Navajo Nation

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The Navajo Nation (Diné in Navajo language) encompasses all things important to the Navajo people. The land, kinship, language, religion & the right to govern themselves. The Navajo Homeland covers about 26,000 square miles (70,000 square kilometres, 17 million acres) of land, occupying all of northeastern Arizona, & extending into Utah & New Mexico, & is the largest land area assigned primarily to a Native American jurisdiction within the United States. Members of the nation are often known as Navajo (or Navaho) but traditionally call themselves Diné (sometimes spelled in English as Dineh) which means people.

The 2000 census reported 298,215 Navajo people living throughout the United States, of which 173,987 were living within the Navajo Nation boundaries. 131,166 lived in Arizona & 17,512 of these lived in Maricopa County, which includes the city of Phoenix. Because the Navajo Nation encompasses land in three states, its Division of Economic Development extracts census data for the Navajo Nation as a whole, & sends a representative to the Census Board. Another group lives on the Colorado River Indian Tribes reservation along the Colorado River in California & Arizona.

Geography

The Nation's boundaries are the Ute Mountain Ute Indian Reservation at the Four Corners Monument & stretch across the Colorado Plateau into Arizona, Utah, & New Mexico.Located within the Navajo Nation are Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Monument Valley, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, the Hopi Indian Reservation, & the Shiprock landmark. The seat of government is located at the census-designated city of Window Rock in Apache County, Arizona. There are several adjacent "Navajo Indian Reservations" (such as Alamocita) in this area, but generally function as sub-units of the "Big Rez" with considerable local autonomy). The Diné's traditional boundaries are the four sacred mountains, which actually include an area much larger than the present-day reservation.

The Navajo Nation was a very complex one. The eastern portion of the reservation, located in New Mexico is popularly called the "Checkerboard" because Navajo lands are mingled with fee lands (owned by both Navajo & non-Navajo people) & federal & state lands under various jurisdictions. Large non-contiguous sections of the Navajo Nation in New Mexico are: Ramah Navajo Indian Reservation in western Cibola County & southern McKinley County; Alamo Bend Navajo Indian Reservation in northwestern Socorro County; & Canoncito Indian Reservation in western Bernalillo County & eastern Cibola County. The total land area of the reservation is 62,362.062 km² (24,078.127 sq mi), making it by far the largest Indian reservation in the United States. It is almost exactly the same size as the state of West Virginia; it is slightly larger in land area, but slightly smaller if water area is included. Its resident population was 180,462 as of the 2000 census.

Other Amerind tribes are located in this area, including several Pueblo nations: Congress established a Hopi (Navajo, Oozéí, or Ayahkinii "underground-house-people") reservation within the Navajo Nation's reservation at an historic homeland where Hopi history predates that of Diné in the area. Adjacent or nearly adjacent to the Navajo Reservation are the Southern Ute of Colorado, the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe of Colorado, Utah, & New Mexico, both to the north; the Jicarilla Apache to the east, & other tribes to the west & south. A conflict over shared lands emerged in the 1980s, when the Department of the Interior attempted to relocate Diné living in the Navajo/Hopi Joint Use Area. The conflict was resolved, or at least forestalled, by the award of a seventy-five-year lease to Diné who refused to leave the former shared lands.

Communities
Alamo, New Mexico
Aneth, Utah
Beclabito, New Mexico
Bitter Springs, Arizona
Brimhall Nizhoni, New Mexico
Burnside, Arizona
Cameron, Arizona
Chilchinbito, Arizona
Chinle, Arizona
Church Rock, New Mexico (most)
Crownpoint, New Mexico (part)
Crystal, New Mexico
Dennehotso, Arizona
Dilkon, Arizona
Fort Defiance, Arizona
Ganado, Arizona
Greasewood, Arizona
Halchita, Utah
Houck, Arizona
Hunters Point, Arizona
Indian Wells, Arizona
Iyanibito, New Mexico
Jeddito, Arizona
Kaibito, Arizona
Kayenta, Arizona
Lechee, Arizona
Leupp, Arizona
Lukachukai, Arizona
Many Farms, Arizona
Mariano Lake, New Mexico
Montezuma Creek, Utah (most)
Monument Valley, Utah
Nakaibito, New Mexico
Naschitti, New Mexico
Navajo, New Mexico
Navajo Mountain, Utah
Nazlini, Arizona
Nenahnezad, New Mexico
Newcomb, New Mexico
Oak Spring, Arizona
Ojo Amarillo, New Mexico
Oljato, Arizona
Pinon, Arizona
Pinedale, New Mexico
Pueblo Pintado, New Mexico (part)
Red Mesa, Arizona
Rock Point, Arizona
Rough Rock, Arizona
Round Rock, Arizona
Sanostee, New Mexico
Sawmill, Arizona
Sheep Springs, New Mexico
Shiprock, New Mexico
Shonto, Arizona
St. Michaels, Arizona
Standingrock, New Mexico
Steamboat, Arizona
Teec Nos Pos, Arizona
Tohatchi, New Mexico
Tonalea, Arizona
Tsaile, Arizona
Tse Bonito, New Mexico (part)
Tselakai Dezza, Utah
Tuba City, Arizona
Twin Lakes, New Mexico
Upper Fruitland, New Mexico
Window Rock, Arizona
Yah-ta-hey, New Mexico (part)

History

Prior to the Long Walk of the Navajo, traditional Navajo government was based upon regional communities & extended family leaders who worked together by consensus. (See Navajo people for more about Navajo traditions.) Europeans have tried to overlay their notions of government upon the Navajo for centuries.

In 1863 & 1864, as the Anglo settlers' demand for land grew, the United States government forced more than 8,500 Navajo men, women & children to march in harsh winter conditions for hundreds of miles to Bosque Redondo, New Mexico (present-day Ft. Sumner) as part of President Andrew Jackson's Indian Removal Act. Some Navajos were able to escape & hide at Navajo Mountain. As the march went on, the Navajo were forced to leave their elderly & young children behind to die. Five months later, the Navajos arrived at Bosque Redondo. Many Navajos died at the wretched prison camp, due to poor living conditions. The Navajos were imprisoned for about six years, & released in May 1868. Bosque Redondo had been proved as a miserable failure, because of poor planning, disease, crop infestation & generally poor conditions for agriculture.

After the Long Walk, the United States Government's Indian Policy determined the administration of the reservation. Appointed federal individuals (Indian Agents) essentially ruled the reservation, sometimes relying on the counsel of traditional Navajo methods of government. The current tribal government was established & recognized by the federal government in 1923.

The Diné have refused three times to establish a new government under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. Members twice rejected constitutional initiatives offered by the federal government in Washington, first in 1935 & again in 1953. A reservation-based initiative in 1963 failed after members found the process to be too cumbersome & a potential threat to their self-determination. A constitution was drafted & adopted by the governing council but never ratified by the members. The earlier efforts were rejected primarily because members did not find enough freedom in the proposed forms of government to develop their livestock industries, in 1935, & their mineral resources, in 1953.

In 2006, the Committee for a Navajo Constitution started to advocate for a Navajo constitutional convention. The committee was formed by Ivan Gamble & includes three former Navajo Presidents, Hon. Kelsey Begaye, Hon. Peterson Zah, & Hon. Peter MacDonald, & other noted individuals. The committee's goal is to have representation from every chapter on Navajo Nation represented at a constitution convention. The committee proposes that the convention be held in the traditional na'achid/ modern chapter house manner where every member of the nation wishing to may participate may through their home chapters. The meetings would be viewable also on the Internet. Thd final version of the constitution would be voted upon by the electorate at the next general election.

Tribal membership - Citizenship
Each tribe establishes its own requirements for being an enrolled tribal member, which is usually based on "blood quantum." The Navajo Nation requires a blood quantum of one-quarter for a person to be an enrolled tribal member & to receive a Certificate of Indian Blood (CIB). In comparison, some tribes require a 1/32 blood quantum for issuing a CIB. In 2004, the Navajo Tribal Council voted down a proposal to reduce the blood quantum to one-eighth, which would have effectively doubled the number of individuals qualified to be enrolled Navajo tribal members.

Education
Education, & the retention of students in all school systems, is a significant priority. A major problem faced by the nation is a very high drop-out rate among high school students. Over 150 public, private & Bureau of Indian Affairs schools serve students from kindergarten through high school. Most schools receive funding from the Navajo Nation under the Johnson O’Malley program.

The Nation also runs a local Head Start, the only educational program operated by the Navajo Nation government. Post-secondary education & vocational training are available on & off the reservation.

Secondary Education
There are six types of secondary establishments, including:

Arizona Public Schools
New Mexico Public Schools
Utah Public Schools
Bureau of Indian Affairs Public Schools
Association of Navajo Controlled Schools
Navajo Preparatory School, Inc.

Navajo Preparatory School, Inc.
The only Navajo-sanctioned, college-preparatory school for Native Americans, Navajo Preparatory School recruits some of the best & brightest students of the Navajo Nation. Looking to the future, the school offers students a challenging, innovative curriculum in science, math, computers, & other traditional academic subjects. In harmony with the past, it steeps the youth in a deep appreciation of the Navajo Language, culture, & history. Armed with this impressive, balanced education, students graduate with the skills to succeed in college & an understanding of the world around them. Many will become leaders of their people & role models for future generations.

Located in Farmington, New Mexico, a few miles outside the Navajo reservation, Navajo Preparatory School's mission is: "To educate talented & motivated college-bound Navajo & other Native American youth who have the potential to succeed in higher education & become leaders in their respective communities. The school provides a rigorous academic program based on a strong foundation of Navajo Philosophy, supported by a residential environment that enhances individuality & independence.

Diné College

The Navajo Nation operates Diné College, a two-year community college which has its main campus in Tsaile in Apache County, as well as seven other campuses on the reservation. Current enrollment is 1,830 students, of which 210 are degree-seeking transfer students for four-year institutions. The college includes the Center for Diné Studies, whose goal is to apply Navajo Sa'ah Naagháí Bik'eh Hózhóón principles to advance quality student learning through Nitsáhákees (thinking), Nahatá (planning), Iiná (living), & Sihasin (assurance) in study of the Diné language, history, & culture in preparation for further studies & employment in a multi-cultural & technological world.

Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education
The Navajo Nation Board of Education is an 11 member board instructed to oversee the operations of schools on the Navajo Nation & exercise regulatory functions & duties over education programs on the Navajo Nation. It was established by the Navajo Nation education code, Title 10 which was enacted in July 2005 by Navajo Nation Council.

The board acts to promote the goals of the Navajo Sovereignty in Education Act of 2005 which include the establishment & management of a Navajo Nation Department of Diné Education, to confirm the commitment of the Navajo Nation to the education of the Navajo People, to repeal obsolete language & to update & reorganize the existing language of Titles 10 & 2 of the Navajo Nation Code.

It is the educational mission of the Navajo Nation to promote & foster lifelong learning for the Navajo people, & to protect the culture integrity & sovereignty of the Navajo Nation. A Navajo Nation Board of Education meeting is scheduled the first Friday of every month.

Through a ballot election process, the Board realigned their officers in 2006. The new officers are:
Jimmie C. Begay - President
Rebecca Benally - Vice President
Vee F. Brown - Secretary
Maijorie Dodge-Teacher representative.

Other members include elected representatives from Eastern Navajo Agency, Dolly C. Begay: Western Agency, Dr. Dolly Manson; Ft. Defiance Agency, Katherine Arviso; & Shiprock Agency, Virgil Kirk, Jr. Presidential-appointed members are Juanita Benally-Navajo Culture Representative, .

Government
Diné government is unique in several ways. The Navajo Nation is divided into five Agencies. These are similar to counties & match the five Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) agencies which support the Nation. The smallest political units are the Chapters, similar to towns. The Navajo Nation Council presently consists of 88 delegates representing the 110 Chapters, elected every four years by registered Navajo voters. As reorganized in 1991, the Nation's government at the capital in Window Rock has a three branch system: Executive, Legislative, & Judicial.

The United States still asserts plenary power to require the Navajo Nation to submit all proposed laws to the United States Secretary of the Interior for Secretarial Review, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Most conflicts & controversies between the federal government & the Nation are settled by negotiation & by political agreements. Laws of the Navajo Nation are currently codified in the Navajo Tribal Code. The Bureau of Indian Affairs maintains five Indian Agencies within the Navajo Indian Reservation: Chinle, Eastern, Western, Fort Defiance, & Shiprock. The Agencies provide various technical services under direction of the BIA's Navajo Area Office in Gallup, New Mexico.

Local & federal law enforcement agencies that routinely work within the Navajo Nation include the Navajo Division of Public Safety, with the Navajo Nation Police (formerly the "Navajo Tribal Police"), the BIA Police, & the Federal Bureau of Investigation

Navajos making a sandpaintingThe Navajo governing council continues a historical practice of prohibiting alcohol sales within reservation boundaries. For some visitors of the area — often attracted by the Indian jewelry trade, by tourist attractions or by Interstate Highway 40 that passes through the area. Leaders & some member groups actively oppose the sale of alcohol, & have taken several measures to find & offer treatment for those members who are suffering from alcoholism.

There is no private land ownership within the Navajo Nation - all land is owned in common & administered by the Nation's government. Leases are made both to customary land users (for homesites, grazing, & other uses) & to organizations, including the BIA & other federal agencies, churches & other religious organizations, & businesses.

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley, Jr. addressed the Navajo Nation Council in the annual State of the Navajo Nation Address on January 24, 2005 & presented his conviction to develop a new governing document for the Navajo Nation. President Shirley, who campaigned to return government to the Diné by government reform, stated that the document must establish the structure & authority of a central government. The Navajo Nation, being organized under a code, is subject to the Bureau of Indian Affairs unlike some other Indian nations that do not need BIA approval for most actions.

Political leadership
Office of President & Vice-President

2007-Present — Navajo Nation President — Joe Shirley Jr.
Navajo Nation Vice-President — Ben Shelly
2006-2002 — NN President — Joe Shirley Jr. (D)
NN Vice-President — Frank Dayish Jr. (R)
2002-1998 — NN President — Kelsey A. Begaye (D)
NN Vice-President — Dr. Taylor McKenzie (D)
1998-1998 — NN President — Milton Bluehouse Sr. (D)
1998-1994 — NN President — Albert Hale (D)
NN Vice-President — Thomas Atcitty (D)
1994-1991 — NN President — Peterson Zah (D)
NN Vice-President — Marshall Plummer
1991-1989 — NN Chairman — Leonard Haskie (Interim)
1988-1987 — NN Chairman — Peter Mcdonald (R)
NN Vice-Chairman — Johnny R. Thompson (D)
1987-1983 — NN Chairman — Peterson Zah (D)
NN Vice-Chairman — Edward T. Begaye (D)

2006 Elections
Eleven (11) candidates ran in the 2006 Primary Elections:

Joe Shirley Jr. (Chinle)
Frank Dayish Jr. (Shiprock)
Ernest Harry Begay (Rock Point)
Lynda Lovejoy (Crownpoint)
James Henderson (Ganado)
Calvin Tsosie (Yatahey)
Wilbur Nelson (?)
Harrison Todichinii (Shiprock)
Vern Lee (Kirtland)
The Primary winners faced off in the General Elections in November 2006:

Joe Shirley Jr. Chinle
Lynda Lovejoy Crownpoint
In 2006, Lynda Lovejoy was the first woman to ever make it to the General elections in modern Navajo Nation History, squaring off against President Shirley. Three days after the primaries Lynda Lovejoy selected Walter Phelps Jr. of Leupp, Arizona as her running mate. The following day Dr. Shirley selected Councilman Bennie Shelly of Thoreau, New Mexico as his running mate. Both side of the campaign teams ran strong platforms winning the minds of the Navajo people

21st Navajo Nation Council
The 21st Navajo Nation Council convene immediately after the inauguration of the 6th President of the Navajo Nation, the Honorable Joe Shirley Jr. was once again sworn in as President for a 2nd term, with Vice-President elect Councilmen Ben Shelly.

Two term Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, the Honorable Lawrence T. Morgan ran for a 3rd term as Speaker of the Council, while running against Fort Defiance Council Delegate Harold Waneka in a run-off. Speaker Morgan captured a 3rd consecutive win, as Speaker of the 21st Navajo Nation Council.

In April 2006, Navajo Nation Council Speaker Lawrence Morgan faced a charge of criminal battery when he struck Council Delegate Mark Maryboy.

Aneth Chapter members had demanded Morgan issue a public apology, following the bathroom scuffle. Speaker Morgan ignored the Aneth meeting, overall never presenting himself.

Morgan stayed off the reservation for a period of time afterward to avoid possible arrest.

Notable Council Delegates
Kenneth Maryboy (Aneth/Red Mesa//Mexican Water)

Davis Filfred (Aneth/Red Mesa//Mexican Water)
Young Jeff Tom (Mariano Lake/Smith Lake)
Lorenzo Bates {Upper Fruitland)
Larry Anderson Sr. (Fort Defiance)
Councilmen George Arthur (San Juan, Burnham, Nahenezad)
Ray Berchman (St. Michael/Oaksprings)
Ervin Keeswood (Tse Daakaan)
Hope Mcdonald-Lonetree (Tuba City/Coalmine Canyon)
Johnny Naize (Tselani/Cottonwood/Nazlini)
Harold Wauneka (Fort Defiance)
Former Council Delegate Mark Maryboy(Aneth/Red Mesa//Mexican Water)

Past Speakers of the Navajo Nation Council
Nelson Gorman Jr. (Chinle)
Kelsey A Begaye (Kaibito)
Edward T Begay (Churchrock)
Lawrence T. Morgan (Pinedale/Iyanibito)

Government issues

Navajo flocks
Navajo weaver at loom
Navajo children

Economy
The Navajo Nation economy includes traditional endeavors such as sheep & cattle herding, fiber production, weaving, jewelry making, & art trading. Newer industries that employ members include coal & uranium mining, though the uranium market slowed near the end of the 20th century. The Navajo Nation's extensive mineral resources are among the most valuable held by Native American nations within the United States. The Navajo government employs hundreds in civil service & administrative jobs. One important business within the reservation is the operation of arts & crafts shops, selling handmade crafts. Other Navajo members work at retail stores & other businesses within the Nation's reservation or in nearby towns. Until 2004, the Navajo Nation had declined to join other Native American (indigenous) nations within the United States who have opened casinos. That year, the nation signed a compact with the state of New Mexico to operate a casino at To'hajiilee, near Albuquerque. Navajo leaders also negotiated with Arizona state officials in talks that could lead to casinos near Flagstaff, Lake Powell, Winslow, Sanders (Nahata Dziil Chapter), & Cameron (Grand Canyon entrance).

The Black Mesa & Lake Powell railroad serves one of the coal mines in the Dine region, carrying coal to the Navajo Generating Station at Page, Arizona. Another mine in the area, Peabody Energy's Black Mesa coal mine near Kayenta, a controversial strip mine, was shut down on December 31, 2005 for its emission credits. This mine fed the Mojave Generating Station at Laughlin, NV, via a slurry pipeline that used water from the Black Mesa aquifer.

Housing & transportation
Currently, Navajo Housing Authority, the tribally designated housing entity for the Navajo Nation, has begun construction of new homes on the Navajo Nation with new materials which are more cost-effective & less prone to fire damage. Among the six agencies of the Navajo Nation, NHA housing developments exist. There is also the option for many families to build scattered-site homes on their traditional homesite lease.

"Hooghan," means the home for Navajos & it is the center of learning, & the traditional style of home of the Navajo is the hogan. Most modern housing in the Navajo Nation is detached single-family homes & mobile homes. Most homes in the Navajo Nation were built in the 1960s, 1970s, or 1980s, although older built homes do exist. Single-family homes are mostly rural-styled homes constructed of wood. Because many homes do not have access to natural gas & electricity, most homes use wood or propane for heat & cooking.

Due to the reservation's remote geographic location, many structures do not have telephone or public utility services & lack complete kitchen or plumbing facilities. However, infrastructure development has grown significantly through the years, affording Navajo families the modern conveniences of DSL, satellite television & even wireless access in some communities. The government subsidized phone program has brought even the most remote locations of the reservation in contact with the rest of the Navajo Nation.

Roads within the reservation vary in condition. Most federally operated U.S. highways are in excellent condition year-round & are suitable for vehicles of any size. Roads are generally unpaved in many rural areas & small villages. In the central parts of the Navajo Nation, near the Black Mesa (Arizona), roads are often only poorly maintained, & are sometimes in nearly unusable condition after very heavy rains. In general, except for the most remote regions, road conditions in the Navajo Nation are usually acceptable for routine use.

Health
Several types of cancer are in evidence at rates higher than the national average on the Four Corners Navajo Reservation. (Raloff, 2004) Especially high are the rates of reproductive-organ cancers in teenage Navajo girls, averaging seventeen times higher than the average of girls in the United States.

It has been suspected that uranium mines, both active & abandoned, have released dust into the surrounding air & the water supply. Studies done on mice, exposing them to a soluble form of uranium similar to what might enter groundwater from the mines, showed heavy increases in estrogen levels which might explain the increased cancer levels among Navajo girls. The amount of uranium given to the mice was half the level permitted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, & one-tenth the level found in some wells on the Navajo reservation.

Diabetes mellitus is a major health problem among the Navajo, Hopi & Pima tribes, about four times higher than the age-standardized U.S. estimate. Medical researchers believe increased consumption of carbohydrates, coupled with genetic factors, play significant roles in the emergence of this chronic disease.

Uranium
From 1944 to 1986, 3.9 million tons of uranium ore were chiseled & blasted from the mountains & plains. The mines provided uranium for the Manhattan Project, the top-secret effort to develop an atomic bomb, & for the weapons stockpile built up during the arms race with the Soviet Union.

Private companies operated the mines with the U.S. government as the sole customer. The boom lasted through the early 1960s. As the threat of the Cold War gradually diminished over the next two decades, four processing mills & more than 1,000 mines on tribal land shut down, leaving behind radioactive waste piles, open tunnels & pits. Few bothered to fence the properties or post warning signs. Federal inspectors seldom intervened.

Over the decades, Navajos residing in the area inhaled radioactive dust from the waste piles, borne aloft by desert winds. They drank water contaminated from rain filled abandoned pit mines. They watered their herds, then butchered the animals & ate the meat.

Clean-up Efforts
Despite efforts made in cleaning up uranium sites, significant problems stemming from the legacy of uranium development still exist today on the Navajo Nation in the states of Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, & Arizona. Hundreds of abandoned mines have not been cleaned up & present environmental & health risks in many Navajo communities.

In addition, Navajo communities now have to face proposed new uranium solution mining that threatens the only source of drinking water for 10,000 to 15,000 people living in the Eastern Navajo Agency in northwestern New Mexico. The Southwest Research & Information Center (SRIC) aims to provide the public with information on resource exploitation on the people & their cultures, lands, water, & air of the American Southwest.