Adams] SHONTO I ROLE OF NAVAHO TRADER 205 



end of what has seemed like a particularly busy day that he has in 

 fact taken in less than a hundred dollars. 



Except under very unusual circumstances Shonto's Navahos do not 

 begin to trade immediately upon entering the store. In most cases 

 there will be a delay of at least 20 minutes. This behavior is in line 

 with Navaho tradition, which prescribes a certain amount of initial 

 indirection in commercial dealings (cf . Hill, 1948) . At the same time 

 it offers the customer an invaluable opportunity to look over the 

 stock and review his or her mental shopping list. 



Shopping begins and ends, for three Shonto residents out of four, 

 with a bottle of soda pop. It is the one item which is almost sure 

 to be purchased immediately upon entering the store, regardless of 

 the season or weather. While it is being consumed the customer is 

 likely to walk around the "bullpen" (customer area — see fig. 3, p. 162) 

 greeting and shaking hands with acquaintances. He will then, in 

 most cases, settle down against a wall or counter for several minutes' 

 silent inspection of the entire stock on display. Such inspection serves 

 as a mnemonic device to remind the customer of the things that he 

 needs, and at the same time allows him to see what new items may 

 have been laid in. 



The decision to begin the day's trading is taken overtly, and is 

 signaled by the customer's abrupt advance to the grocery counter 

 (where the trader normally stations himself) and an immediate open- 

 ing demand, either for credit or for some specific item of merchandise. 

 If a hide has been brought in it is sure to be slapped on the counter 

 with a resounding noise to signal that the customer is ready to trade. 

 Navahos usually, but not always, wait in turn to trade, as 

 required by the trader. While waiting, they stand against the 

 walls or near the stove rather than at the counter. It is an unstated 

 tradition that only the client with whom the trader is actually engaged 

 is entitled to be at the counter; indeed by the time he has finished 

 trading, his purchases are likely to cover the entire counter. 

 The presence of any person at the counter, therefore, is a signal 

 of his readiness and desire to trade. It sometimes happens that a 

 customer decides he has waited long enough and advances to the 

 counter even though the trader is already engaged. In such cases 

 he is likely to call and signal for attention, even in the face of repeated 

 demands from the trader to shut up (see "Trader Behavior," pp. 210- 

 212), until he is obliged. On particular rush days Shonto Trading 

 Post sometimes even looks like a bargain basement, with clamoring 

 customers on all counters. 



Trading always begins with the sale of a hide or hides, if they have 

 been brought in. The trader weighs them up and pays out the requi- 

 site cash, seldom amounting to as much as a dollar; in 9 cases out of 



