| OCR Text |
Show THE COMING OF THE WHITEMEN 105 problems. If his family were in need, a Navajo knew that the property of his foes was fair game. In spite of what the enemy said, the Navajos were not a warlike people. Most of them lived quietly, raising sheep and horses, growing crops, hunting game, and gathering plants. War would continue, though, until the enemy would also keep the peace and honor the Navajos' right to live their own lives. The only other choice was war, until one side or the other was completely defeated. Unfortunately, that was the choice that the Americans made. In 1848 a new commander in New Mexico gave the Navajos still more reason to fight. He allowed the New Mexicans to attack the Indians openly. When this failed to stop the Navajos, the army entered Navajo country again. After a few minor battles, eight Navajo leaders signed another treaty. Only four of them had signed the Doniphan treaty. Like the leaders who had signed earlier treaties, these men could not speak for all the independent Navajos. Narbona's Death and the Washington Treaty In 1849 a new man came to Santa Fe as superintendent of Indian affairs. That man, James S. Calhoun, tried to solve the Navajo problem. But a lack of men, money, and understanding limited his choices as they had limited those of earlier officials. When the most recent treaty failed, Calhoun joined Colonel John M. Washington, governor of New Mexico, in a new campaign against the Navajos. Washington left Jemez in August 1849. The troops marched west to the Tunicha Valley at the foot of the Chuska Mountains, where the Navajos had planted large cornfields. The soldiers, lacking pasture for their horses, let the animals graze on the crops. Seeing that the troops were a threat, the Navajos quickly came forward to talk. The great leader Narbona, who lived there, led the talks for the People. Washington and Calhoun stated that they had come to punish the Indians for raiding. The Navajo leaders explained that they were unable to control all of their men, but that they would pay for all stolen goods and captives. The Ameri- |
