Letters | ‘Yideeską́ądi ntsáhákees’ model

‘Yideeską́ądi ntsáhákees’ model

Editor,
Mr. Buu Nygren resides roughly 8 miles from the Red Mesa Chapter House; however, his traditional upbringing is closer to Teec Nos Pos Chapter. Based on a first-hand account, Buu Nygren is a registered voter at Red Mesa Chapter and upon further inquiry; he has never attended a duly called chapter meeting at his home chapter before his bid for Navajo Nation president.

There’s no record of Nygren’s ever signing in for a chapter planning meeting or a chapter meeting. He’s never motioned or seconded a resolution nor debated any issues in his home chapter community. Since taking office as president more than a year ago, Nygren has failed to return to his home chapter despite numerous invites by Red Mesa chapter officials as well as invites by the chapter Veteran’s organization.

Nygren also failed to attend the chapter’s annual Christmas celebration and luncheon (despite a well-advanced email invite from the chapter president). The sitting chapter president at Red Mesa is currently serving his fourth term – approximately 16 years – and based on my firsthand conversation, Mr. Nygren has never attended a chapter meeting during his 16-year tenure.

According to the chapter administration and one official, Nygren has only been seen on a few occasions dumping his household trash at the chapter transfer station within the chapter compound. One has to wonder why Nygren evades his home chapter and seemingly has no affinity to his ancestral roots or the simple courtesy of extending kind gestures to his relatives who supported and elected him to office.

The four other nearby chapters (Aneth, Mexican Water, Tółikan, and Teec Nos Pos) all express the same disappointment in Mr. Nygren’s deficiency to return to his regional chapters and, yes— despite the five chapters’ repeated requests. To this end, the failure to communicate and persuade Nygren to return to his home chapters equally lies with Delegate Curtis Yanito. It’s also my understanding the Navajo Utah Commission has extended their invitations to Mr. Nygren to no avail, so to apprise him of pressing Navajo Utah issues and concerns across all spectrums of services. This is to say nothing of the same repulsion by his nonattendance to the Northern Navajo Agency quarterly meetings in all of 2023.

Given this trend of Nygren averting his home chapter, regional chapters, and its affiliates, I seriously doubt he will step foot inside his chapter or nearby governmental entities. To that end and upon careful analysis, Mr. Nygren appears to lack basic knowledge about Navajo chapter government; certainly, his gross neglect of the multiple invites demonstrates his lack of appreciation and respect for local chapter governments.

Thus, how in the world can we (Navajo constituents) trust his proposed task of addressing and resolving the numerous dysfunctions of the Navajo Nation Code Title 26 – Local Governance Act? At least the previous nine (9) Navajo Nation presidents since 1989 (per NNC CD-68-89), from the late Peterson Zah in 1991 to Jonathan Nez in 2023, each of these past leaders experienced and participated in the Navajo chapter government roles and they intricately knew how it functioned.

One must have practiced, lived, tasted, touched, smelled, and sensed the soul of the Navajo chapter government before offering any meaningful solution, much less to speak about it. Quite poignantly, this cannot be said about Mr. Buu Nygren! To offer flaxy and splashy words about Title 26 at last week’s “The People’s State of the Navajo Nation” address is merely an exercise in political expediency.

Is it any wonder the cracks are beginning to show in Nygren’s administration according to the November 30, 2023, Navajo Times front-page article, “Turmoil happening.” In addition to the work environment at the president’s office not healthy, it’s very obvious he lacks respect for his home chapter, agency councils, and strained relationship with the Navajo Nation Council, inept appointees, and questionable financial activities, among the many other deficiencies just a year after taking the oath of office.

I can attest the letdowns and inadequacies of the Nygren administration after a year in office are positively not the promise of “yideeską́ądi ntsáhákees.”

The poignant concept and application of “yideeską́ądi ntsáhákees” comes with lived experience, wisdom, humility, empathy, and most importantly the Diné epistemological knowledge based on sacred creation narratives. In my humble assessment, if the sacred yideeską́ądi ntsáhákees model is being employed by this administration, then Mr. President, adhere to your kinfolks appeal to attend their chapter meeting and consider attending agency council meetings. Otherwise, the Navajo electorates from your home region are having buyer’s remorse for supporting and electing you to office.

Edward Dee
Teec Nos Pos, Ariz.

Failure to maintain trust

This is continuation of reporting BIA mismanagement of its natural resource program. No objection by BIA regional director to date. Meaning mismanagement is for real. Their refusal shows my criticisms are the truth of BIA’s failure to maintain federal trust responsibility.

I am seeking justice for elders and less educated Navajos facing similar predicament by BIA Navajo Region injustice actions. My argument continues with abuse of trust responsibility and mismanagement of grazing records for Diné livestock producers.

It’s BIA Agency negligence that created the mess with my 33-year dispute case with BIA. Despite BIA having technical advisers to ensure grazing regulations are followed, Jerome Willie, agency technical advisor, failed to advise the grazing committee a second permit violates Navajo grazing regulation with having two grazing permits in 1991.

Mr. Willie allowed many secret grazing committee meetings without me, violation of 5th and 14th amendment to the U.S. Constitution. By law, due process requires that a person who is deprived of civil rights must be given notice and opportunity for fair hearing on the government’s action. The law states when the government denies a citizen of Constitution rights the person must first be given notice and an opportunity to be heard. BIA and NNDOJ failed to do this.

I was deprived “of life, liberty, and property without due process of law”. The law states due process procedures are based on the concept of fundamental fairness to resolve citizens’ complaints in fair and timely procedures, not 33 years later.
Also, my civil rights is affected by BIA action of disapproving my request to combine the two permits as done for other permitholders in the past. The risk of an erroneous deprivation of due process procedures was not considered. Even minimizing BIA and tribal fiscal and administrative burdens was never considered.

Again, prove me wrong, Mr. BIA Regional Director.

Nels Roanhorse
Oakridge, Ariz.

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