Chronology of American Indian History

the athlete in the second place, receives only 86

first-place votes.

April 19

Congress passes the Navajo-Hopi

Rehabilitation Act.

Following the end of wartime jobs, the residents of

the Navajo (Dineh) and the Hopi reservations, partic-

ularly returning veterans, have had difficulty finding

work. The problem was compounded by a severe

drought in 1946 and 1947, which drew the reserva-

tions into economic chaos. After lengthy study into

how the reservation economies could be rehabilitated,

Congress passes the Navajo-Hopi Rehabilitation Act.

The legislation allocates $88 million over the next 10

years to improve the reservations’ infrastructure, in-

cluding roads, schools, and irrigation operations. In

the years to follow, the improvements, particularly

those to roads and highways, will greatly increase Na-

vajo and Hopi interaction with non-Indian society.

August 1

Broken Arrow counters the Hollywood

stereotype of the “Indian savage.”

Popular with audiences and critics, Broken Arrow

is recognized as a new type of Hollywood western.

A scene from Broken Arrow (1950), an acclaimed film dramatizing the friendship between Apache leader Cochise
(Jeff Chandler) and his non-Indian friend Thomas Jeffords (James Stewart) (Courtesy of the Museum of Modern Art
Film Stills Archive)