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Shonto is home to renowned artists, bull riders, fantastic landscapes, and highly traditional Diné people.
This community has chosen to pursue a diversified, sustainable economy that is less dependent on coal mining.
Shonto: The intersection of the modern and traditional worlds
Shonto is a hard place to miss. If you have ever traveled Navajo country — especially the roads between Lake Powell, the Hopi Mesas, and Monument Valley — you have driven through Shonto. You probably noticed the intersection of highways160 and 99, where the road crosses Peabody Coal’s Black Mesa rail line. Just north of this intersection lies a cluster of HUD houses. At noon, the turnoff is usually occupied by a Navajo vendor who barbecues from the back of a flatbed pit. At first glance, the area seems quiet and almost surreal, especially on a crisp winter afternoon.
Little does the average person know that this small community is one of the Navajo Nation’s most dynamic and courageous. It is the first of 110 Chapters to gain local governance independence from the Navajo Nation’s massive bureaucracy. As a result, it has authority to zone, make laws, tax, finance, and adopt more effective forms of governance.
Here the best of the modern and traditional worlds intersect. In the homes, many of the elders are insulated from the hustle and bustle of the outside world. Grandparents still eat their traditional meals on the floor telling stories handed down through the centuries. Most homesteads have a hogan, and the rich traditions of the Diné are still practiced. Many of the men still wear their hair with the traditional Tsiiyeel (hair bun) that signifies wisdom and brings rain to this high desert. The women still wear traditional Navajo attire adorned with silver and turquoise in order to be presentable to the Diné deities.
The road to self-sufficiency
Several years ago, the Chapter asked Grand Canyon Trust how to approach achieving self-sufficiency and we went to work. First, we co-hosted a strategic planning retreat that brought focus to the community. As with all our work with indigenous peoples, we set out a strategic template that would allow the members to create their own vision, identify critical values and goals, and gain commitment from other resource partners. This plan would guide future growth and development.
Substantial progress has been made and many of the goals outlined in the plan have been achieved. We also witnessed major progress on the adoption of a more traditional form of local government entitled “Council of Nat’aa,” development of a master plan for a sustainable, mixed-use real estate project, a new artist and visitor plaza, a 10-acre retail park, rural electrification, and tourism planning. The Chapter Governance has created a community development corporation and community foundation to carry out its strategic plans.
As a result of this progress, we were proud to co-host a third planning session. This session brought additional focus to the goals and a plan to formally partner with the Grand Canyon Trust.
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