Prologue
The Navajo people, also known as the Diné, arrived in the Four Corners area around 1400. They were traditionally hunters and gatherers, until they made contact with the Pueblo tribes of what is now New Mexico. From the Pueblos, they learned how to raise crops, primarily corn and squash. In fact, the word Navajo came from the Spanish interpretation of what the Pueblos called the Diné, which loosely meant "valley farmers".
In the game, we start with three main families, named creatively A, B, and C. Family A starts in the area of Shiprock, New Mexico, as seen below.
Family B starts in the San Juan Valley (also called the San Luis Valley) in southwestern Colorado. Family C starts in Canyon de Chelly. Canyon de Chelly in the game is sort of like the home base for the Navajo people. Historically, this is true. In the game, a family is a representation of a large group of people. In game play, each family can consist of a man, a woman, and a child.
In addition, we start with three elders. Elders give us benefits, which will be discussed as they come into play. The older the elder is, the more powerful they are.
The last thing we start with is our starting culture. These are cards, and you can think of them as techs in other games like Civilization. I randomly chose Sharp Traders. Traditionally, the Navajo were known as very shrewd negotiators. This culture card allows us to potentially increase our trade goods. We'll talk about trade goods when they come up.
As the game begins, we notice that the Spanish have arrived in New Mexico. They are more concerned with the Pueblos than us right now. But that will soon change.