50 Years Ago

There was some bad news on the culture front 50 years ago this week as the Office of Navajo Economic Opportunity announced that it was closing its Navajo Culture Office, which had been headed by Carl Gorman, Navajo Code Talker, famous artist and cultural expert, for the previous two years.

The decision by the Navajo Tribe to expel the head of DNA-People’s Legal Services from the reservation had finally made it to federal court.

Navajo Tribal Chairman Raymond Nakai did something this month that no tribal leader has done in the past: He invited the heads of some 60 companies that do business with the tribe to a special meeting he held at the Window Rock Civic Center.

The new Navajo Community College is scheduled to open next January and a decision has been made as to where the students will be housed until dormitories are built.

Formal negotiations got underway 50 years ago in an effort to resolve the Ted Mitchell situation, the Navajo Times reported.