Johnston] NAVAHO POPULATION 29 



rational explanations of the necessity of the program were nullified 

 by growing hostility. As a result of this failure in "public relations," 

 many Navahos acquired a resentment of the "Government" which has 

 lasted to the present day. Although the main objectives of the pro- 

 gram were attained, it was accompanied by much passive resistance 

 and general apathy, in place of the earnest cooperation which had 

 been hoped for. 



The efforts at soil conservation and general land rehabilitation were 

 more rewarding. Many Navahos found work with the Civilian Con- 

 servation Corps, Public Works Administration, and similar agencies, 

 and were employed in the construction of roads and water facilities 

 throughout the reservation. One of the significant results of these 

 activities was the establishment of new skills and attitudes among the 

 Navaho, many of whom experienced their first contact with machinery, 

 money wages, and the attendant opportunities and responsibilities. 

 It should be noted in this connection that the majority of Navahos who 

 participated in these projects were younger males who reacted with 

 characteristic eagerness to the challenge offered by these programs 

 and ideas. On the other hand, the chief "victims" of the stock reduction 

 program were for the most part older and more conservative in their 

 outlook.^- 



The organization of the Tribal Council into a truly responsible and 

 representative body, finally, was accompanied by considerable delay, 

 owing partly to the rejection by the tribe of the provisions of the 

 Indian Keorganization Act of 1934. Nevertheless, repeated attempts 

 at reorganizing the previous council were ultimately successful, and 

 the "Kules for the Navajo Tribal Council" were promulgated in 1938. 

 These rules set the stage for the eventual development of the council 

 into an autonomous governing body. With formation of the new 

 Tribal Council, the three major objectives of the Collier Administra- 

 tion were attained, although the ultimate success of the related pro- 

 grams remained to be determined. 



The impact of the Second World War upon the Navaho cannot as 

 yet be fully assessed, but it is evident that the war greatly accelerated 

 the bridging of the gap between Navaho culture and that of the general 

 American society. About 3,600 Navahos served in the Armed Forces 

 during the war, out of a total Navaho population of about 50,000. 

 Many others participated in war industry, and still more responded to 

 the heightened opportunities for off -reservation agricultural employ- 

 ment.^^ For many of these people, the war provided their first exten- 



"2 It should be added, however, that the impact of the stock reduction program was 

 particularly severe among the small stockholders in the Navajo Extension Area. 



53Kluckhohn and Leighton (1951, p. 75) estimated that about 20,000 Navahos left the 

 reservation for various types of wartime employment, including military service, during 

 the war. 



