Adamsl SHONTO : ROLE OF NAVAHO TRADER 121 



1956, and is not included in the 1955 income figures. In future years 

 wool incentive payments, based on the previous year's clip, will un- 

 doubtedly become a regular and anticipated feature of Shonto's an- 

 nual income, so long as the present marketing act stays in effect. 



With one or two exceptions, all Shonto families which regularly 

 market as much as one sack (equal to 200 to 250 pounds) of wool are 

 entitled to credit against it at the trading post. Wool credit is nor- 

 mally extended beginning in December, and continuing until the time 

 of sale, when the account is collected. Credit limits are established 

 on the basis of the family's past record of sales and the anticipated 

 market price for the coming year. Consistently, about two-thirds 

 of Shonto's total wool income is drawn in credit prior to the time of 

 wool sales (see table 16). In other words, about $4,000 of the com- 

 munity's total of $6,171 from wool sales in 1955 was simply applied 

 on account. "Surplus" income, over and above that owed on account, 

 is paid out at the trading post at the time of sales. According to 

 standard trading-post policy throughout the region, not more than 50 

 percent of such income is receivable in cash ; the remainder must be 

 taken out in trade. (A general discussion of trading post policies in 

 regard to commodity exchange is included in "Eetail Trade.") In 

 these circumstances families which receive extensive surplus wool 

 income will sometimes establish a due account at the store, which is 

 traded out within one or two months at the most. 



Shonto's annual voliune of wool sales is little affected by fluctuating 

 market prices. Opportunities for home consumption of wool are 

 restricted to weaving, which has an inherently limited potential since 

 it is necessarily a sparetime activity (see "Crafts," p. 124). An in- 

 crease in weaving activity corresponding to low market prices for raw 

 wool (cf. Amsden, 1934, p. 235) has not been observed at Shonto. 

 For the most part, the community's households are forced to dispose 

 of their wool for whatever it will bring. For this reason it is con- 

 sidered an exceptionally suitable basis for credit at the tradmg post. 

 Wool prices in recent years have fluctuated from a high of 80 cents 

 a pound in 1950 to a low of 25 cents in 1956, but there has been no 

 corresponding decline in Shonto's wool production. 



Larrib sales ^ subject to scheduling by the Navaho tribe, usually take 

 place in the last 10 days of September. Lambs to be sold, nearly al- 

 ways bucks, are taken from the flocks and herded or trucked to the 

 store for weighing and transaction. Unlike wool, lambs are likely 

 to be divided among household members prior to the time of sale, and 

 thus sold in the name of individuals rather than of the whole house- 

 hold. Shonto Trading Post buys all lambs, male and female, at a 

 uniform price per pound. The store does not buy mature sheep. 



