HISTORY OF SHÁÁ’TÓHI COMMUNITY

Shonto means "Sunshine Springs" or Sháá’tóhí in Navajo. Permanent springs in the area attracted early farmers and sheep herders. Shonto, Naatsis’áán (Navajo Mountain), Rainbow Bridge, and the surrounding area of rugged canyons and mountains are well-know as the stronghold for Navajo clan leaders, families, and refugees and who did not surrender to the U.S. government nor go on the infamous Long Walk (1863-1868). This historic fact continues to define the independent, some say “stubborn,” character of our people.

Shonto is located in the northwestern portion of the Navajo Nation. Present-day Shonto Chapter was added to the Nation in several sections between 1882 and 1965. Shonto was recognized as a community around 1900. It became a chapter of the Navajo Nation in 1958. Shonto extends across two states (Arizona and Utah) and three counties (Coconino and Navajo Counties in Arizona and San Juan County in Utah). Of the primary roads crossing Shonto’s 424,969 acres, 90 percent are unimproved dirt. In April 2006, the BIA agreed to pave the roads identified for a tourism loop through District 2, including the road to Navajo National Monument.

According to the 2000 Census, Shonto has a population of 2,722 citizens, with a potential labor force of 830. Three businesses and four government agencies employ 160 individuals, many of them non-Navajos working for government agencies, or individuals living elsewhere who drive in each day. Shonto’s resident Navajo population has a 69 percent unemployment rate. Shonto has a very young population, with 25 percent under the age of 21 years. Shonto’s population is predicted to grow by 34 percent over the next 20 years.

The majority of household incomes earned by community members are derived from employment outside of Shonto. Most residents are farmers and ranchers who tend to livestock on a daily basis. However, many middle-aged people currently working outside the community plan to move back home upon retirement.

SUMMARY OF NAVAJO NATION

The Navajo Nation is the largest Native nation in the U.S. It encompasses over 27,000 square miles in Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, an area greater than Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, combined. From the 1868 treaty boundary, a small rectangle of traditional tribal lands, the Navajo Nation continues to expand through trades, allotments, and purchases. The Navajo Tribe is the largest ranch owner in the US.

The 2000 US census recorded 298,215 Navajos, of whom an estimated 265,000 are enrolled tribal members, and of which 173,987 live within Navajo lands. To be an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, a person must be at least one-quarter Navajo. The clan system identifies each individual based on matrilineal descent and determines our relationships and responsibilities to each other.

The unemployment rate within the Navajo Nation is 43.65 percent; per capita income is $6,217. Although official economic statistics paint a dismal picture, in fact the Diné engage in a vibrant informal economy estimated to generate over $45 million per year (Navajo Division of Economic Development, 2001-2002 Report). This informal economy presents a mixture of advanced capitalism and a traditional kinship economy. The informal modes of production both strengthen capitalist penetration and offer people tools of resistance to that penetration. Shonto’s economic development mission is to build upon individual ingenuity, family involvement, and community patronage for local entrepreneurs.