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Begaye facing big hurdles on Rez
Begaye facing big hurdles on Rez
ARIZONA – Even the winner concedes the election was mishandled.
But Navajo Nation President-elect Russell Begaye isn’t looking back. He and his vice presidential running mate Jonathan Nez want to start attracting more private investment and businesses to the Rez, the better to bring home Navajos now living and working off the Rez.
That’s an admirable goal, given an unemployment rate above 40…
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Among the Navajos, a Renewed Debate About Gay Marriage
Among the Navajos, a Renewed Debate About Gay Marriage
NEW MEXICO – Tradition reigns here on the Navajo reservation, where the words of elders are treated as gospel and many people still live or pray in circular dwellings called hogans.
The national debate over gay marriage, however, is prompting some Navajos to re-examine a 2005 tribal law called the Dine Marriage Act, which prohibits same-sex unions on the reservation. Among the tribal politicians…
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For many members exhausted by years of seemingly intractable poverty, Mr. Deschene seemed like a way forward. Then, days before the election, Mr. Deschene was disqualified, after a lawsuit called his Diné fluency into question. The disqualification unleashed a tit-for-tat legal battle that consumed the three branches of the tribal government, with the Legislature eventually voting to nullify the primary and start over. Navajo voters began to tire of the soap opera. “It’s a mess,” Mr. Shirley said in a telephone interview. He did not attend the inauguration, instead tending to business in his hometown, Chinle. The nullification was quickly challenged in tribal court, and it remains unclear when an election will be held, who will run, and whether the fluency requirement will remain.
Navajos Face Leadership Crisis as Lawmakers Take Office, Minus a New President - NYTimes.com
History was made late last night in the Navajo Nation, with a change in tribal election law that allows Chris Deschene (above) to remain a candidate in the presidential race. Deschene had been ordered off the ballot as a result of not being fluent in the Navajo language - something that's required of the president. But the tribal council voted late last night to amend the language requirement.
The issue of the language requirement has been highly controversial in the Navajo Nation, which is the largest Indian reservation in the U.S. Virtually all Navajos agree on the importance of the language in maintaining the culture, but many in the younger generations say it's through no fault of their own that they are not fluent, and they should not be disqualified from leadership roles. (Hear some background on why many are not fluent here.) Deschene refused to take a fluency test throughout the controversy, but also demonstrated that he was making an effort to improve his proficiency in the language.
Candace Begody, the editor of the Navajo Times - the only newspaper on the reservation - talked to Here & Now host Robin Young about how people have reacted to the historic law change, and what both older and younger generations feel is at stake. Hear the interview here.
-Rachel
Day 20: The Navajo Nation
Most of today has been spent editing, but when I ventured out for a late lunch, I had the pleasant surprise of running into Navajo Nation presidential candidate Chris Deschene. I recognized him from photos. He's at the center of a divisive debate over the Navajo language, and whether fluency is a requirement to become president. His candidacy is being challenged, and the tribe's Office of Hearing and Appeals is meeting tomorrow morning to hear the case. Mr. Deschene didn't have time for an interview, but it was nice to speak with him as he went from one meeting to the next.
For lunch, we ventured to the neighboring town of Fort Defiance. Out the window of the restaurant, we saw kids coming home from school, and noticed a number of them with skateboards pass by. We discovered a top notch skate park just around the corner. I talked with the one skateboarder who was over 18, and the other kids seemed to get a kick out of it, asking if I could take their photos.
Tomorrow I expect to finish posting all of the audio I've collected in the Navajo Nation, and start heading north to Utah.
-Rachel
