Tompkins becomes first Navajo Board of Trustee of an Ivy League school

The first Navajo to become a United States Solicitor, Hilary Tompkins of Zuni, New Mexico, recently became the first Navajo to become a member of a Board of Trustees for Dartmouth College, an ivy league institution founded for the education of Native Americans.  (The Board of Trustees is the governing board of the college.)  The school also honored her an honorary doctorate for her legal work.  She assisted with the $554 million dollar Cobell settlement that the United States government agreed to pay the Navajo Nation for the Settlement.  Some of the money went into the Navajo Nation's infrastructure such as roads and water lines.  Way to go Tompkins!

Horseherder On The Rise

Navajo Nation's Nicole Horseherder of Big Mountain, Arizona has made Elle Fashion Magazine's "27 Women Leading the Charge to Protect Our Environment."  Horsehorder is the CEO of the non-profit, To Nizhoni Ani.  Horseherder is being recognized for helping the Navajo Nation wean from the dependence on the coal industry that was once Peabody Coal Company into a 100% renewable portfolio. She is also trying to make sure the company cleans up its waste before it leaves the Black Mesa region. (here)  She is up in the ranks with women like Shailein Woodley.   Way to go Nicole!

New Navajo tourism website selling culture

I like the new Navajo Nation tourism website's efforts to increase tourism.  (https://travelnavajoonline.com/) But it shows foreign tourists how to participate in an authentic Navajo ceremony.  The article reads:

"In addition to the well-known destinations on Navajo, the site has stories about lesser known destinations, including things to know about the Navajo culture, how and where to watch an authentic ceremony, travel and safety tips, Navajo foods and where to buy, authentic Native American jewelry, hiking opportunities and others. A user can also access a Google map to each of these locations."

Navajo ceremonies are for Navajos.  Navajo ceremonies are not for outsiders.  The author of the new Navajo Nation tourism website should  not be selling out our Navajo ceremonies.  If anything, our own young Dine people need to be participating and relearning these ceremonies, not foreigners.  There is a reason why our ceremonies are private.

Naltsoos Sani copy being returned to Dine

I heard a copy of the Navajo Treaty has been donated to the Navajo Nation.  This is wonderful news.  A family in Massachusettes had the treaty in their possession in their attic.  The document keeper stated, "My heart knew right away that it should go to the Navajos..."  (here)