Navajo trading has been a crucial component of that tribe's localized economy for generations and has been the subject of much scholarship over the years. The role of the Navajo trader in influencing the types and styles of crafts that Navajos created as well as providing tribal members with an outlet for those items remains important to their traditional culture. However, a subsidiary component of trading, known as Navajo pawn, also comprises an important element of their craft-based economy and has been analyzed in less detail. Despite the contentious nature of pawn as it exists among the Navajos, it remains vital and has withstood the test of innumerable lawsuits and legislative maneuverings. In this article, the author examines the controversial role of pawn in the Navajo economy with an emphasis on legal and regulatory issues surrounding on- and off-reservation pawning practices. (Contains 5 figures and 88 notes.)