Opinion | Mitchell warned us about this

Mitchell warned us about this
By Calvin Lee Jr.

Editor’s note: Calvin Lee Jr. is a member of the Navajo Nation Bar Association and an attorney practicing in tribal, state and federal courts. He writes about Indigenous governance, law and ethics.

When the Navajo Times published authenticated text messages between President Buu Nygren and Controller McCabe earlier this (week), many readers felt uneasy. The exchange revealed not only a disagreement about government spending but a deeper issue about tone, humility and how far our leaders have strayed from the values our elders taught us.

Frank Mitchell, the late Blessing Way singer whose autobiography remains one of the great records of Navajo thought, foresaw this kind of leadership crisis decades ago. In his final chapter, “Speculations,” Mitchell reflected on how the new Navajo government was evolving – and he warned that political ambition, pride and impatience would one day disrupt the balance our ancestors built.
“Men go to Council to talk too much and listen too little,” Mitchell said. “They think their voices make them powerful. But the people’s power lies in the songs that keep us in balance.”

Mirror from the past

Mitchell lived through the birth of modern Navajo government. He saw the Tribal Council pattern itself after Washington, D.C., and he observed how personal ambition often replaced service. He was not against modernization; he simply feared forgetting hózhǫ – the harmony that gives governance its moral center.

For Mitchell, power without prayer is unstable. Ceremony, he said, is not a side practice but a discipline that teaches leaders patience, respect, and compassion. When government loses ceremony, it loses its heart.

Digital argument, an ancient warning

Now, in 2025, our highest leaders argue not in the hogan or before elders, but over text message.

According to the Navajo Times report (Oct. 13, 2025), President Nygren pressed Controller McCabe to unlock purchase cards even though there was “no budget.” McCabe refused. The messages, now verified and shared with the Council, show frustration and personal hostility – a public display that undermines trust.

This is exactly what Mitchell predicted: leadership that acts before listening, and authority that forgets humility. He would have seen such conduct as a spiritual imbalance, not just a procedural one.

“When a leader cannot sit with his people and speak with calmness, his spirit is restless,” Mitchell might say. “A leader’s tongue should bless, not burn.”

For Mitchell, true leadership demanded self-control. When words became angry, the leader’s duty was to restore balance, not deepen division.

Lessons from a Blessing Way singer

If he were alive today, Mitchell would call our leaders to return to ceremony – not in a symbolic way, but in governance itself. He would insist that a president or controller meet face-to-face, guided by prayer and elder counsel, before taking public action. He would ask each to reflect: does this restore harmony or break it? Are we imitating Washington, or returning to the hogan?

He believed a leader’s authority comes from the people’s respect, not their fear. To Mitchell, every decision carried spiritual consequence – and every conflict demanded reconciliation through dialogue, not digital confrontation.

Reclaiming balance in governance

As we celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day, the lesson is clear: decolonization begins with behavior. Changing a holiday’s name means little if our own institutions mirror the same hierarchy, ego, and haste we once resisted.

Our leaders must show by example that governance can still be sacred. Council sessions, cabinet meetings, even text messages should reflect discipline, not discord. Leadership must again become ceremony – a deliberate practice of humility, honesty, and hózhǫ.

Frank Mitchell’s words remain as relevant now as when he spoke them: “When the government forgets the songs, the people forget the way.”

The challenge before the Navajo Nation is not just administrative; it is moral and spiritual. To honor our ancestors, our leaders must return to the songs – to the patience, reverence, and balance that once guided our Nation.

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