hogan

noun

ho·​gan ˈhō-ˌgän 

: a Navajo Indian dwelling usually made of logs and mud with a door traditionally facing east

Illustration of hogan

Did you know?

The traditional dwelling of the Navajo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico is called a hogan. The hogan is roughly circular and constructed usually of logs, which are stepped in gradually to create a domed roof. The whole structure is then covered with mud and sod, except for a circular opening in the roof that allows smoke to escape. The entrance generally faces the rising sun.

Examples of hogan in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The school’s rodeo grounds are pocked with prairie dog holes, and roads to the mobile home park and hogans that house employees are mostly unpaved. —Matt Krupnick, ProPublica, 14 Oct. 2024

The Navajo elder lives in a hogan, a traditional home, built for him by neighbors in Wide Ruins, a remote town of 175 people in northeastern Arizona, about 250 miles from Phoenix. —Alex Rhoades, NBC News, 3 Jan. 2024

Miranda Mullett, who grew up in Wide Ruins in a hogan built by her grandfather, initially embarked on her own effort to provide firewood to tribal members after visiting her ancestral home in December and learning of their plight. —Alex Rhoades, NBC News, 3 Jan. 2024

The first design was a celebration of multiple architectural styles, from the Navajo’s hogans to the Great Plains tribes’ tipis. —Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 June 2023

Word History

Etymology

Navajo hooghan

First Known Use

1871, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

hogan

noun

ho·​gan ˈhō-ˌgän 

: a Navajo dwelling usually made of logs and mud with a door traditionally facing east