Chapter 436 The Wrong Lonesome Road (1/2)

Chapter 436: The Wrong Lonesome Road

Translator: Nyoi-Bo StudioEditor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Li Du and the rest were about to get into the Iron Knight; they had wanted to rent a car but the rental car business had not survived in the small town. So they had no choice but to drive the truck.

In addition to the items from the storage units, the truck was also stuffed with some old-fashioned accessories and handmade decorative items.

Seeing these messy items, Dickens asked, ”Boss Li, are you in the storage auction business all the time?”

Li Du did not catch his joke. ”What do you mean?”

Dickens laughed, ”I mean, you bring along this old stuff even when you are on vacation?”

Li Du pointed at Hans. ”His idea, nothing to do with me.”

Everyone looked at Hans curiously. Olly asked, ”Why did you bring this stuff? Old-style weaving machine? What's that? Hay cutter? Where did you get these antiques?”

Hans chuckled, ”You ask me why. I ask you: where will we be after passing Lake Powell? Who used to previously own Lake Powell?”

Dickens realized it suddenly. ”Oh, you are going to trade with the Hopi? The Hopi are not like the Amish, they do not welcome outsiders.”

Turis said, ”He would surely be able to enter, otherwise why would he bring all this stuff? Quick, let's get some stuff. Go take a look.”

Olly asked in surprise, ”How did you get connected to the Hopi? Those people hate whites to the core.”

Han said, ”I did not get connected to them.”

Olly was stunned. ”Then why did you bring all this stuff? They will never trade with you.”

Hans patted Li Du's shoulder and laughed, ”My brother is yellow-skinned. The Hopi will be willing to trade with him.”

Li Du looked at him helplessly. ”Buddy, is this considered racial discrimination?”

Hans said innocently, ”Of course not. Even so, that would be the Hopi discriminating against us whites.”

The Hopi were a Native American tribe acknowledged by the US government. They mainly resided in northeastern Arizona. Their population was very small: fewer than 20,000 people.

However, these 20,000 people occupied 4,000 square miles of land. Of course, more land had belonged to them originally. The US government had stipulated that the Hopi could cultivate, graze, hunt or build on these lands, which were entirely attributed to them. They have the right to deport anyone who entered the land, as they pleased.

This did not mean that the Hopi could do whatever they wished on this piece of land, and also did not mean they were happy to stay on this piece of land. This was because this piece of land was surrounded by the even larger Navajo Reservation. Both the Navajos and Hopi were to share the Navajo-Hopi Joint Use Area.

However, the Navajos were more powerful. They would always mix up the boundaries and invade the Hopi's territory; the two parties were always in conflict.

In the past the Hopi did not have a good relationship with the US government. The land conflict had led them to think that the US government was bullying them on purpose by using the Navajos to suppress them. This attitude sometimes still affected their interactions with people considered ”Americans.”

Hence, they would sometimes decline to trade with white people, and only traded with other Native Americans or other minorities.

Li Du was willing to try; after all, his deal with the Amish had earned him a million dollars. If he could gain something from the Hopi, well, wouldn't that be great?

Driving along, they went toward the scenic Lake Powell.

In order to let Li Du enjoy more local scenery, Hans deliberately chose to travel from the east.