Addition To The Western Navajo Indian Reservation

Considers (71) S. 3782.

Considers (71) S. 3782.

A comprehensive addition to the history of the Navajos and the New Deal.

These transcriptions were taken from National Archival film M-595, Roll 644, Indian Census Rolls 1933 (Navajo, Hopi and Paiute Indians), with Birth and Death Rolls, 1925-1933. The book begins with an explanation of how to read the census and use the key at the top of each page. The original 1933 census data was arranged in columns with categories at the top of each column; however, in this transcription semicolons are used instead of columns to save space. The 1933 census provides the following information on each individual: census number, surname, given name, sex, year of birth, age at last birthday, tribe, degree of blood (F=full, 1⁄2=half), marital status, relationship to head of family, whether at jurisdiction where enrolled (yes/no), whether a ward, and allotment annuity and/or identification number. The census starts with the Navajo, the largest of the three tribes, then the Hopi, and lastly the Paiute. All persons enumerated in the census are numbered consecutively, despite the change in tribal affiliation. Readers should check the table of contents for each census division or location. Each tribal census is in alphabetical order but in a few instances a name has been inserted that disrupts the sequence, necessitating a limited index at the back of the book.The birth records transcribed for this book were originally published by the author in a separate 1996 publication. Their inclusion here completes the transcription of M-595, Roll 644 and affords researchers the opportunity to examine its contents in one place. The birth records cover many of the same criteria as the census.In all cases the author has been careful to copy the names and dates exactly as indicated on these microfilm records. He hopes that these pages will be of value to individuals seeking their Navaho, Hopi, or Paiute heritage.

Discusses the alarming reduction in the speaking of the Navajo language on the reservation, mapping out some of the intricacies of relations between the English and Navajo languages and the teaching of them, explaining why and how Navajos are having difficulty maintaining their native language, and making suggestions as to what can be done about this.