Adams] SHONTO: ROLE OF NAVAHO TRADER 87 



All girls continue to undergo the traditional Navaho ritual at pu- 

 berty (see Eeichard, 1928, pp. 135-139; Leighton and Kluckhohn, 

 1948, pp. 76-77; Bailey, 1950, pp. 7-8). If first menses occur while 

 they are away at school, as is frequently the case nowadays, the cere- 

 mony is likely to be performed immediately upon their return the 

 following summer. 



LATER ADOLESCENCE 



A generation ago there was no such thing as an identifiable period 

 of adolescence in the life of Shonto Navahos; today, it is a distinct 

 though unrecognized status, particularly for males. Changing eco- 

 nomic patterns have left a kind of socioeconomic vacuum in the period 

 of the late teens, after a man has completed school and achieved 

 Navaho adulthood, but before he has any effective earning power. 

 The Santa Fe Kailway, which formerly recruited track labor at age 18, 

 has recently raised the minimum age requirement to 21, and virtually 

 no other employment opportunities exist within the community. 

 Since the recognized socioeconomic status of younger men is as wage 

 earners (see "Economic Structure and Function," pp. 97-109), the 

 teen agers are left out of the picture entirely. They have little or 

 nothing to do, and usually lack economic resources to marry (see 

 below). 



Casual visitors are nearly always struck by the number of teenage 

 boys who are to be found sitting or standing around in and near the 

 trading post. Lacking any definite social role, they occupy themselves 

 as best they can with such diversions as they can find. It is not 

 surprising that excessive use of intoxicants, often accompanied by 

 disorderly and violent behavior, is more common in this age group 

 than in all other age brackets combined. Many Shonto Navahos have 

 expressed concern over the growing adolescent problem in recent years, 

 and requests for information about jobs for teenagers are frequent. 

 Irresponsible and especially irreverent adolescent behavior, such as 

 drinking at sings, are frequently disparaged by the Shonto "nat'ani." 



MILITABY SERVICE 



Shonto is theoretically under the jurisdiction of the selective service 

 board in Flagstaff. In practice, however, the board takes no interest 

 in the community, and Shonto men simply do not register for the draft 

 unless they happen to become eligible while away in school and work- 

 ing on the railroad. In 1955 nearly one-third of the men in the com- 

 munity were theoretically subject to registration, and no less than 

 37 were actually eligible for induction (18-26), but only five of these 

 were registered. Two men were in the Armed Forces at the time, and 

 four had served previously. 



