Adams] SHONTO : ROLE OF NAVAHO TRADER 3 



Reservation. Our family home at that time, as during much of my 

 boyhood, was at Window Rock (see map 1). As a result, I had 

 sufficient first-hand acquaintance to be thoroughly fascinated with the 

 more obvious features of Navaho life and culture. I had also a fair 

 personal Imowledge of the Navaho Reservation, although I had never 

 before had the opportimity of visiting its far northwestern reaches. 

 My brother and I spent the summer of 1948 in mailing up for that 

 deficiency by exploring the regions from Monument Valley to Rain- 

 bow Bridge as much as we were able, in the course of which we visited 

 Shonto on several occasions. I still recall being impressed particu- 

 larly with the old-fashioned and primitive flavor of the trading post, 

 by comparison with those I knew, and also by the high prices. 



During the 3 years which followed, I pursued graduate studies in 

 anthropology at the University of California, and during each of the 

 three summers I returned to Shonto at one time or another to renew 

 and extend my acquaintance with the community. In 1949 I was 

 engaged in archeological excavations in the Flagstaff area, but found 

 time to visit Shonto late in the summer. In 1950, having conceived an 

 interest in post-war changes in the Navaho economy (cf . "The Outside 

 World," pp. 49-51), I accepted complementary grants from the Uni- 

 versity of California and from the Placement Division of the Bureau 

 of Indian Affairs (Window Rock) to make a study of the effects of 

 wage work on Navaho society. I chose District 8 (Kayenta-Oljeto- 

 Dennehotso-Chilchinbito) as my "sample." In 1951, I was engaged 

 in an extensive archeological reconnaissance of the lower San Juan 

 drainage, in the course of which I made frequent use of Navaho infor- 

 mation and assistance. All these summer activities contributed di- 

 rectly or indirectly to my knowledge of Shonto community and its 

 native life, although I had at the time no thought of ever making any 

 use of such knowledge. 



ASSOCIATION WITH SHONTO TRADING POST 



During my travels through and around the northwestern Navaho 

 country, I had naturally made the acquaintance of a number of traders, 

 including the owner of Shonto Trading Post. In the fall of 1951, 

 I was approached by the Shonto trader with the offer of a posi- 

 tion which I found myself unable to resist. The trader was at that 

 time preparing for the annual lamb drive to the railroad (cf. "Com- 

 modity Exchange," pp. 172-175), and because of extreme drought 

 conditions he had determined to abandon his accustomed route to 

 Farmington and instead to drive via Black Mesa and Leupp to a 

 shipping point on the Santa Fe near Winslow. Being himself un- 

 familiar with the territory, he asked me to take charge and direct 

 the drive in the field, a matter of overseeing a handful of Navaho 

 herders and some 2,800 head of lambs for 6 weeks. Suppressing the 



