Wednesday, June 1
Worth, Adair, and Chalfen arrive in Pine Springs, where Worth meets Al Clah for the first time. He writes,
John told me that he had arranged for Alfred Clah, the Navajo art student, that he had met through the Santa Fe art school to meet us tomorrow at the Thunderbird Lodge…My first impression of him was that he was not at all a typical Navajo. Whereas the other Navajos that I had met were rather quiet, withdrawn, and not given to volunteering information, [Alfred] was just the opposite (B14FF27P67).
Thursday, June 2
The researchers rent a car, and then talk to Clarance Birch about the logistics of using the schoolhouse. They continue to work out their own living arrangements and search for students. That night, they meet to discuss their strategies for conducting the class (B14FF27PP69-79).
Friday, June 3
Johnny introduces the researchers to Mike Anderson, who he believes would be a good student. Worth does not record his initial impressions on Mike, indicating that Adair and Chalfen will have covered this in their notes. As Adair talks to Anderson, Nelson explains to Worth that he would like to be one of his students. He reports,
I realize I must have been a little dense because it now occurred to me that Johnny had something very important on his mind and was actually just trying to get up the nerve enough to say it outright. Finally, he said, “you know, I think I would like to be one of your students.” I said, gee, Johnny, that would be great by you have to work at the trading post and when we were here last time you told us that you really couldn’t. He said, well, how much are you going to pay the students. I said, well, I thought we would pay about $1.25 an hour. (this was the minimum wage that we had been told we must pay in order to be within legal standards). Johnny said, well, you know I think I would end up making as much money working for you as I would working for the trading post. Anyway, it isn’t the money and here he looked me right in the eye for the first time ever since I had met him and he said to me quite seriously, “I got something in me to say and I want to say it” (B14FF27PP81-2).
Saturday, June 4
Johnny Nelson introduces the researchers to Susie Benally, who we can infer agrees to become a student. Worth remarks that,
My first view of Susie was quite a shock. She was dressed in a blue skirt and a frilly white blouse with ruffles down the front. She had a purple gauze veil over her head tied under her chin. This was the most dressed up Indian girl that I had seen on the reservation…I knew that Susie was a weaver. But she did not weave rugs. She wove 2-inch sashes which Navajo women put around their waists and also wove cloth pocket books which were selling at a rather high price. This was the girl that the trader had told us would most likely not be willing to work because she makes so much money during the summer (B14FF27P93).
Sunday, June 5
Researchers meet Mary Jane and Maxine Tsosie. After deliberating about whether they would be able to accept the sisters as students when they had originally planned for only four students, they decide to do so. One reason for this decision is Johnny Nelson’s insistence that it will be more correct and balanced to have a class with an even number of each gender. Worth reports that
I was introduced to the 2 girls, Maxine, 18, and Mary Jane, 21, Tsosie. They spoke English well, Maxine even had a pony tail haircut. They seemed shy, but not as shy as Susie Benally….Sisters also said it would be nice to work together. They kept looking at each other for confirmation. I said we would have to confer (J.A., D.C., and S.W.) and we would tell them right away. I had decided that we would do it – come hell or high water (B14FF27P109).
That same day, the researchers were invited to a chapter meeting. Although he says that Chalfen’s notes record this even more extensively, he writes
This chapter meeting to which we were invited was an incredible affair. Here it is that the Navajo in this community discuss all their problems. In the midst of a discussion about irrigation ditches, elections for offices in the community, and discussions of other problems of community interest Juan Tsosie made a long speech about the 3 of us and then each one of us was asked to make a little speech to the community talking about what we were going to do (B14FF27P106).