Traders on the Navajo Reservation. A Report on the Economic Bondage of the Navajo People.

Conducted in 1969 by 8 Navajo students, this study investigates the Anglo trader in terms of his socioeconomic influence on the American Indians of the Navajo Reservation. Limited to 30 randomly selected trading posts located in the central and eastern portions of the Navajo Reservation, this study reflects findings derived from personal observations, personal interviews, and historical research. Emphasizing the trader's economic control over the Navajo people, this report deals with the following areas of concern: (1) History (cites treaties, laws, and sanctions governing the trader-Indian relationship); (2) Role of the Trader in Navajo Society (banker, creditor, pawnbroker, special claims agent for the Railroad Retirement Board, and interpreter of both mail and phone communications); (3) Attitude of the Trader Toward Navajo Clientele (mental and physical abuse, paternalism, economic exploitation); (4) Effect of the Multiple Roles of the Traders (control over Navajo money, employment, and communication); (5) Sanitation and Safety (cites poor conditions in the older trading posts); and (6) Price Survey (compares trader's prices with wholesale prices). The report concludes that control of the trader is the responsibility of the Secretary of the Interior, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. (JC)