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Show THE NAVAJO AS A NATION 165 Young Navajos learned about hourly work and wages, and about the skills the work required. Wage work became a more and more important source of income for the Navajos. Such projects brought more than two million dollars to the reservation each year. Because of these programs, the Navajo economy did begin to grow. The trader was still a key part of the local economy, especially in the more remote parts of the reservation. But he no longer ran the economy of whole communities. At the same time, as paved roads were built, more tourists began to come to Navajoland. The market for Navajo blankets and jewelry quickly grew. As demand went up, so did the prices the Navajo craftsmen could ask. Weavers and jewelers began to get better pay for the time they spent on their art. Another new source of income came from the half-million acres of forest in Navajoland, which can produce fifty million board-feet of lumber each year. When the tribe began to cut the timber, more jobs were created. Tourists also meant more jobs, since they brought money to motels, restaurants, and gas stations that hired Navajos. Soon most young Navajo men began working for wages. For many years, though, the change to this new way of earning a living caused problems for the young Navajos. Working away from home could be miserable. Ruth Underhill explains: The Navajo might know some English, but he had not learned the general aggressiveness with which a white man pushes himself ahead in the world. Nor did he dream that, in order to make friends, he must "sell" himself. Used to the protecting presence of clan, family, and Navajo schoolmates, he simply waited for the group to carry him along. The group did not. Thus survival often required a new way of life. Many Navajo workers made the change. For a while, World War II provided as many jobs as the Navajos could use. When the war ended, though, many Navajos found themselves out of work. One answer was to start Navajo businesses. If Navajos could set up shop, other Navajos could have jobs as well as services. Besides, at such jobs, their children could work with friends near home. No Navajo youth would have to face the strangeness of a job in a white city. |