their language is Diné bizaad.
- The Long Walk is part of a wider pattern of U.S. military actions in the Indian Wars era, but it is distinct in its scale and specific outcome for the Navajo.
- Not all Navajo were forcibly removed; some escaped the campaign or remained in hidden locations and later returned to their lands.
- The establishment of the Navajo Nation and subsequent government-to-government relations reflect ongoing efforts to address historical harms and support self-determination.