Johnston] 



NAVAHO POPULATION 65 



tion was not realized until after World War II. Meanwhile the basic 

 policy of the Bureau of Indian Affairs toward Indians underwent a 

 new change in emphasis. With the Collier administration and the 

 Indian Reorganization Act (Act of June 18, 1934; 48 Stat. 984) came 

 a number of programs aimed at resuscitating the several Indian tribal 

 organizations. The ultimate aim of the Collier administration policies 

 was still, in one sense, the absorption of the Indian into the main- 

 stream of American life. However, this policy recognized, first, that 

 each tribe ofi'ered a unique set of problems to be solved before assimi- 

 lation could be successful and, second, that efforts to push assimilation 

 by allowing the traditional Indian society to deteriorate were very 

 costly, since they were inevitably accompanied by a high incidence 

 of personal disorganization — the problem of the "marginal man." 

 Therefore, the Collier policy sought to encourage assimilation where 

 conditions warranted, while at the same time developing existing tribal 

 organizations as a means for restoring viable economies within the 

 several reservations. In actual practice, this policy tended to grant 

 priority to restorative efforts, allowing assimilation to be delayed. 

 (Haas, 1957.) 



Since the end of the Second World War, the general policy under- 

 lying the administration of Indian affairs has undergone a further 

 change. Once again, assimilation is being pushed.^ This latest change 

 is again no more than a shift in emphasis, but it is highly significant 

 for the future of tribal organization. Under the provisions of the 

 termination program, in effect since 1953, all Federal controls over 

 the administration of Indian affairs are to be withdrawn as rapidly 

 as practicable.® Unlike the allotment system, which withdrew the 

 individual from supervision by removing him from the reservation, 

 the termination program seeks to withdraw Federal supervision from 

 an entire tribe at one time.'^ Such action places the entire administra- 

 tive burden upon whatever tribal organization exists in the given case. 



Granting that assimilation is ultimately inevitable and even desir- 

 able, there remains the question of the degree of preparation neces- 

 sary to minimize the human and administrative costs of the assimila- 

 tion process. Premature withdrawal of Federal supei'vision in any 

 given case would merely result in severe social and personal dis- 



^ For a summary of the issues underlying this shift in policy, see Dobyns, 1948; cf. 

 Zimmerman, 1957. 



' The termination program was announced in the 83d Congress, 1st session. House 

 Concurrent Resolution No. 108, 195;:!. For a favorable interpretation, see Watkins, 1957 ; 

 for a critical appraisal, see Zimmerman, 1957, pp. 38 ff., and La Farge, 1957. 



' Oliver La Farge, 1957, p. 44. The legislation of the termination program stresses the 

 desirability of initiating termination only at the request of the tribes concerned. How- 

 ever, it does not limit Itself to merely awaiting such requests, but envisions the possi- 

 bility, in some cases, of having to initiate withdrawal proceedings through special legis- 

 lation without formal request by the tribe concerned. See Watltins, 1957, pp. 54 f. 



