Where does “Dinétah” come from?
Dinétah (Navajo) comes from Navajo Diné, from Navajo di-, from Navajo -CHIIʼ, from Proto-Athabaskan čig — to be red ochre.
Ancestry of “Dinétah”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Navajo | Diné | Alternative form of diné; Navajo |
| 2 | Navajo | di- | fire, near or into it; Young and Morgan identify... |
| 3 | Navajo | -CHIIʼ | red; {| style="margin-bottom:.1em;... |
| 4 | Proto-Athabaskan | čig | to be red ochre |