Now, I get involved in making sure those close to me will receive a token gift during Christmas. And I participate in my family Christmas happiness.
I just wanted to share the following information about sacred gifts being delivered by Diné Holy People in their time and a small teaching of giving from the Diné Blessing Way view.
In their time, the Diné Holy People put out and donated many priceless properties. It amounted to where one cannot carry it. A spiritual blessing occurred, thus made the abundance of properties into a ball with a loop to carry it. The Talking God was instructed by other deities to give their gift to the first twins. These twins were now residing in the first hogan atop now Tsoodzil (Mount Taylor). This hogan already had a Blessing Way blessing. (This is where a Blessing Way blessing of a new home originated).
When the gift for the twin sisters arrived at their hogan by Talking God, the twin sisters laid out a priceless material for the gift. The gift was placed on the material.
The Talking God sang sacred property songs and performed a Blessing Way mountain smoke over the gift he gave. As Talking God and Twin Sisters were giving offering with their corn pollen and white and yellow corn for their sacred existence, the gift wrapping unfolded and multiplied with many valuable items of all elements of sacred stones which we value today, of valuable items of hides, and they embraced each other with happiness.
The Christmas activities observed today probably channeled into our Diné way of life many, many moons and many, many years ago.
In my time, I was instructed Diné wealth lies in one's children and grandchildren. The Diné Blessing Way teaches the properties, money, and valuables that an individual has been blessed with is an added fortune. If it gets plenty, you share it.
Our most precious gift from our Creator is our life. We cherish it, take care of it, and we respect our lives with beauty and sacredness as we travel our sacred lifeline. We do this humbly with our daily prayers, thanking our beloved Holy People (God) for our lives, for our spouses, for our children, grandchildren, our family, our wealth, our job, etc.
Our gifts lie within us, we don't see it, but we see it through our unity of love, k'e, and respect which are within us as we travel our sacred lifeline. I believe my number one gift is saying "I love you" to my wife, my children, my grandchildren, and the rest of my family on a continuous basis.
I wish everyone a nice, safe, and happy-face holidays for many years to come.
Richard Anderson Sr.
Crownpoint, N.M.
We must re-create our Nation
Jack Ahasteen's Dec. 12 Navajo Times cartoon "The Grinch that stole Christmas" was about Council Speaker Johnny Naize's alleged stealing of discretionary funds. It matched Ed Becenti's letter to the editor "Navajo culture and corruption culture." The Times did first-rate journalism and a great service to the people by publishing these two things.
A recent Farmington Daily Times editorial was entitled "Did Council delegates steal from the poor?" Alan Balaran, former Navajo Nation special prosecutor, mostly answered this in September 2011. "There are some beautiful people here. They just happen to be run by the biggest bunch of gangsters ever. The level of thievery, the level of heartlessness they show toward their own people is unmatched by anything I've ever seen or read."
All Diné must learn the hard truth about our government. A free press is the foundation of a free people. We need a lot more of both. The Navajo Times and KTNN radio can be part of the solution by reporting more of the most important news.
Edmund Burke, a British supporter of America's Revolution, once said, "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." There are thousands of good Diné men and women who can do something about the evil here.
Mr. Becenti says the Navajo Department of Justice's control has to stop and honest leaders must be elected; if not this evil will never end. Lawyers have controlled our economy and government since the 1930s, and our government and economy are failures.
On Dec. 15, Senator John McCain said on TV's "Face the Nation," "They're tired of corruption. They're tired of a bad economy. They need our help."
But he was talking about the former Soviet Republic of the Ukraine and was worried for the Ukrainians, not us. Becenti's letter reports McCain is part of the Navajo corruption and bad economy. McCain and politicians like him are tangled up with the corporations and Navajo DOJ. They work with our corrupt leaders to keep us down so the corporations and states can exploit our water and energy resources.
Bilagáanas like to point to Navajo patriotism for America. Why can't we have Navajo patriotism for the Navajo Nation? We need more informed voting. We must reject any 2014 candidates who won't agree to remove the corrupt DOJ lawyers who control our government and economy.
Stanley Pollack, the worst one, manipulates alleged corrupt leaders, like former Resources Committee chairman George Arthur, in ways that get them to give away billions of dollars worth of our water rights. We can't survive without our full agricultural, industrial, and municipal rights. Pollack has the Water Commission and Council surrendering nearly all our agricultural and industrial rights in Arizona and Utah.
We seem to always let history happen to us. It's time for the Diné to take over and make our own new history.
The lawyers, good and bad, had every chance to positively influence our leaders for 80 years. But Becenti is also right that DOJ and the outsider interests promote and benefit from Navajo chaos and corruption.
Corruption in Window Rock is like having a big rattlesnake enter the door of the Diné hogan, imprisoning the people. The head is DOJ and the body is corrupt officials, elected and appointed. To save the people the head must be severed. As long as Pollack and those like him stay here and in control we will never outgrow the corruption they promote or allow to occur so we stay weak and easy to exploit. They are leading us to political, cultural, and economic ruin.
Present and future generations deserve better. There's no choice left. We Diné must rise up and take patriotic action and re-create an honorable Navajo Nation.
Bryon Huskon
Window Rock, Ariz.
Merry Christmas from Navajo County
On behalf of our families, the Navajo County Board of Supervisors, and Navajo County family, we extend in the wonderful spirit of Christmas, joyous greetings to you across Navajo land, loved ones living afar, and especially those serving in our military armed forces.
As we celebrate the holiday season, let us do so with thanks for the simple blessings we hold close to our hearts and the serenity and beauty of our lands.
And as we give thanks for our collective good, let us not lose sight of the less fortunate among us. Some of us face uncertain and challenging times from personal loss, to economic troubles, to the freezing winter months. Our compassion as a people followed with our spirit of selfless acts ushers in a new year of hope and opportunity for our communities. It always has and it certainly will.
We keep in our prayers the courageous women and men who have devoted their lives to the protection of our land, our people, and our way of life, from the time of our emergence to the present day. Their commitment to the defense of our homelands and the security of our country we acknowledge to the fullest. While we may not be able to convey our heartfelt sentiments to our soldiers during the holidays, we can extend our sincerest thanks to their loving families here. May the spirit of Christmas fill our hearts with warmth and love as we give thanks to our Creator and look forward to a safe, healthy and happy New Year.
Jonathan M. Nez
Jesse Thompson
Navajo County Board of Supervisors