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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.
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