Letters

I am writing this letter to give my Navajo people an inside perspective of the current pandemic that our Nation is currently facing. My name is Raymond Joe and I am from Manuelito, NM.

Even while in the midst of it our public health officials from the front lines voice their guidance and precautionary expectations of the general public — still some citizens have yet to comply with self-isolation, social distancing, and frequent hand washing advice.

I often turn to my children when facing life’s vexing moments. So I did just that.

It is time to expose the general public to what is happening at our local chapter house.

For some people, we do not know which name to use anymore — Navajo, Diné, Na’beho, Jaan (slang for poor). And outsiders call us Navajo, a name that some reject as meaning “thief.”