Navajo-Churro Sheep

The churra sheep breed, a variety noted for its hardiness and multi-colored fleece, was brought by the Spaniards to Mexico in 1540. 50 years later, it had already spread overland to New Mexico. Over four hundred years, this multi-purpose breed, now called the Navajo-Churro sheep, adapted well to the arid plateaus and canyons of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Colorado, living in a desert-like area dotted with sagebrush and a few areas of pine and juniper woodland.
Grazing on the native forage of the Colorado Plateau, the sheep provided lean, healthy “sage-fed” lamb and mutton to Diné (Navajo), Hispanic and Pueblo Indian people. Its carpet-quality wool, perfect for hand spinning and weaving, has been used to produce world-renowned rugs, saddle blankets, coats and vests. The sheep was central not only to their sustenance but to spirituality and religious ceremonies as well.
However the breed has risked extinction two times. The first instance occurred in 1863 when the Navajo were declared enemies of the United States. Kit Carson was sent to subdue them. Before their forced march known as “The Long Walk” his troops burned crops, fruit trees and slaughtered countless sheep. Later, in the 1890’s and again in the 1930s, government stock reduction programs nearly eradicated the breed. Although livestock officials recognized the value of the Churro as the most suitable for the arid conditions of the southwest, they wanted it only for cross-breeding purposes.Other breeds were introduced, whick they believed would produce more meat, but they were less hardy, and had greasy, short-staple fleece. By the 1970’s the number of remaining Navajo Churro was less than four hundreds. Then, in the 1980s, an effort to restore the breed was started. A number of grassroots organizations joined forces to revive the spinning and weaving traditions associated with the Churro, and created a market for its unique products. By 2005, the Navajo-Churro Sheep Association had registered more than 5000 individuals.
Navajo-Churro lambs produced in Navajo country are range-fed, antibiotic-free, and parasite-free. Because the fat of this breed is typically concentrated around the organs rather than being spread throughout the body, even the meat from animals reaching fourteen to sixteen months of age does not suffer from the musky, “muttony” smell that afflicts other breeds. Instead, it retains a light, herbal fragrance and a complex, grassy flavor reflecting the unique terroir. The meat is highly valued by Navajo people, traditional cooks, food connoisseurs and celebrity chefs.