Summary Of We Will Secure Our Future Empowering The Navajo Nation

Kristofic and Darren started Ganado Primary School. Kristofic was teased by being called “Bilagáana” (The white Apple) and bullied by his classmates (Kristofic, 2011, pp.8-10). As days went by, Kristofic started making new friends and did not hate Ganado so much anymore. He learned things he never knew before. He first learned, that Navajos are not Indians (Kristofic, 2011, p.13) and Navajos are called “Dine” (Kristofic, 2011, p.47). As years went by, Kristofic started to appreciate the culture, tradition, and started to learn the language. Within the first few years, Kristofic’s mother dated a Navajo man and married him. Kristofic mother had two children for him. A girl called Yanabah (Kristofic, 2011, p.99), and a boy called Glen (Kristofic, 2011, p.120). After graduating middle school in Ganado, Kristofic and his family moved to the Navajo Generating Station outside Page, Arizona (Kristofic, 2011, p.125). His mother got another job in this location to be able to have college savings for both her sons. Kristofic and Darren both attended Page High School.

Education has been a topic of controversy for many years now, and will continue to be for years to come. The modern American society is best defined by its education. A good part of the average person’s life is spent at school, going to school, and paying for school. However, even though education is so obviously very important, there are many groups in America that are getting shorted. The Native Americans are a key group that has struggled the most. The largest obstacle they face is lack of proper education. The standard educational practices being used for the instruction of Native American peoples are not effective. There are many pieces to this road-block, and many solutions. This can be rectified by having more culturally

The Navajo society is a culture rich in tradition. They value the close knit relationship with their family and have a great appreciation for the land. They fought to preserve their way of life, resulting in high values in; kinship, lifestyle, religious beliefs, and their rites of passage.

Let’s start with the language portion of the Peoplehood matrix and the affects that settler colonialism has had on Navajo. In Peoplehood, it is stated that the language portion of the Peoplehood matrix is “a group-particular language, by way of its nuances, references, and grammar, gives a sacred history a meaning of its own, particularly if origin, creation, migration, and other stories are spoken rather than written” (Holm, et al. pg. 13). Especially in the late nineteenth century, Navajo children like many other indigenous children were sent to boarding schools. Settler colonialism resulted in a need to as Native Words Native Warriors puts it “eliminate traditional American Indian ways of life and replace them with mainstream American culture.”

Throughout Indian Country tribes have their own courts to address legal matters. However, the Navajo Nation has a court system that stands apart from other tribes. Howard L. Brown Esq. wrote, “The Navajo Nation’s Peacemaker Division: An Integrated Community-Based Dispute Resolution Forum” which was published in the American Indian Law Review 1999-2000 issue and was reprinted in the May/July 2002 issue of Dispute Resolution Journal. As a former judicial law clerk for the Supreme Court of the Navajo Nation, Brown gained firsthand experience with the Peacemaker Division within the Navajo Nation’s Judicial Branch. He details the history, development and ceremonies associated with this resolution forum. Two

A leader must be able to connect with the people he or she is leading. It is the responsibility of a leader to bring together the people and resources needed to move forward or grow. Leadership is measured by its ability to generate and direct movement.

This was a very important report because prior to it, Native American children were being sent to boarding schools were their heritage was frowned upon. “Recommendations included building day schools in Native American communities and the reform of boarding schools for Native American children.” (Parkay, F. 2001) This report was considered a landmark one because of the issues it highlighted of the educational issues plaguing the Native American community at the

Indeed it is important to stress the point that in many tribes and in many reservations there is not a unified consensus regarding engagement with the United States or its culture. Many Native Americans are understandably worried about education, jobs, assimilation and healthcare

The Treaty of 1849 was the initial contacts between the United States and the Navajo. This treaty allowed for fort and trading posts to be developed in Navajo land, with this agreement the US promised “donations, presents, and implements, and adopt such other liberal and humane measures, as said Government may deem meet and proper.” (Indian Affairs Laws and Treaties, n.d.).

Chapter four A Creation Story introduces the Senate Bill 1365 now revised into two laws ARS 15-341 and ARS 15-710, Albert Hale former Navajo Nation president and Arizona State Senator introduced Bill 1365 in 2004. His intentions behind SB 1365 was to eradicate the so called mutual respect between dominant society and Native Americans specifically Dine people. In order for respect to be reciprocal dominant society needs to know who we are as Dine people as well as our history, government, culture and sovereignty. As the bill is transitioning through the process of being approved there were issues the AZ state board did not agree with. They only approved the history to be taught because they keep control of what they want society to know about us. Just like sovereignty as Native Nation we are semi-sovereign meaning we do not have all the requirements of a sovereign nation. But the two main powers we exercise is self –government, and taxing revenue through gaming. Native American has been a huge part of who we are as Native Nations the

On March 26, 2016, the American Indian Student Association held a Powwow at the University of Oklahoma at the Lloyd Noble Center. This event was the 102nd of its kind at the university. It started at 2pm and continued on until midnight. I arrived after the Gourd Dance and food around 6:30 pm.

Board Member, Cindy La Marr and others were aware D-QU lacked management skill and the university was having difficulty reaching out to Indian students, but chose not to do anything about it. “I could see it coming many years ago. Many people were fearful of attaching their name or reputation to the school. It’s a big frustration” (Capriccioso, 2006, par. 3).

Indigenous activist Madonna Thunder Hawk will be coming to Denison’s campus on April 4-6th. After a lifetime of community organizing for indigenous rights liberation for marginalized communities, she has been a key organizer behind the Standing Rock occupation in North Dakota.

To establish rapport, I made contact with the head of the Native American student council at EOU and attended one of the Speel-Ya Club meetings on campus to get to know some of the native students. The project was explained and discussed with them through e-mail. They were particularly helpful in informing me of the Speel-Ya Club meetings and sending word to native students about my project. My subjects were interviewed face to face via digital voice recorder or email interview if they felt uncomfortable with having their voice recorded. I kept in mind that “it may be surprising when Native Americans are reluctant to engage in a proposed research project, even if the outcome is anticipated to be beneficial” (Harding, et al.

Lummi Community College was renamed Northwest Indian College and, with Theresa’s tutelage on both the Board of Directors and on the Northwest Indian College Foundation Board, the two-year community college expanded to a four-year institution in 2007. Theresa’s patient, persistent, and positive way of dealing with difficult and challenging tasks was recently described by her nephew Mike Peters who has often relied on her wise