Adams] SHONTO: ROLE OF NAVAHO TRADER 195 



a member of the residence group, and as such may possibly be an 

 extra inducement to come to terms. 



PAWN 



Pawn probably goes back to the beginnings of the Navaho trade 

 (see "Early Trading Posts," pp. 150-154), and was the only basis for 

 credit until well into the present century (cf. Kirk, 1953). As a 

 basis of transaction its antiquity is attested to some extent by the 

 thoroughly haphazard bookkeeping methods employed. Running 

 accounts on pawn are never recorded in conventional salesbooks, but 

 are simply scribbled wherever space allows on the small identification 

 tags attached to the pawned item. 



Pawn is still popularly believed to be one of the cornerstones of 

 the Navaho trade, and the pawn racks with their rows of shining 

 silver and turquoise jewelry and whatnot are seen as a necessary and 

 picturesque feature of every trading post (see, e.g.. Collier and Col- 

 lier, 1953, p. 219). Probably few observers are aware that the con- 

 tinued presence of large quantities of pawn at Shonto Trading Post 

 is due more to the Navahos' desire for a safe deposit facility than 

 to the trader's need for collateral. Under present economic condi- 

 tions much of Shonto's pawn represents superfluous security : the own- 

 ers would be entitled to the same amount of credit whether they 

 pawned or not. Some accounts (e.g., against relief checks) are today 

 considered so completely secured by their recipients' absolute depend- 

 ence on credit that the store has actually refused to be bothered with 

 pawn against them when it was offered.^^ 



The importance of pawn in the modern Navaho trade has dimin- 

 ished to such an extent that today it covers only about one-third of 

 Shonto's total credit load. At their peak seasons, in April and Sep- 

 tember, accomits receivable on pawn normally total about $5,000 as 

 against $10,000 or more receivable on book accounts (see table 33, 

 p. 196)." 



Notwithstanding their low total value, the actual number of pawn 

 accounts at Shonto Trading Post consistently exceeds the number of 

 book accounts ; sometimes by a margin as high as two to one. Con- 

 sequently average indebtedness on any given piece of pawn is ex- 

 tremely low as compared to average indebtedness on book accounts 

 (see table 33, p. 196. This situation points up the distinct and neces- 



i"* There Is, however, an ulterior motive Involved here which is typically Illustrative 

 of the role of the modern trading post. Assets in jewelry are never reported to the social 

 worker when applying for public assistance. If pawn is accepted from a welfare re- 

 cipient, the trader is afraid that the social worker on one of his periodic visits may happen 

 to spot It in the vault and conclude that the owner is better off than reported, resulting 

 in a reduction in grant and hence, ultimately, in the trading post's income. 



i« In 1940, according to Kluckhohn and Leighton, pawn accounted for just over half 

 the total outstanding trading-post credit on the Navaho Reservation (Kluckhohn and 

 Leighton, 1946, p. 38). 



