Evening star., 1936-08-25
Ndvajos Live According to Oevn Laevs
New u S. Official Plans Picturesque Constabuary Replace
Present Mounted Police.
BY TWONAS f.. HENRY,
Stad Correspondent OF The Star.

in the Nation than that Of E. r.
Fryer, young land management ex-
pert who has just been transferred
from the Department of Agriculture
as superintendent of this vast, exotic
domain with its $4,000 nomadic and
solitary citizens who live under their
own laws and in accordance with
their own ancient customs.
Fryer's job is to fit growing foot
into a shrinking shoe in order that
the Nations most colorful human ele-
ment can continue to live in the ways
of its fathers in the face OF the out
side worlds competition and the
vengeance of Nature for wasting her
largess. 1t is primarily a land-use
problem which he must solve from
his headquarters in the brand-new
capital of Navajoland-this red
sandstone town with its legislative
chamber. Office buildings and resi-
dences, which has arisen in the past
18 months, almost invisible against
the face of the red sandstone cliffs and
overlooking a limitless ocean of ever
green forests.
Has Own Legislature.
BaSically Navajoland Is governed
by its own legislative assembly COM
posed of elected representatives from
each of the 18 chapters" into which
it is divided. This is the most am
bilious move yet toward Indian self
government, but the acts of the
council must have the approval Of
the commissioner of Indian affairs
through the superintendent before
they are valid when they involve con-
facts with the world outside. The
territory is, of course, under Federal
law, but within the wide pattern al
lowed the daily lives of the people
are governed under the ancient tribal
code. The laws are executed by ma
tive mounted policemen. Property
disputes, assaults short Of murder
divorces, etc. are passed upon by
native judges who determine the
relative merits of the cases that come
before them according to standards
which seem strange to the world out
side, and from whose decision there
is no appeal.
Fryer's philosophy Of government Is
that these things are very much the
business of the NavajoS themselves.
The laws may seem archaic and
clumsy from twentieth century stand
OF
There is no way Of saying that they
are better or worse than the laws
which govern the rest of the United
States, and if they are unsatisfactory
it is up to the people, Of Navajoland
themselves to change them. 1t GER
tainly is no job for outsiders who can't
possibl comprehend the complex
eddies of the Navajo psychology.
One change he does propose-the
esta blishment of what will probably
in America. The Navajo Mounted
now consists of 72 stalwart Indians
who patrol the vast territory on
horseback. Many Of them are ex-
cellent officers. They are paid the
princely sum Of $40 month and
must provide their own mounts, clothes
and food. The effect is naturally
quite unsightly. Many of the Navajo
Mounted are former service men who
still wear remnants of their old Army
uniforms.
Disciplined Force Planned.
Fryer now is planning to turn them
into a crack, disciplined force, some
what after the pattern of the Cana
dian Mounted Police. They will be
uniformed in an adaptation of their
extremely picturesque native costume,
with blue velveteen blouses, black
sombreros. silver belts and white
trousers, and they will have fast, stall
wart, well-groomed horses.
1t is no ordinary job to administer
justice in Navajoland. Take, for ex-
ample, the matter Of domestic re-
lations-especially divorce. Husbands
and wives have hair-pulling scraps,
just as they do elsewhere. But, for
the most part, they have been married
according to the picturesque wedding
rites of their native land, in which
bride and Bridegroom fed each other
from two baskets of sacred cornmeal
mush. The wedding never was
recorded in the State courts. Hence
it cannot be dissolved by the State
courts and any white judge who tried
to pass upon the merits of family
row according to his own standards
would be in a sorry mess.
In the first place, in accordance
with a way of life not easily COM
to Navajo, the wife
Is boss. The system is matriarchal.
The husband goes to live with her
family. She owns the hogun and
It's limited furnishings. All her spouse
owns is his saddle, and the customary
divorce procedure is for her to set
this saddle outside the door. But
she must, under the ancient custom,
have reason for doing this, for,
thrown out of his home, the husband
Is in a bad way. Now the native
judge can patch up this kind Of a
Understanding to some anthro-
biologists who have studied the matter,
although it still Is quite obscure-by
the spouse to make a money
payment in order to come back. There
is very little for him to do except pay.
Alimony Made Business.
Now there are some wives who tend
to make business collecting this sort
Of alimony. Such a one can't divorce
ner husband without an excuse, so she
proceeds to make life miserable for
him until he beats her up. That's
reason enough to set his saddle out
side the door in any society, but if it
happens too often it begins to look
Such knotty problems as
these the Indian judge must square