LOT John D Kennedy  /  Navajo Trade Tokens  / 

7

Defiance Trading Post 5-cent Trade Token

Currency:USD Category:Western Americana / Collectibles - Tokens Start Price:20.00 USD Estimated At:NA
Defiance Trading Post 5-cent Trade Token
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Defiance Trading was owned by Robert Mirabel. It was common for trade tokens to have a trader name rather than the trading post. Many Navajos considered their relationships to be with the traders, not the stores. The store remained active until the late 50s when the new Interstate 40 right-of-way was cleared. The store should not be confused with Ft Defiance Trading, which was a large store at Ft Defiance, 30 miles north of Gallup.
In 1960 there were still ~75 trading posts within 30 miles of Gallup. Defiance was one of them. The store was 20 miles west of Gallup on Highway 66 near the Arizona line. I delivered Coca Cola to the store in the late 50s and when I did so, I would trade for Navajo rugs for Dad’s company, Gallup Indian Trading. On my delivery truck, I carried a case of Zuni jewelry with which to trade for rugs. Like all trading posts, Zuni jewelry was the best trade commodity for their trading activity. It was a small store and had a neighborhood feel to it. Like all reservation trading posts, Defiance Trading handled livestock, groceries, hardware, wool, hides, and Navajo rugs. Their rugs were generally average in quality and most always smaller than 3x5. With new highways Navajo travel become prevalent. It no longer took a day for a Navajo family to travel to Gallup by wagon or horseback. Gallup was, and remains, a popular trading center for Navajos. In 1922, merchants of Gallup formed the Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremonial to show appreciation for the business that the Navajo brought to the community. One hundred years later, the Ceremonial is still a major event in the Southwest.
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