56 BUREAU OF AMERICAN ETHNOLOGY [BuU. 188 



Tabuj 4. — Family extensions within Shonto households 



Extension 



Number of 

 households 



Maternal grandchild adopted 



Paternal grandchild adopted , 



Other related child or children adopted. 

 Elderly female relative incorporated 



Total 



21 



Table 5. — Functional analysis of Shonto households 



Household composition 



Number of 

 households 



1 adult male, 2 adult females plus children 



1 adult male, 1 adult female plus children 



1 adult male, 1 adult female without children. 

 1 adult male plus children 



1 adult male without children 



2 adult females plus children 



1 adult female plus children 



Total 



100 



Table 5 reveals definite functional consistencies in Shonto house- 

 holds. Seventy-five percent of households correspond to the nuclear 

 norm, singular or plural. Twelve households lack adult male mem- 

 bers, 2 lack adult females, and 12 lack children. 



Of the 12 households lacking adult male members, 4 involve split 

 nuclear families, the husband being permanently employed outside 

 the conamunity and returning only for short periods each year. In 

 any given year from 30 to 50 additional households may be in the 

 same category for brief periods, while the men are away working on 

 the railroad (see "Railroad Work," pp. 129-133). All such families 

 are dependent upon economic support from the absent male, who is 

 therefore functionally a member of the household. Among the 8 re- 

 maining households which lack an adult male member at any time, 6 

 are dependent upon State welfare assistance, as are also the 2 house- 

 holds lacking adult females. All but one of the adult women involved 

 are over 50 — presumably too old to remarry. 



The nine households having two adult female members include 

 seven plural marriages and two cases where an elderly relative, the 

 last survivor of a former household, lias been adopted. One such case 

 involves the husband's paternal aunt; the other the wife's paternal 

 great-aunt. These are the only cases of adult extensions in Shonto 

 households. 



In the two households lacking adult females, both men are com- 

 monly suspected of witchcraft. One of them lives in total isolation, 

 constituting a household, and also a residence group unto himself. 

 Both are supported by Old Age Assistance from the State welfare 

 department. 



