Columns

We are the spokespersons for the Diné Hataałii Association Inc. and the Diné Medicine Men Association Inc., respectively. Both organizations met on Sunday, May 17, 2026, to review the Navajo Government Development Commission government reform proposal titled “Diyin Nohookáá Diné’é Bi Beehaz’aanii Bitsí Siléi Sa’ah Nagháí Bik’eh Hózhóón – Collective Will.”

Acoma people have stood and walked upon these lands for more than a thousand years. Aakʼu, our home that was prepared for us after our epic migration, is our identity, our covenant with the Earth, and the living inheritance of every generation of Aak’u meh Hanu’tra, Acoma People, who came before us and every child who will follow. Our name is not a brand. It is not a marketing tool, and it is not available for corporate appropriation.

Re-envisioning humanity’s relationship to nature, authentic Native knowledge, and advancing scientific frameworks is deserving of rediscovery and serious attention. Our systemic traditional knowledge has always been our guiding light, deeply embedded in our worldview, our interpretation of the natural world, and its profound link to contemporary science.

As chief prosecutor of the Navajo Nation, I want to begin with this: most deepfake videos, nearly 90 percent, are not criminal. They may be misleading or in poor taste, but they do not cross the threshold of the law.