Letters | Paper tiger
Paper tiger
Editor,
As we see our brothers and sisters declare their candidacy, we see a mirror held to the Nation, asking whether we will carry our future or remain content with the ruins. The Navajo Nation government is the paper tiger – formidable in appearance, but toothless in action, impressive from a distance, useless up close.
On paper, it claims authority over vast lands, resources and programs. In practice, it is entangled in bureaucracy, reactive rather than proactive, and unable to deliver the decisive leadership our people deserve.
K’é, once the bloodline of kinship and obligation, is now invoked as a shield for nepotism, cronyism and cowardice. Hózhǫ́, once the balance of life, is reduced to a campaign phrase, abused while the world burns outside the Chamber doors. The sacred terms our ancestors carried in prayer are now wielded like slogans, gutted of their weight.
The people did not elect curators of process; they demanded defenders of the future – not just the farce of “Yideesk’ą́ądi Nitsáhákees,” turquoise pins, challenge coins and memorandums without action. Instead, we are given paper walls that buckle with every gust of hardship: the Rothstein Donatelli investigation, ZenniHome, “Promises to pay,” employee turnover. A government that cannot provide over a full term is not a government at all – it is a mask, a hollow beast that terrifies its own people. A government that hides behind its paperwork and press releases is no government at all.
Council sessions, even state of the Navajo Nation addresses, are a theatre of futility. Naat’áanii (those on the floor, at the presenter’s table and in the gallery) preen in turquoise and silver, tongues sharp with rhetoric, hands limp with action. They polish our sovereignty like a trinket for display, while our communities bleed from neglect. The tiger paces, but it has no claws. The tiger roars, but the sound dies in its throat. Its strength exists only in resolutions stacked like tombstones, while the people stagger under thirst, poverty, and addiction.
Sovereignty without service is blasphemy, and the blasphemers sit in windowless chambers and offices pretending to govern.
Too often, “sovereignty” is invoked as a slogan rather than exercised as a reality. Tségháhoodzání drags on with political theater while pressing issues – infrastructure disrepair, economic stagnation, healthcare decay – remain unresolved. The machinery of government churns, yet meaningful results are sparse. What good is a government that governs mainly in reports and resolutions, but not in outcomes that transform daily life on the Nation?
A government’s legitimacy rests on its capacity to serve. If our naat’áanii and those who choose to run in 2026 are serious about protecting the dignity and future of the Diné, they must strip away the pageantry, cut through red tape, and act with the urgency that our challenges demand. Until then, our government remains what it has become: a paper tiger painted with holy words, a credo turned ashtray, roaring only in its own echo.
Anything less is performance – and performances do not build longevity, fix water systems, or create opportunity. What dignity exists in resolutions stacked like brittle leaves while water lines run dry, uranium remains outside our homes, and the world looks on in incredulity at the largest tribe in the United States.
Courage to those who toss their hat in the ring, for the Nation – our Navajo Nation – deserves more.
Don’t campaign on poetry unless you’re prepared to govern with plumbing. Ahxéhee’.
Nicholas House
Prewitt, N.M.
Include Covid vaccine
Editor,
Congratulations on the extensive Navajo Nation Fair insert in the September 4 edition. On page 4, there is an excellent and easy-to-read chart “Are you up to date on your vaccines?” Each age group is represented with clear pictures and a list of vaccines needed to stay healthy. There is, however, one critical omission: the COVID-19 vaccination is not listed anywhere.
In the same recent issue, appears an article “Covid cases rise across Navajo Nation, health officials urge testing, precautions.”
Remember 2020, during the height of the pandemic, the Navajo Nation had the highest rate of Covid in the entire nation. That same year, Doctors Without Borders, an organization usually working in war-torn countries, dispatched a medical team to the Nation. By the end of 2022, there had been 1,968 deaths from Covid in Diné Bikéyah.
Today the Navajo Nation Department of Health website states: The Navajo Department of Health and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend Navajo citizens to get your vaccines up to date for the fall season. This includes influenza, COVID-19 and Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccines to protect yourself, your family and your community.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, the largest association of doctors specializing in childhood healthcare, recommends COVID-19 vaccination for all children age 6 months and older.
In these times of confusing advice and misinformation, the Navajo Nation needs to protect all Diné. Make plans now to keep yourself and your children protected.
Lorraine Briddon
Green Valley, Ariz.
Expand the commission
Editor,
When McKinley County was smaller – in population and influence – three commissioners may have been enough to govern effectively. However, today, with more than 72,000 residents spread across 5,455 square miles, McKinley County has outgrown its three-commissioner system.
This may be an excellent time to expand the number of commissioners to five.
Consider when each commissioner currently represents about 24,000 people. By comparison, expanding to five would reduce that to roughly 14,000 residents per district. That shift would make it easier for commissioners to connect with their constituents, hear their concerns and represent their unique needs.
Geography only makes the case stronger. McKinley County is bigger than some U.S. states. Expecting three commissioners to adequately represent Gallup, Zuni Pueblo, Navajo Nation chapters, Thoreau, Ramah, and rural ranching communities is not realistic.
With only three seats at the table, voices are inevitably left out. Expanding to five commissioners can ensure all communities have a fair chance to be heard.
Equally important, expanding to five commissioners strengthens checks and balances, is more focused, and enables responsive leadership. As it is now, two commissioners can control the county. That concentration of power is risky, especially when taxpayers deserve transparency and fairness. With five commissioners, a majority requires three votes, reducing the possibility of political deals made behind closed doors.
Other counties in New Mexico, including San Juan and Sandoval, already have five commissioners, despite populations and geographic footprints that are comparable or smaller than McKinley County.
Expanding to five commissioners is not about creating more politicians. It is about creating more accountability, better representation, and a government that works for all of McKinley County.
Al Henderson
Gallup, N.M.
Education, not politics
Editor,
The recent meeting on the future of Navajo education held in Window Rock sparked a crucial question: What is the most effective path forward for improving Navajo education?
I discussed this with my family and fellow educators, and we believe that these gatherings should shift their focus to directly address the evolving needs of present-day students and the future of the Navajo Nation.
While legislative and funding matters are undeniably important, those of us on the front lines, as teachers, administrators, and board members, know well that the most impactful improvements stem from regularly prioritizing what takes place in the classroom.
It’s not rocket science to realize that at these meetings, we need to actively involve experienced educators, teachers, administrators, and education officials with a proven track record of transforming struggling schools and a clear vision for excellent Navajo education. This collaboration will facilitate discussions on effective teaching practices, the effectiveness of school administration, and school board leadership, specific to Navajo students.
Most importantly, we need educators who have clear ideas of what a good Navajo school should be and what effective teaching looks like for Navajo students. That was missing. Instead, politics seemed to overshadow the meeting’s agenda.
There’s no question that academic progress was already stalled before the pandemic and has not yet recovered. While declines in student performance and widening achievement gaps are significant, other issues persist. As an educator and parent, I am aware that Navajo students continue to face mental health challenges; behavioral problems are increasing; and, most concerning, many of our well-educated parents, experienced teachers, and administrators are leaving our schools for the cities. Meanwhile, on the Navajo Nation, we argue over issues that hold little real significance, even as our schools continue to decline.
Unfortunately, these issues were not discussed at the meeting in Window Rock. While we need to bring order to schools, our approach should focus on forming strong relationships with children and parents to demonstrate our commitment to their future. It would have been an ideal opportunity to utilize Navajo school research insights alongside lived experiences to address the most pressing needs directly.
Let’s be clear: education is a responsibility, not a political game.
Today, comparing our students’ motivation to learn with that of others reveals results with which we are dissatisfied. These trends should concern every student, parent, educator, and tribal leader. Although we live in a knowledge-driven economy and face ongoing challenges within a government-funded economy, the quality of Navajo education ultimately influences our competitiveness, ability to defend sovereignty, and progress toward self-determination.
Students and schools face growing challenges, from badly managed schools and a shortage of highly skilled and good teachers to limited job opportunities for college graduates, yet the infrastructure and the Navajo tribal government meant to support them are often outdated or misaligned.
Our education department must clarify its priorities. It should shift its focus away from primarily dealing with compliance and regulatory issues and become a center for evidence-based solutions and innovation. Its mission should focus on student learning, school improvement, teacher development, and institutional effectiveness at the college and university levels.
On the agenda at the meeting, I would have liked to see items like: Change the focus at DODE to being a resource for improving teaching and leadership. Greater access to higher education institutions to ensure their curriculum includes preparing educators on the needs of Navajo schools and for developing the Nation. Stronger investment in developing a clearinghouse of what works best in Navajo schools and institutions. A commitment to mental health. Tailored school board and board of regents training in areas for turning a troubled school around, and how to leverage higher education to be more responsive to the Navajo Nation.
We need to learn from what works. High-performing schools and institutions across the country are piloting promising models. A reformed DODE should scale up what succeeds and what doesn’t. One area where I would like to see change is Career and Technical Education programs, preparing students for a changing economy that demands creativity, adaptability, and real-reservation entrepreneurship thinking. Additionally, an apprenticeship training program for traditional medicine healers at both institutions is also urgently needed.
It shouldn’t be about who has control or power; it’s about building a smarter partnership between the tribe, schools, and higher education.
If we want to restore Navajo education leadership, we need either NTU or Diné College to help adapt to today’s realities and future needs. The tribe invests millions in Diné College and NTU and holding them accountable for contributing to the Navajo Nation’s development is necessary.
Reforming DODE shouldn’t be about politics. It should focus on our youth and ensuring every Navajo has a chance at a bright future.
This is a time to acknowledge what isn’t working honestly and to envision something improved. Let’s reimagine our shared goals and build the kind of system our people deserve: one that is future-ready and based on the belief that a sound Navajo education system is about shared goals.
Delores Noble
Steamboat, Ariz.
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