COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT TARGET AREA

The Shonto Chapter House was built in 1959 in the Shonto Canyon across from the Shonto Trading Post, off of BIA 221, five miles east of US Highway 98. The Shonto Trading Post and nearby Black Mesa Shopping Center, the only two retail businesses in or near Shonto, provide a limited amount of commodities for customers and local residents. The main shopping areas are at least 45 miles away, with most services requiring a 200 mile round trip.

The northern boundary extends to the Colorado River in Utah. The southern boundary is with the Hopi Nation and Black Mesa. A portion of this southern land was transmitted by federal order in 1974 to the Hopi Nation as Hopi Partitioned Land and another portion remains with Shonto Chapter as Navajo Partitioned Land. The Black Mesa and Kayenta Mines opened in the early 1970s.

US 160 is the major East-West thoroughfare, traversing the south section of Shonto Community. SR 98 goes northwest from the junction with US 160 for 65 miles to the border town of Page, Arizona and the Lake Powell Recreation Area. It is the main highway connecting four chapters, with intersections at BIA roads that access the vast District 1 and District 2 area. Shonto is one of three chapters in District 2 and one of 18 Chapters in the Western Agency.

The Navajo Nation was established by treaty as a sovereign nation in 1868. In 1923, the federal government appointed a tribal chairman to sign oil and gas leases. After the Stock Reduction of the 1930s, the BIA implemented grazing permits and a land use system which have become serious impediments to economic development on “trust” lands. In the mid-1900s, the federal government began setting up chapters as local administrative entities, contact points with the BIA, and places for handing out commodity food, clothing, public employment, and assistance.

Today, the Navajo Nation government has Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches. The Nation is divided into 110 Chapters, analogous to counties, which are organized into five Agencies, analogous to states. Kayenta Township is the only incorporated community in the Navajo Nation. Clusters of housing and businesses have grown up around schools, hospitals, government offices, and chapter houses. The Chapters can achieve a degree of autonomy through the Local Governance Act (LGA) certification process established in 1998 by the Tribal Council.

REGIONAL IMPACT

Shonto’s economic development progress will have a regional impact as we collaborate with the Chapters in District 1 and 2; other Chapters throughout the northern part of the Western Agency; Hopi Villages; agencies that operate within the region; and the towns along our border. If we see the region as a whole and establish a forum for communication among each other, a dedication emerges

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Following LGA certification in April 1999, the community initiated a series of planning and feasibility studies laying the groundwork for project development. Each process reinforced local empowerment.

Shonto residents established a Community-Based Land Use Plan (CLUP) in six public meetings held between 18 January 2000 and 29 July 2003, with an average of 21 individuals present at each meeting. Surveys were conducted and information presented at a range of focus group meetings. The community approved the plan on 23 November 2004 and it was accepted by the Tribal Council’s Transportation and Community Development Committee in March 2005.

COMMUNITY VISION

Community members articulated the following Vision of the Shonto Community:
“ The Shonto Community will be self-sufficient with a strong local government; a place where farming and grazing activities are in balance with residential needs, and where the traditional Navajo way of life is balanced with modern opportunities. The Community will have housing, employment, and recreational opportunities, which will allow members to stay in the community and maintain strong family ties.”

COMMUNITY GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

The Community Goal is:
“ to implement a pro-active scenario informed by local governance and control of resources for sustained community well-being”
The Objectives are organized under six focus areas:

a. Physical Place
b. Economic System
c. Environmental System
d. Society
e. Local Government
f. Symbols