What were Navajo homes made out of in winter?

Traditional Navajo homes are called hogans. In the Navajo language it is spelled hooghan. They are made of log structure covered with earth. The roof is a corbeled arch. They always face east. Traditionally, they had a smoke hole and the doorway but no Windows. Sometimes they were completely covered with earth other times just the roof was. Sometimes stones were used in construction as well. They had earthen floors. Some Navajo still have hogans today for a home, for a guest house or outbuilding or for ceremonial purposes. There are over 300,000 Navajo tribal members so people live in many different ways. Sometimes they are built of more modern construction materials. They are round, 6, or 8 sided. These are refered to as female hogans. Most things in the Navajo world come in male and female versions (rivers, mountains, rain). The male hogans are seldom seen today.

Hogan were and are used year round. They are warm in the high altitude winter and cool in the hot summer. In some places for summer time, especially at summer pasture areas for the sheep people lived in summer shade shelters. These are a framework logs with cut branches with leaves or needles laid across for shade.