Relying on archival research and an historical sociological approach, this essay argues the Navajo–Hopi land dispute demonstrates the highly uneven and porous character of what the author calls the "net of incorporation." As capitalism expands into new regions, people and economic processes are "captured" and altered, while some also evade such incorporation. As such, the argument envisions capitalism’s expansion as a net, highly porous but also effective over time. Struggles over mineral royalties and leasing in the 1950s and later also displayed tribal leaders’ heightened awareness of land as commodity, as capital. Juxtaposed against these leaders, many Diné (Navajo) who faced relocation held fast to "traditional" values concerning the land that provided them with resources to resist incorporation. The discussion utilizes a rethought incorporation to link the history of the land dispute with the broader, contested origins of the Navajo Reservation and its people.