<P> The states with the largest Navajo populations are Arizona (140,263) and New Mexico (108,306). Over three - quarters of the Navajo population reside in these two states . Thousands of Navajos also live in California . </P> <P> The Navajos are speakers of a Na - Dené Southern Athabaskan language known within the language as Diné bizaad (lit .' People's language'). The language comprises two geographic, mutually intelligible dialects . It is closely related to the Apache language; the Navajos and Apaches are believed to have migrated from northwestern Canada and eastern Alaska, where the majority of Athabaskan speakers reside . Speakers of various other Athabaskan languages located in Canada may still comprehend the Navajo language despite the geographic and linguistic deviation of the languages . Additionally, some Navajos speak Navajo Sign Language, which is either a dialect or daughter of Plains Sign Talk, as well as some being speakers of Plains Sign Talk itself . </P> <P> Archaeological and historical evidence suggests the Athabaskan ancestors of the Navajos and Apaches entered the Southwest around 1400 CE . The Navajo oral tradition is said to retain references of this migration . </P> <P> Until contact with Pueblos and the Spanish, the Navajos were largely hunters and gatherers . The tribe adopted crop - farming techniques from the Pueblo peoples, growing mainly corn, beans, and squash . When the Spanish arrived, the Navajos began herding sheep and goats as a main source of trade and food, with meat becoming an essential component of the Navajo diet . Sheep also became a form of currency and status symbols among the Navajos based on the overall quantity of herds a family maintained . In addition, the practice of spinning and weaving wool into blankets and clothing became common and eventually developed into a form of highly valued artistic expression . </P>

When did the navajo arrive in the southwest