Johnston] NAVAHO POPULATION 61 



a growing need was felt for a more permanent representative group 

 which could serve as a "go-between" in interpreting the policy de- 

 cisions of the Bureau of Indian Affairs for the members of the tribe at 

 large. 



In 1923, the discovery of oil and gas resources near Shiprock clearly 

 indicated the necessity to establish some responsible body which could 

 represent the tribe as a whole in negotiations with the outside interests 

 who were certain to seek permission to exploit these resources. Thus 

 the first council was formed in that year. 



The original council was not a truly representative group. Its mem- 

 bers were selected arbitrarily by the officials of the Navajo Agency 

 from among the ranks of the more "cooperative" Navahos. This group 

 functioned solely to interpret policy decisions previously arrived at; 

 it possessed no official power to influence these decisions. Furthermore, 

 when the limited functions of this council became generally apparent, 

 many of its members lost much of the influence they had previously 

 enjoyed in their own communities. 



The artificiality of this first tribal organization is reflected in the 

 regulations initially adopted for the election of delegates to the council. 

 These regulations provided for the appointment of delegates by the 

 Secretary of the Interior to represent any subagency area which failed 

 to elect such a delegate. Furthermore, the refusal of voting rights to 

 women was particularly unfortunate in the Navaho situation, where 

 w^omen often are as active and influential as men in political and eco- 

 nomic affairs.^^ A final obstacle to the development of a truly func- 

 tional government was the division of the reservation into five separate 

 agencies at this time. Not until 1934 were these agencies brought 

 under a central Navaho administration at Window Rock. Before that 

 time, each agency was empowered to pursue its own objectives with 

 considerable autonomy, making for frequent confusion and conflict. 



In 1936, 2 years after the establishment of a single Navajo Agency, 

 the first efforts were made toward the development of a new tribal 

 council. A committee was appointed to compile a list of some 250 

 persons of recognized leadership throughout the reservation. From 

 this list, a total of 70 individuals were to be selected so that each land 

 management district (of which there were 18) would have 1 representa- 

 tive for each 400 persons in the district. A constitutional assembly 

 was then created, consisting of the 70 persons selected from the original 

 list of 250. This assembly then supplanted the original tribal council, 

 which was dissolved.^® 



*' Young, 1955, pp. 113-114. The regulations were amended to permit Navaho men 

 and women both to vote in 1928. 



^ Ibid., p. 115. A basis for the popular recognition of local leadership had been in- 

 stituted with the formation of the chapter system in 1927. These chapters were or- 

 ganized in a number of communities to encourage efforts at local self-government among 

 the Navahos. 



