Letters: Calling all retired social workers

This is an open letter to my retired colleagues – licensed social workers who worked for years directly with our people within the Navajo Nation.

We have a challenge – to recapitulate our past work experiences and use them as valuable information to recommend choices and alternative responses to current social challenges.

How do we, as Diné people, respond to reports of hate and violence in the news and media every day?

We have direct knowledge of situations that evolved over the decades with individuals, families, communities, our nation and the numerous trial/efforts offered to remedy the pains and problems. However, we lack focused assessment of the social problems, have not identified core values at risk or offered alternative approaches.

We are in a unique situation being a member of the Navajo Nation, exposed to the core cultural value of k’e and hozho, educated at college level, licensed (certified) as a professional and with extended work experience tending to the diverse social problems with individuals, families and communities.

Now we are retired but we have unfinished business. We have knowledge of the past and witnessed the pain – we are not naive to the pain endured by the people. With retirement, we stepped away for a while but now have a choice to share our ideas of potential realistic solutions.

When yet a child, were we not challenged by our parents and grandparents as they released us to be educated to learn with hopes and confidence that one day we will return to help? Do we have insights on what to share? Do we have the will to share our wisdom?

This letter is an invitation to share your wisdom, a challenge to volunteer and participate in such a unique adventure – potential is unlimited when groups of LBSW, LMSW, LISW and LCSW convene.

When, where and how are the beginnings?

Contact me at my mailing address (P.O. Box 2957, Shiprock, NM 87420) if you are interested. I trust and look forward to your comments, questions and recommendations.

Nancy R. Evans
Shiprock, N.M.

Keep saying ‘no’ to Escalade project

I am an elderly registered voter of the Bodaway/Gap Chapter in Western Navajo Agency and reside along the rim of the Grand Canyon. I have lived and was raised there by my grandparents.

My grandparent’s grandparents also were born and raised there in the same area they proposed to build the Grand Canyon Escalade Project.

I am a grazing permittee in the area, Permit No. 3-2129, and my house is there on my home site lease, No. 33,491.

There are also 57 other relatives that live in the area that have grazing permits and home-site leases who have never given their consent to the Escalade Project. We were never properly consulted and we will never give our consent for this project, that will not benefit us or our children.

The project will only benefit the developers from outside the Navajo Nation and investors from across the oceans. I believe it is only a retirement plan for Lamar Whitemar and Albert Hale.

They plan to steal 420 acres of land where we live and graze our livestock. The Grand Canyon Escalade developers and supporters have been dishonest and very disrespectful to us as elders that live in the area affected.

These decisions to build the Escalade were done in Window Rock and Scottsdale, Arizona, against our wishes and to date, we continue to be disrespectful.

I want to also thank the Navajo Nation Council that visited our chapter and voted not to approve the Grand Canyon Escalade. The Law and Order Committee, Budget and Finance Committee, and the Naa’bik’iyati Committee all voted “no.”

The Resources and Development Committee tabled the legislation so there is no support for the Escalade Project and we respectfully request the Navajo Nation Council at their fall session to say “no” again to the Grand Canyon Escalade Project.

We plead that you as Council delegates listen to us elders and continue to say “no.” Thank you.

Earlene Reid
Tuba City, Ariz.

Do not touch Permanent Trust Fund

I have been wondering about how many irrational thinking looney tunes or cuckoos we have serving on the tribal Council.

Thank you and allow me to comment on the Council’s proposed referendum to dip into Navajo Nation’s Permanent Trust Fund to fund the Transportation Stimulus Plan for road improvements.

First, I would like to say you can’t fix stupidity so vote “no” on the referendum to withdraw $216 million from the Permanent Trust Fund for the Transportation Stimulus Plan.

Who the heck crafted this referendum? It’s not suitable or feasible at this time. A “no” vote is extremely important for several reasons.

As currently road improvement and building new highways is the federal government’s statutory obligation as well as the state and county.

A “yes” vote on the referendum will set a very dangerous precedent on the current funding from federal government, state and county. There is a strong possibility these funding agencies will scale back funding or eliminate it totally thinking the Navajo Nation can now take care of its own road improvements and maintenance and no longer need the funding they have been providing.

I agree there is an unprecedented need for road improvements and maintenance on the Navajo Nation but we can’t afford to lose outside funding by voting “yes” on the referendum. We just need to shake up the agency road committees if they still exist and the Navajo Nation Department of Transportation to become more proactive and take an active approach in addressing our road improvement needs.

As I understand the intent of establishing the Permanent Trust Fund was for our children and their children in mind. The plan was carefully developed by our former tribal leaders in 1986 and wisely undertaken.

My message to the tribal Council is do not touch the Permanent Trust Fund if you have desire to be re-elected in the 2018 tribal election. Don’t be traitor and lose your seat.

Finally, I would like to ask, did our tribal leaders become mathematically insane (and) narrow-minded in crafting the referendum?

The Navajo Nation Gaming Commission appears to be a profitable entity according to the last quarterly report to the tribal Council. Instead of spending millions of dollars on expanding the Twin Arrows Resort and Casino, why not dip into the casino pot for road improvements? Doing so is better than dipping into the Permanent Trust Fund.

Thank you for affording me this opportunity to comment on the proposed referendum.

Vern Charleston
Farmington, N.M.

Thanks for your help

The children of Faye Williams-Fernando want to thank everyone for your donations of time and money. With all your help, our mother was laid to rest according to her wishes. Ahéhee’ shikéi dóó shidine’é baa ahééh nisin.

The Barton, Fernando, Lucero and Pierson families
Chandler, Ariz.

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