Narbona
This article is about the Navajo chief. For the French commune and town, please see Narbonne
Narbona (1766–August 31, 1849) was a Navajo chief. He was killed in a confrontation with U.S. soldiers on August 31, 1849.
Narbona was one of the wealthiest Navajo of his time due to the amount of sheep and horses his outfit, or extended family group, owned. He was not a "chief" of all of the Navajo, the independent minded Navajo having no central authority, but he was very influential due to his status in the tribe, gained from both his wealth, high personal reputation and age at the time he negotiated with the Americans.
Narbona had become one of the most prominent leaders in the aftermath of the massacre of 24 Navajo leaders in March 1822 at Jemez Pueblo who had been travelling under flag of truce to a peace conference with the new Mexican government. In February 1829 he lead the Navajo in battle against a Mexican expedition into the Chuska Mountains led by Captain Blas de Hinojos and defeated it utterly. The site of the battle, Copper Pass (Beesh Lichii'I Bigiizh), is now known as Narbona Pass.
In 1849, Narbona had ridden with several hundred of his warriors to meet with a delegation of led by Col. John M. Washington to discuss terms for peace between the Navajo and the "New Men", Americans who had driven the Mexicans from what is now the Southwestern United States. The US party was composed of both U. S. Regulars and local New Mexican auxiliaries.
After several misunderstandings, translators managed to work out an acceptable list of terms for peace between the two parties. As the peace council broke up, Sadoval, a young Navajo warrior of some distinction, began riding his horse to and fro, exhorting the 200–300 Navajo warriors in attendance to break the new treaty immediately, starting with the massacre of Col. Washington's command. At this point, a New Mexican officer claimed that he noticed a horse that belonged to him being ridden by one of the Navajo warriors. Navajos were great raiders of livestock, so it is entirely possible that this horse did indeed belong to the Americans. Washington, put in the position of backing one of his troopers, demanded that the horse be immediately turned over. The Navajo refused, and the horse and its rider departed.
Washington commanded his troops to unlimber their cannon and prepare to fire if the Navajo refused to return the, now absent, property the Americans were claiming was stolen. The Navajo again denied his request, and the cannon as well as some rifles were fired.
Narbona was mortally wounded in the fusillade. As a final indignity, according to eyewitnesses, he was also scalped by one of the New Mexico militiamen. He was buried by his sons in the traditional Navajo fashion, bound in a "death knotted" blanket and cast into a crevice. Two of his finest horses were slaughtered to ensure he would not walk to the afterlife.
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