The Navajo Yearbook. Bureau of Indian Affairs (Dept
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DOCUMENT R ESUMR ED 024 486 RC 002 680 By- YourG, Robert W., Comp. The Navajo Yearbook. Bureau of Indian Affairs (Dept. of Inierior), Washington, D.C.; Nave lo Tribe Public Relations and Information Dept., Window Rock, Ariz. Pub Date 61 Note- 618p. EDRS Price MF-$2.25 HC-$31.00 Descriptors-*American Indians.*Economic Development. *Education, Educationally Disadvantaged, English (Second Language) *Federal Legislation, *Health, Industrialization, Land Use, Law Enforcement, Navaho, Religion, Relocation, Residential Schools, School Environment, Welfare Identifiers- Hopis, *Navajos The Navajo Yearbook began as an annual rejoort to relate progress in carrying out provisions of the Navajo-Hopi Long Range Rehabilitation Act (P.L. 474 81st Congress), but the scope has been expanded to include all programs conducted on the reservation. This volume, the eighth in the series, is designed to reflect changing problems, changing programs, and overall progress toward realization of the obiectives of the Act, and provides specific information with reference to the period 1959-61. Categories include those programs aimed primarily at solving economic and social problems of education, health, and welfare, and facilitating programs such as road construction. The purpose of the yearbook is to meet the need for information in consolidated form for program coordination. (JH) Air RECEIVE0 SEP231968 RBO K E. R .1.C. a manillas.- - _ `ilto*"°111 a .111 , Report No. viii 1951-1961 A DECADE OF PROGRESS Dedicated to the ALmory of WILLARD W. BEATTY Born. September 17, 1S91, died September29, 1961; Philosopher, Educator, Staunch Friend of theNavajo and of Indian. people everywhere. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR STEWART L. UDALL, Secretary BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS PHILLEO NASH, Commissioner GALLUP AREA OFFICE W. WADE HEAD Area Director NAVAJO AGENCY GLENN R. LANDBLOOM, Gen'/ Supt. 1961 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION & WELFARE OFFICE OF EDUCATION THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN REPRODUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGINATING IT.POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDUCATION POSITION OR POLICY. THE NAVAJO YEARBOOK Compiled, with Articles By Robert W. Young Assistant to the Genercd Superintendent Navajo Agency Window Rock, Arizona if 1961 111 Preface The Navajo Country constitutes the largest Indian Reserva- tion in the United States, encompassing about 24,000 square miles of rugged, semi-arid territory in the states of Arizona. Niw Mexico and Utah. The area is thus about the size of the state of West Virginia (24,181 square miles), and although the number of inhabitants is far below the population of even the smallest state, the Navajo represent the largest Indian Tribe in the nation. Further, and despite a complex of social and economic problems engendered by the Reservation environment, the Tribe is one of the most rapidly increasing segments of the American popu- lation. For nearly a century the Federal Government, and in more recent years the State and the Tribal Governments, have con- cerned themselves to varying degrees and in a variety of man- ners, with the solution of Navajo problems. Many programs have been, and continue to be, conducted by these several agencies for the fundamental purpose of assisting members of the Tribe to make successful adaptations to changing conditions of life.Pro- grams include those categories aimed primarily at the solution of social problems (education; health and welfare); those con- cerned principally with economic problems (irrigation construc- tion, soil and moisture conservation, realty and other resources development activities, as well as job placement, industrialization, and relocation); and facilitating programs of various types, in- cluding road construction. Thu several branches of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U. S. Public Health Service, the State Employment Services, the State Departments of Public Instruction and of Public Welfare, and agencies of the Tribal Government itself, are individually occupied with the conduct of their several specialized facets of the total Reservation program. The sum total of these specialized facets constitute the effort in its entirety, and although each of them from a functional viewpoint, may be regarded as an independent entity, their essential interdependence and community of pur- pose become apparent upon careful consideration.Thus, al- though there are superficial distinctions, there is no sharp line of demarcation between the several aspects of the Navajo school program, whether operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the states or the missions; neither is there a total separation of interest and effect between health and education programs, nor between these and resources or other economic development pro- grams. Basically, all are aspects of a joint effort to improve social and economic conditions in the Navajo Country. There is an urgent need that employees and agencies active in the conduct of Reservation programs regard their individual role in the broadest possible sense, and that they acquire suffi- cient historical and cultural background information to permit a full understanding of Navajo problems. Few of these can be understood divorced from their historical and cultural context. The Navajo Yearbook is published and distributed toem- ployees and agencies active in the conduct of Reservationpro- grams in an effort to meet, at least in part, the need for infor- mation in consolidated form and the need forprogram coordina- tion.It is, we believe, valuable to new employeepq.s an aid to orientation, as well as to others as a manual containing ,statistical and descriptive data that are not generally available withoutex- haustive research. Glenn B. Landbloom General Superintendent Navajo Agency v i Foreword The present volume is the eighth ina series which began as an annual report of progress achieved in carrying out thepro- visions of the Navajo-Hopi Long RangeRehabilitation Act (PL 474- 81st Congress). To meet the need for a manual of general information regarding the Navajo,the scope of the report was expanded after 1954 to include allprograms con- ducted on the Reservation, irrespective ofagency, and irrespec- tive of the fact thatmany are not aspects of the Long Range Act. In addition, the problemareas for solution _f which programs are conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the U. S. Public Health Service, the Navajo Tribe and others,were defined and described against the background of historyand Navajo culture. After 1954, the document was given the titleof the Navajo Yearboolr, on the premise that it would berevised annually. However, and despite the fact that the title isretained, it has not been possible to publish it eachyear as an annual report of progress. The present edition provides specificinformation with ref- erence to the period 1959-61, thus bringing up to date the report published in fiscal year 1958 (Report No. VIII).However, the Long Range Act provided, under Section 2,that the authorized program "be prosecuted in a manner which will provide forcom- pletion of the program,so far as practicable, within ten years from the date of enactment" (April 19, 1950).The decade in reference came to an end in 1960, and thepresent Yearbook report is therefor designed to reflect changingproblems, changing programs, and over-all progress achievedacross the 10-year period toward realization of the objectives ofthe Act. The author has made an exhaustive review ofavailable files and other sources of information to expand thehistorical introductions to the several subject fields included in thepresent report, as well as to trace program progress, changes in emphasis and direction, policy modifications and other factors thatacross the decade, have had a bearingon the course of the Navajo-Hopi Rehabilitation Program initiated in 1950. The sectionon Realty has been broadened in scope to includean essay on the growth of the Navajo Reservation; the sectionon Tribal Government has been expanded to meet increased interest in theorigin and history of this institution on the part of Navajo school-children and others; the section on the Navajo language hasbeen im- proved as a result of increasedconcern, on the part of Reserva- tion school teachers, with analysis of the problemsinherent in the teaching of English asa foreign language to Navajo beginners; vii and pertinent information has been added in conjunction with other sections. Many individuals, agencies of the State and Federal Gov- ernments, companies operating on the Reservation, traders, mis- sionaries and others have contributed their time and efforts to the assembly of data necessary to the compilation of the Year- book report.It would be virtually impossible to list each and every one of them by name. However, the author owes a large debt of gratitude to the late Clyde Kluckholm, an eminent author- ity in the field of Navajo ethnology, for his generosity in providing published material, his encouragement and his constructive criti- cism of rranuscript matter; likewise to the late Richard Van Valkenburgh for help of a similar type. Fathers Burcard Fischer and Elmer Von Hagel of St. Michaels Franciscan Monastery, Fr. Davis Given of the Good Shepherd Episcopal Mission, and Dr. Joseph A. Ponce 11 were helpful in reviewing the sketch of Navajo religion; Mr. J. J. Prendergast of Redlands, California, generously entrusted family heirlooms to the author in order that historical information could be copied; Carl Chelf, a student of Navajo