Adams] SHONTO: ROLE OF NAVAHO TRADER 261 



described in "Ketail Trade," pp. 184-214. The railroad has a similar 

 power as regards those who work for it. 



Of all contact institutions within Shonto community, only the 

 missionary had no effective sanctions of any kind; his operation, 

 like that of all missionaries in recent years, was hedged with restric- 

 tions drawn up by the Navaho tribe. Nevertheless, on one occasion in 

 1955 a young Shonto man said to the missionary, "They told you 

 down at Window Kock you're not supposed to do anything against 

 the old Navaho ways — just preach your ways. Then how come you're 

 going around telling everybody they're going to hell ? " Apparently, 

 the missionary too felt the need of coercive sanctions. 



The last entries in chart L are those which affect the capacity of 

 a contact institution to communicate cross-culturally, regardless of 

 its opportunities to do so. The first of these factors, "Character of 

 Relations," largely determines the range of subjects which may ap- 

 propriately be discussed in any verbal contact between Navaho and 

 White. In their "Folk-Urban Continuum," Redfield and his followers 

 have recognized personal relations as one of the features of folk 

 society as contrasted to primarily instrumental interpersonal rela- 

 tions in urban society (see, e.g., Redfield, 1947; Miner, 1952). Where 

 relations are personal there may be conversation on virtually any 

 subject; instrumental relations on the other hand are instrumental 

 to a common interest or end and limited accordingly. 



It has already been observed that in spite of their special ordina- 

 tion as contacts with Navaho society, the character of all Bureau of 

 Indian Affairs agencies among the Navaho remains essentially urban 

 (see "Intracultural Orientations," pp. 248-253), like Government 

 agencies everywhere. In keeping with this quality, the character of 

 interpersonal relations between Navahos and Government installa- 

 tions is strictly instrumental. A Shonto Navaho is likely to contact 

 the schoolteachers only to discuss immediate educational problems; 

 the hospital only in connection with health, and so on. 



The interpersonal relations maintained by missionaries in different 

 parts of the Navaho Reservation probably vary to a large extent 

 according to the individual personalities involved. Insofar as they 

 are free from restrictions of fiat and protocol, and also have the 

 ability to move around from hogan to hogan, missionaries are poten- 

 tially in a position to establish strongly personal relations. Shonto's 

 missionary attempted to do so, but was hampered by his ignorance 

 of the Navaho language and of native culture and society. Of all 

 Shonto's contact institutions, only the tribal councilman and the 

 trader have sufficiently personal relations with the Navaho members 

 of the community so that it is possible for the latter to take up any 

 question with them. 



635893—63 18 



