About Navajo-Churro Sheep...
Coronado brought the first Churro Sheep to North America
in 1540.
When he gave up his search for gold in 1542, the Spanish explorer
left
some of the sheep with priests who stayed behind with the Indians in
New
Mexico. These sheep, the Churra, were an ancient Iberian
breed. The
word Churra was later corrupted to "Churro" by American
frontiersmen.
Hispanic settlers relied on the Churros for food and fiber,
and developed
the renown Rio Grande weaving style. The legendary Navajo weaving
tradition
began with handspun Churro wool. By the
17th century
Churros were popular with the Spanish settlers in the upper Rio Grande
Valley. Flocks of Churros were also acquired by
Native Americans
through raids and trading, and soon became an important part of the
Navajo
economy and culture. A series of US Government sponsored
flock reductions
and "improvements" decimated the Navajo flocks until the old
type
Churro sheep nearly disappeared. During the 1860's,
Kit Carson
subdued and incarcerated the Navajos by destroying their flocks and
orchards.
Gradually other sheep breeds were introduced into the region. Following
the economic depression of the 1930's, federal agents destroyed over
two
thirds of Navajo livestock when over-grazing threatened to
ruin reservation
ranges. Because of their low values in commercial markets, NavajoChurro
were singled out for destruction. No thought was given to the
value
of their wool for cultural weaving or their proven adaptability to the
harsh environment. Navajo-Churro sheep carry the polycerate
gene
which allows them to produce multiple horns, and both rams
and ewes
can be horned or polled. They are a small to medium size breed with
ewes
weighing form 85 to 120 pounds and rams ranging from 120 to 175 lbs.
Navajo-Churro
wool comes in a wide range of natural colors, is classified
as coarse
and is composed of three distinct types of fiber: 1) Inner
Coat
(3-5"staple length): wool fibers ranging from 10-35 microns, comprising
80% of the fleece, 2) Outer Coat (6-12"staple length): hair
fibers
measuring 35+ microns, comprising 10-20% of the fleece, 3) Kemp: short
opaque fibers of 65+ microns, not to exceed 5% of the fleece). The
fleece
is open with no defined crimp and should be lustrous with a silky hand.
It is high yielding with a low grease content.
Reasons to keep Navajo Churro Sheep:
•They have the fleece that works well for weaving - strong,
beautiful and
available in a wide variety of natural colors.
•Lamb fleeces are softer and rich in
color. Their fleeces are
great to handspin and knit into socks, sweaters, whatever.
•They’re very hardy and disease resistant.
•Being desert sheep, they can survive and thrive on less than
perfect
forage
in a small area.
•They’re independent, intelligent sheep with great
dispositions.
•We like helping to preserve the original American sheep.
.
Triple Seven Livestock
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©
2005 - Triple Seven, LLC
