TONALEA Ariz.
Talk at the community center in this small Navajo town is not as focused on the economy as it is in many places off the reservation.
That’s because the people living on the largest American Indian reservation have been largely unscathed by the recession.
Most Navajos own their own homes, tend not to invest in the stock market, and have long had difficulties borrowing money, distinguishing them from millions of other Americans who have suffered from rising mortgage payments, sinking 401(K) retirement accounts, and stricter terms from lenders.
And with half of the Navajo Nation’s workforce unemployed long before this latest recession hit, there is not much fear the job situation could get much worse on the reservation.
“They’re freaking out out there, but, to us, we’ve always had 50 percent unemployment,” said John C. Whiterock, a Navajo youth pastor. “To us, that’s just part of life.”
