Navajo

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After Years of Waiting, Navajo Nation Is Powering Up

Challenges in electrifying every home on reservation continue

(Newser) - After a five-year wait, Lorraine Black and Ricky Gillis heard the rumblings of an electrical crew reach their home on the sprawling Navajo Nation. In five days' time, their home would be connected to the power grid, replacing their reliance on a few solar panels and propane lanterns. No longer...

One of the Last Navajo Code Talkers Dies at 107
One of the Last Navajo
Code Talkers Dies at 107
OBITUARY
Oct 21, 2024 8:14 AM CDT

One of the Last Navajo Code Talkers Dies at 107

With the death of John Kinsel Sr., only two of the World War II heroes remain

(Newser) - John Kinsel Sr., one of the last remaining Navajo Code Talkers who transmitted messages during World War II based on the tribe's native language, has died. He was 107, reports the AP . Navajo Nation officials in Window Rock announced Kinsel's death on Saturday. Tribal President Buu Nygren has...

Of Human Remains Headed to Moon, Navajo Say No

Navajo Nation wants commercial mission to deposit remains of US presidents, others halted

(Newser) - A space mission that will deposit a whole lot of human remains on the moon appears to be moving forward despite the Navajo Nation's objections. Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren sent a letter to NASA and the US Department of Transportation last month, requesting the mission be postponed from...

Navajo Nation Grapples With Gay Marriage

Sovereign tribe is debating whether to overturn its ban on same-sex unions

(Newser) - Though same-sex marriage was legalized in the US in 2015, it's not the law of the land everywhere across the country. NBC News reports that Navajo Nation, which sets its own laws as a sovereign nation within the US, is grappling with a 2005 law passed by its council...

Supreme Court Sides Against Navajo Nation in Water Case

Biden administration feared similar fights with other tribes

(Newser) - The Supreme Court ruled against the Navajo Nation on Thursday in a dispute involving water from the drought-stricken Colorado River. States that draw water from the river—Arizona, Nevada, and Colorado—and water districts in California that are also involved in the case had urged the court to decide for...

1964 Western to Premiere in Navajo

'A Fistful of Dollars' is just the third major film dubbed in the language

(Newser) - Manuelito Wheeler isn't sure why Navajo elders admire Western films. It could be that many of them were treated to the films in boarding schools off the reservation decades ago. Some, like his father, tell of gathering around a television growing up to watch gunslingers in a battle between...

Navajos See Arizona Bills as Hindering Voting

Their access already is limited, Native American leaders say

(Newser) - Arizona Republicans say the voter restrictions they're pushing after President Biden's win in the state last year are designed to strengthen the integrity of future elections. To some, the changes will make voting even more difficult. The bills, some signed into law this past week by Gov. Doug...

Native American's Last Words: 'No, I'm Good'

Lezmond Mitchell has died by lethal injection in Indiana

(Newser) - The only Native American on federal death row was put to death Wednesday, despite objections from many Navajo leaders who had urged President Trump to halt the execution on the grounds it would violate tribal culture and sovereignty, the AP reports. With the execution of Lezmond Mitchell for the grisly...

This Man Will Die Tonight Against a Government's Wishes

The Navajo Nation has been opposed to the death penalty for Lezmond Mitchell from the start

(Newser) - After a 17-year pause, federal executions resumed this summer, with three men put to death. A fourth man on federal death row is slated to experience the same fate tonight in Terre Haute, Ind., but that fate is one a government—the Navajo government—has vehemently opposed. That's because...

Navajo Nation Turns to Trump As Execution Nears

Judge called the prosecution 'a betrayal of a promise'

(Newser) - With the execution scheduled for less than two weeks from now, the Navajo Nation has asked President Trump to spare the life of Lezmond Mitchell. Capital punishment violates Navajo beliefs and would pose a challenge to tribal sovereignty, leaders said. "We strongly hold to our cultural, traditional, and religious...

Doctors Without Borders Offering Rare Help in US
This May Be Hardest-Hit
Virus Spot in US
the rundown
May 12, 2020 9:16 AM CDT

This May Be Hardest-Hit Virus Spot in US

Navajo Nation in Southwest

(Newser) - A sign of just how badly the Navajo Nation has been hit by the coronavirus: The international relief agency Doctors Without Borders, better known for helping in war-ravaged nations, has sent a team to the US Southwest to help Native Americans. It's the agency's first US medical presence,...

Ireland Reaches Out to Help Navajo Nation

Donors want to repay Native American generosity in 1847

(Newser) - At the height of the Great Famine in Ireland, help arrived from an unexpected source: Members of the Choctaw Nation raised $170, the equivalent of more than $5,000 in today's money, for famine relief in 1847, despite being impoverished and dispossessed by the "Trail of Tears" forced...

Navajo Fight Crushing Battle Against Coronavirus

Their infection rate is America's third-highest

(Newser) - The Navajo are battling America's third-highest coronavirus infection rate after New York and New Jersey as they scramble to treat the sick—and it's clearly an uphill battle, NPR reports. Their challenges include lack of hospital space, lack of nursing, lack of equipment, and facilities that simply aren'...

FBI Breaks a Barrier With Poster
New FBI
Poster
Is a First
Apr 13, 2020 6:52 PM CDT

New FBI Poster Is a First

Agency had never produced one in a Native American language before

(Newser) - The FBI has issued its first poster in a Native American language, seeking information in Navajo on the death of a man six years ago on the New Mexico portion of the vast Navajo Nation reservation. Wilson Joe Chiquito, 75, was beaten to death at his home in the community...

Grand Canyon Closes Indefinitely
Grand Canyon
Closes Indefinitely
Apr 2, 2020 1:05 AM CDT

Grand Canyon Closes Indefinitely

'It is a relief to a lot of the people in the park and community members'

(Newser) - The Grand Canyon closed indefinitely to visitors Wednesday, joining other national parks seeking to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Staff at the Grand Canyon had been shutting down visitors services piecemeal as the federal government initially rebuffed its request to shutter completely. On Tuesday, visitors still had access to...

Only 9 Navajo Code Talkers Were Left. Sadly, That Number Just Fell

Alfred K. Newman has died in New Mexico at age of 94

(Newser) - Hundreds of Navajos assisted in bringing down the Japanese in World War II by helping to develop an intricate code based on their native language. Just nine of those Code Talkers survived into 2019—but now there are only eight. The Arizona Republic reports 94-year-old Alfred K. Newman has died...

The Navajo Nation Had a Novel Idea: Buy Remington

Native American tribe's half-a-billion-dollar offer was rejected

(Newser) - The Navajo Nation is one of the country's biggest Native American tribes, and it oversees a sizable investment trust. What it wanted to do with some of the $3.3 billion in it attracted the notice of the New York Times : buy the gunmaker Remington. The bid—a cash...

WWII Navajo Code Talker Samuel Holiday Dead at 94
One of the Last WWII Navajo
Code Talkers Has Died
OBITUARY
Jun 13, 2018 1:03 AM CDT

One of the Last WWII Navajo Code Talkers Has Died

Samuel Holiday was 94

(Newser) - Samuel Tom Holiday, one of the last surviving Navajo Code Talkers, died in southern Utah on Monday surrounded by family members who raised money through a crowdfunding campaign to be by his side. He was 94. Holiday was among hundreds of Navajos who used a code based on their native...

Navajo Nation Sues Wells Fargo
Navajo Nation
Sues Wells Fargo
Dec 13, 2017 12:38 AM CST

Navajo Nation Sues Wells Fargo

They accuse bank of using predatory tactics

(Newser) - The Navajo Nation announced Tuesday that it is suing Wells Fargo for allegedly engaging in predatory and unlawful banking practices that targeted and harmed tribal members. In a statement, Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye said the tribe's lawyer has been directed to seek restitution, damages, and civil penalties based...

Navajo Nation: Trump's 'Pocahontas' Crack 'Unfortunate'

Elizabeth Warren says she couldn't believe it

(Newser) - Sen. Elizabeth Warren says she could hardly believe it when President Trump attacked her as "Pocahontas" during a White House ceremony to thank World War II Navajo Code Talkers. "This was supposed to be a ceremony honoring war heroes," Warren tells the Washington Post . "All he...

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