Life Among the Papago

Driving along State 86, on a ribbon of highway that connects Tucson with Ajo, one is struck by the solitude, isolation and remoteness of the Papago Indian Reservation. Beyond Kitt Peak Observatory, through Sells and on to places like Quijotoa, the endless road carries you into more and more isolated areas.

Except for a few pickup trucks and cars carrying Indians and Anglos to and from unknown destinations, the highway is almost deserted. Mesquite, palo verde, saguaro and cholla dot the landscape, broken only by stark mountain ranges.

Large, black vultures feed on carrion along the way. Coyotes attempt to cross from one side of the road to the other, and cattle and horses graze on the limited vegetation provided by this desert terrain.

Numerous crosses, surrounded by brightly colored plastic flowers and candles, are Papago memorials, created for loved ones who have been killed on the highway.

In the middle of this one-million-acre reservation is a small village called Pisinemo the most remote of the seven trading posts found on this broad expanse of harsh land. Paved State 21 ends here and dusty gravel roads continue on to such places as Kum Vo and Kupk.

A large hand-painted sign above the post identifies the village and the kinds of merchandise found within. Groceries, dry goods, hardware, and auto parts and service fill the everyday needs of the Papago. Indian-made baskets and beads lure some tourists to this remote area as well. Approximately 25 Papago families who live in this village, and more families who live in the outlying desert area, depend on the trading post for the necessities of life.

There is nothing fancy about the 55 X 64 foot trading post structure, but trader James Robinette says the new store is a vast improvement over what he started with 20 years before. "When we moved out here in 1955, the living quarters and the store were all housed in a 24 X 24 foot structure with no electricity or plumbing. There were three different floor levels because the original trader built on one room at a time.

We had no ceiling, just exposed beams, and no insulation. The store was in the center, with the kitchen at one end and the bedroom and a home-made bathroom on the other!"

"The first thing I did was build a new sewer system. I'd been around enough construction sites to know what to do. I hired an Indian to work on the project and he literally wore out two picks. He had to go down thirty feet before he struck gravel, fighting caliche soil all the way."

Claude Sutherland, the original owner, started building the trading post sometime between 1910 and 1912. Later he installed a small generator that powered one small cooler and a refrigerator.

"That refrigerator was our meat department, our frozen foods department and our 'deli' department. It took two years before we could muster up enough cash to buy a diesel power plant and put in another cooler and one or two ice boxes. Those were pretty hard times for the Indians, so they were hard times for us as well!"

"But we stuck it out because I knew the Papago well enough to know that when they did have money, they would spend it on food and clothing. If I could provide the merchan-dise, they'd buy it!"

Robinette has lived around the Papago most of his life. As a youngster in 1936, he and his family left a farm in Oklahoma and settled on another farm west of Chandler, Arizona. The family, including the seven Robinette children, raised produce and trucked part of the crop down to the reservation to sell to the Indians.

Later, an older brother ran the trading post at Santa Rosa and James worked with him from 1945 to 1950. "We had two van-type trucks that we'd load with a small portion of the supplies that were available in the store. Five days a week, we'd drive different routes through the reservation, selling merchandise to the Indians. They really liked to see us coming."

The Papago tribe had taken over the trading posts at Pisinemo and Covered Wells in the early 1950's. In 1955, they offered the stores to the older Robinette, who bought both of them. The land belongs to the tribe and is leased to traders, but the buildings are owned by the traders themselves.

James and his family took over the Pisinemo trading post. He had been working as a mechanic in Casa Grande, since giving up his truck route five years earlier. The endless gravel roads on the reservation brought on a back problem that forced James to stop driving the truck. The trading post gave him the opportunity to work once again with the Papago people.

"We sold everything we had in Casa Grande, lock, stock and barrel, and moved down here. We had maybe four or five hundred dollars to our name. That money went on the books immediately to buy supplies."

James, his wife, Jodie and four children, moved to Pisinemo on the Fourth of July, 1955. "James picked me up at the hospital, with our ten day old baby and we started for the village," Jodie recalls. "Most of the roads were gravel, and I really didn't know if I'd make it. When we finally got down here, it was unbearably hot. We put mattresses outside at night and slept under the stars, just to get some relief. The kids loved it," Jodie adds.

The first year was tough for the Robinette family, trying to survive in the hot, dusty, sparsely populated village. "I worried about making payments on the store and keeping the stock up at the same time. I also extended a lot of credit to customers that first year, so there were very few cash sales. We lived from month to month."

One of Robinette's biggest headaches was getting supplies to Pisinemo. For the first ten years, James drove to Phoenix (over 200 miles round trip) once a week to pick up what was needed. For nine years, the roads were 75 per cent gravel or dirt. "We wore out a truck every year, just getting back and forth. My brother gave me my first truck, or we would have been on foot. It lasted 15 months, on sheer will power, I think. The gravel beat the undercarriage to pieces. The bolts holding the axles and springs couldn't take the constant onslaught of that gravel. There was just nothing left. I can remember several times, putting a new tire on a truck in Casa Grande and blowing it before we got back home!"

By 1966, James had raised enough money to join a cooperative that provided groceries and dry goods at a much cheaper rate. He only had to drive to Casa Grande, instead of Phoenix, to pick them up, and by then the road was paved half way. It wasn't until 1974 that State 21, the 15 miles connecting State 86 with Pisinemo, was paved. Now groceries

and supplies are delivered to the trading post's front door. The past 20 years brought many changes to the reservation, Robinette says. "In 1955, many of the Indian families lived on very restricted diets. There's no industry here so their incomes were extremely low. The Papago is a farmer, but we've been in a drought situation for some time now. They raised their own food if there was rain, but many times the plants just shriveled up and died. A few of the families had cattle running in the woods. Sometimes a cattle owner would butcher a cow and share it with the others. They'd make beef jerky out of the meat and it would keep for a long time!"

Some of the Indians would go to other families and ask for work. They'd offer to cut wood or carry water and they received food or clothing in return. They also lived on what they could hustle off the desert, like cactus fruit and roots, and they shot rabbits for meat. Even when they had the money, the Papago's diet was limited to beans, lard, potatoes and meat. Everything else was considered a luxury, or was unknown to them. "They had little idea of what lettuce or tomatoes were. The store didn't even sell milk until 1966. Their diet has improved a lot since then," Robinette says. "We sell quite a bit of produce now, and they drink milk too!"

Knowing what an Indian wanted when he or she walked into the store posed another problem for the trader. The Papago language is difficult, but Robinette learned it within his first year in Pisinemo. "You almost had to learn the language, since very few Indians spoke English. We relied on a few of the high school students who had studied English to interpret for us, but when we couldn't find an interpreter, we were in trouble. Many times we tore up the store trying to find something a Papago wanted. It was just easier to learn."

In 1957, the tribe and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), leased several thousand acres of Papago land to outside developers from Phoenix. The land, located just south of Pisinemo, was to become a farming community. The corporation hired Indians to work on the land and suddenly, Pisinemo was a 'thriving' community.

As the old trading post's business began to grow, James and some of the Papago villagers started to build a new adobe structure. They worked between customers, making adobe out behind the original trading post.

"The farm project produced two years of good crops, but then some contract problems developed and they pulled out in 1960. I was lucky though. The new post was finished and completely paid for. That project really built me up, but they let me down too. We just toughed it out for a few more years!"

About five years later, the government began to pump aid into the reservation to improve the Indian's standard of living. The trader's lot began to improve too, Robinette says.

"When I came to the reservation, 20 years ago, some of these people had a yearly income of $25, if you can believe that. Now, a good many of them receive help from the government, in one way or another. Things are definitely better for the Papago today," Robinette says.

Very few Anglos live on the Papago reservation, even now. Traders, missionaries and governmental employees make up the bulk of the white population. Two of the seven Papago trading posts, one in Sells and the other in San Simon (formerly Tracy) are run by Papago people. The two remaining posts in Sells, as well as those in Quijotoa, Santa Rosa and Pisinemo are run by Anglos.

The Catholic mission at Pisinemo educates most of the Papago children in the village. Older children attend boarding schools in Sells or Phoenix.

Robinette sent his oldest child to the mission school for a year and then decided to move his family back to Casa Grande. Jodie and the children travelled to the trading post for weekends and summers. Robinette eventually tore down the original store and built a new home for his family. Two more children were born after the trading post business began.

The three youngest Robinette children work with their parents in the store during the hot summer months. They know some Papago, but are not fluent. "They do know enough to be able to run the cash register and help any customer in the store," Robinette says.

Robinette recently hired his oldest son, Travis, to manage the post. "I pay him a salary and hope that In a few years, he and his wife, Cindy, will take over the store. At least those are the plans now. I'll probably move back to Casa Grande then." Travis is the son who was ten days old when his family moved to Pisinemo.

"My life here with the Papago has been rewarding and challenging at the same time," Robinette says. "I feel that the people trust me. They bring many of their problems to me because they know I'll help them. It takes a long time to gain the trust of a Papago, but when they bring in forms and ask me to help fill them out, or when they don't understand a bill and ask me to explain it, or when they ask my advice, I know all the time and effort was worthwhile. I've even hauled a few to the hospital to have their babies. A couple of times I didn't think we were going to make it, but I haven't had to deliver any yet!"

As Robinette explained his relationship with the Papago, one of his customers approached him with a question. Their conversation, in Papago, was short and Robinette soonreturned. "I'm the local banker too," Robinette laughed. "When someone needs cash in a hurry, they come here. If they've been decent to me, I'll lend them the money. And there's never any interest," he added, as the cash register rang in the background. Cindy, his daughter-in-law, had given the Papago the cash he needed.

Traders have received some bad publicity during the past few years. One of the more frequent charges is that the trading post's prices are too high. Robinette reacts bitterly to these accusations, saying that those making the charges don't know all the facts.

"I know that all traders aren't saints, but I do know that the ones on the Papago reservation are a pretty honest bunch. I think the Indian is a lot better off because of the trader. It would be tough if he had to get supplies anywhere else."

Robinette explains that the higher cost of goods at the trading post is an outgrowth of the transportation charges he must pay to get merchandise to Pisinemo. "It costs us fifty cents a hundredweight to have supplies delivered out here. The cost is figured right into our invoices and we add that to the price of the goods. We sure aren't getting rich out here."

Even if the Papago had the means to travel to town to buy what he needed, Robinette says he'd lose money. "When you figure the transportation costs of a 200 or 250 mile round trip to buy supplies, you've added more to the cost than if you'd bought everything right here!"

Even though there are increasing numbers of motorized vehicles on the reservation, transportation is still difficult. When Robinette first moved to Pisinemo, there were two cars in the district, his and the Catholic priest's. "Everytime I made a trip to town, four or five Papago would be waiting for a ride. They knew my schedule better than I did. I always took them, because they had no other way!"

Now pickups and cars stand in front of several village houses. And the tribe provides free bus service once a week to Tucson, Casa Grande, or Sells.

But most villagers continue to travel by foot, on horse-back or in horse-drawn wagons. In fact, Robinette still carries parts, and repairs wagons in his shop.

"The younger generation is beginning to hitch-hike when they want to get to a festival or to the next village. There's usually enough traffic so they get rides fairly often."

The lack of transportation causes a problem when the Indians from outlying regions come in for supplies. After they buy what they need, Robinette loads them and the merchandise into his truck and delivers them to their homes.

Robinette sees some changes among the youth on the reservation today, brought on, in part by the outside influences encountered at boarding schools. There aren't many television sets around, but the trading post stocks record players and transistor radios, and the batteries to make them work. "Some months we do close to $1000 worth of business in batteries alone. They love music, especially their own. One of the young men here, together with two other fellows, recorded a song they wrote, called 'Chicken Scratch 2'. I haven't been able to keep it in stock. Everybody wants a copy of that."

Problems with vandalism and shoplifting are minimal in Pisinemo, Robinette says. "We did have a rash of shoplifting several years ago, but that's died down. And there were some attempts to steal gas and get into the store. We did have a few break-ins, but no money was ever stolen. They wanted the record players and that sort of thing. We put up a fence around the area to discourage that sort of thing. It seems to have worked!"

The question of credit poses a big problem for all the traders, Robinette says. "Some years, I've carried $50,000 worth of credit on my books. It usually runs above $30,000. It's hard to say no when they come in and need something for their family!"

"I've had accounts on the books for ten years and figured I'd never see the person or the money again. But all of a sudden, one day he'll walk in and ask me how much he owes. Sometimes it's five or six hundred dollars. I'm always surprised when that happens. It's like money from heaven. That happens maybe two or three times a year."

Many of the Papago make the beautifully-designed Papago baskets that are gaining popularity as a native American art. Robinette says that many times Indians bring their baskets to him to sell, rather than ask for credit. "We've bought Papago baskets for a long time. When I ran the truck for my brother, we'd pay $2 for the larger ones, and 50¢ for the smaller ones. The workmanship didn't matter. Then we turned around and sold them to a trader in Chandler for a set price of $2 for the larger ones and $1 for the smaller ones. We didn't make money, but we couldn't afford to keep them and we were coming out even. We sure made the other trader rich though!"

These days, when a Papago comes into the store to sell baskets, Robinette offers her a price. If the craftsman is satisfied with the bid, Robinette pays in cash. There is never any pressure to spend the money in the store, he adds. "They can shop here, or walk out."

A special room at the back of the trading post contains some beautiful examples of the basket weaving art. Indians come from Sells, Marana, Casa Grande and Tucson, as well as the village to sell Robinette their baskets, because they like his prices.

Two Papago villagers, Melinda Garcia and Veronica Meriano, work on their baskets in the trading post's basket room several times a week. Veronica says that although the trading post is the only store in the village, she likes the trader.

"The Papago's way of life is slowly moving into the second half of the twentieth century. Plumbing is now available in Pisinemo," Robinette says. "They put in a complete sewer system last year. But only four of the houses in the village have plumbing. The women still spend most of their time washing clothes and cooking, and the men cut wood and carry water. They're really lost when they get any kind of modern conveniences. But it's coming and most of them will adjust in time.

"In the future, I think the tribe will begin leasing land to industries," Robinette says. "The land has plenty of groundwater and this type of development will provide work for the Papago. I'm sure they don't want to see their quiet life destroyed, but they may have to take some bad along with the good this type of development will bring. I don't want to see it happen, but I know it will. There are minerals like copper, gold and silver in the mountains around here and I know they'll start mining here someday."

In the early days, before the trading posts and traders came to the reservation, the Papago raised most of their own food. They did travel to Tucson by freight wagon to get supplies like kerosene, baking powder, lamps, plows and wagons. It would take them about a week to make a trip like that. It would have been pretty uncomfortable, riding in those wagons. If the traders had not come to the Papago Reservation, some of the Indians would still have to get supplies that way.

The traders did come and life changed. Robinette feels he's learned a great deal from these quiet, honest people. "Money isn't everything, you know. Personal satisfaction has so much to do with why I'm still here. I feel I've helped some of these people and some of them think I have too. Now Pisinemo is home to me. You know, you can tell when people like you and have confidence in you!"