Navajo Nation Washington Office

Wááshindoon Weekly

Tuesday, October 18, 2022

NNWO Welcomes Families of MMIP

(Left to Right: Charles Huerich – DOJ Office of Justice Programs, Sue Ann Manuelito, Francine King, Justin Ahasteen – Gov and Leg Affairs Associate NNWO, Diana Lee, Seraphine Warren, Woody Lee, Lovena Lee, Gerald Begay, Delores Ann Brown, Michael Lewis – Gov and Leg Affairs Associate NNWO. Photo Courtesy of U.S. DOJ

Last week NNWO welcomed Seraphine Warren who traveled on foot from Sweetwater, Arizona to Washington, D.C. to raise awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous People (MMIP), fueled by her desire to locate her missing aunt Ella Mae Begay.

NNWO and Council Delegate Amber K. Crotty worked to arrange several meetings for Warren who provided an account of the challenges experienced by families who have missing or murdered loved ones. She met with several Federal agencies, including the Department of Justice. She was also received by U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Deb Haaland.

NNWO also hosted families of other missing people who shared similar stories. Among the women who traveled to DC was Sue Ann Manuelito who has been searching for her daughter Candace Manuelito who went missing from Holbrook, Arizona on September 17, 2021.

Representing an unrelated, yet equally important issue, was Farmington resident, Diana Lee whose 22-year-old U.S. Army reservist son Dominic Sandoval. Sandoval was killed while working on a road crew in La Plata County, CO in February. While not charged with driving under the influence, the Ignacio woman whose vehicle killed Sandoval is suspected of careless driving causing the death of Sandoval and injuring another worker. The driver pleaded "not guilty" to seven misdemeanor charges including careless driving causing death and bodily injury, driving without a license, and possession of drug paraphernalia, among other offenses. A trial is scheduled for December. Lee was in DC to advocate for stricter laws and penalties for those that injure or kill highway workers. The family set up a roadside memorial for Sandoval, but the Colorado Department of Transportation had it removed, stating that it is a potential distraction to drivers, Lee said.

Native Americans experience violent crime and accidental deaths at higher rates than the national average. Initiatives to address these disparities include President Biden’s Executive Order 14053, which seeks to improve Native Americans' access to criminal justice and public safety and instructs the Departments of Justice, Interior, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security to coordinate with tribes. Legislation including Savanna's Act and the Not Invisible Act have been enacted, and a steering committee to address MMIP was stood up in November 2021. The Navajo Nation has participated in a series of consultations on improving public safety and police response in Indian Country, supporting recommendations to increase funding to Tribal justice programs. Currently Tribal nations are funded at less than 20% of the proposed funding recommendations.

Navajo Appointed to National Disability Council

Mr. Benally resides in New Mexico and serves on the Navajo Nation Advisory Council on Disabilities, which addresses disability issues on the Navajo Nation. He is legally blind. Photo courtesy of the Farmington Daily Times.

Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden, appointed Hoskie Benally, Jr., an enrolled member of the Navajo Nation, to the National Council on Disability (NCD). Benally and four other  appointees have been advocating for the disabled and are experts in the field of disabilities. The NCD is an independent Federal agency that advises the U.S. President, Congress, and Federal agencies on policies, programs, practices, and procedures that impact people with disabilities at the national level.  

Benally received a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology from Brigham Young University and is employed with the Native American Disability Law Center as the Community and Government Liaison engaged in Disability System Advocacy with the Navajo Nation and other Native American Tribes. Benally is also on the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Disability Sub-Committee.

The National Council on Disability statistics show that American Indians and Alaska Natives live with the highest rates per capita of disability and experience more hardships due to disabilities than mainstream Americans. Commenting on the disparities, Benally stated, “These challenges can be fixed with proper government support and implementing the Civil Rights of individuals with Disabilities Act.” He’s been advocating for the Navajo Housing Authority to live up to its obligations to ensure that at least five percent of housing stock can accommodate people with disabilities. 

Benally is originally from Bitl’áá bitó (Beclabito), New Mexico. He is Ashįįhī (Salt Clan), born for the Oozéí Táchii’nii (The Hopi People Division of the Red Running into the Water Clan), his maternal and paternal grandparents are Bit’ahnii (Folded Arms People Clan). Grounded in Navajo tradition and fluent in Navajo, he is also an experienced cultural instructor. 

Native American Heritage Month--

Opportunities to Remember Achievements

The rainmaker statue at the Foxwoods Casino tells the history of the Pequot Tribe. The giant glass statue lights up, the nearby water is activated, and there is simulated thunder and it appears to rain. Photo courtesy of Foxwoods Casino.

Native American Heritage Month officially kicks off in November, but its genesis actually began in 1976 as a resolution under then President Gerald Ford who pursuant to S.J. Resolution 209 proclaimed October 10 – 16 as Native American Awareness Week. In 1986, Congress passed S.J. Resolution 390, requesting that the president designate November 23 – 30 as American Indian Week. Finally, in 1990 President George H.W. Bush signed a joint resolution into law designating November as the official National American Indian Heritage Month. Notwithstanding that Indigenous Peoples Day overlaps with the end of Hispanic Heritage Month, we include activities in mid and late October as a springboard for November’s formal recognition.

As part of our observance of Native American Heritage Month, we want to put a spotlight on achievements, initiatives, and incidents that while historical or contemporary, continue to influence Indian Country. In this issue, we discuss two initiatives that positively impacted education and economic development.

On October 17, 1978, the Tribal Controlled Community College Assistance Act was passed. The goal was to improve funding for Tribal colleges and encourage partnerships between these institutions and other institutions of higher learning. Diné College was the first Tribal college. Established in 1968 as Navajo Community College, it was later renamed Diné College. The Navajo Nation sought to create an institution of higher education that encouraged Navajo youth to become contributing members of the Navajo Nation and the world. Today there are 35 accredited Tribal Colleges and Universities with more than 75 sites in the United States.

Also on October 17, we mark the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulation Act, which legalized gaming in Indian Country and created an independent regulatory agency. This was pivotal legislation in that it shielded Native gaming from organized crime, ensured that tribes would be primary beneficiaries of gaming revenues, established standards for gaming, and protected gaming as an economic development mechanism. Today there are 524 American Indian gaming operations in the United States, owned by 245 of the nation's 574 Federally-recognized tribes. They operate in 29 states. The annual revenue from all Indian gaming exceeds $32 billion and represents 43% of all casino gaming revenue in the U.S. according to the National Indian Gaming Commission.

Advocate for Navajo Code Talkers Walks On

Former Arizona State Representative Sylvia Laughter, the Arizona State legislator who honored the Navajo World War II heroes by sponsoring a bill that helped build two Navajo Code Talker statues, passed away last weekend after a 10-month battle with Covid 19. She was 63.

Originally from Baby Rocks in Kayenta, Laughter was Kinyaa’áanii and born for Táchii’nii. Her maternal grandfather is Tábąąhá, and her paternal grandfather is Tł’ízíłání.

Laughter founded the Navajo Code Talker Memorial Foundation, which raised $250,000 that installed two Navajo Code Talker statues at the Arizona State Capitol and on the Navajo Nation in Window Rock.

A three-term legislator for the State of Arizona from 1999 to 2005 she represented the Navajo, Hopi, Havasupai, Hualapai, Kaibab Paiute, and San Juan Southern Paiute nations. Among her achievements, was the creation of the House Committee on Native American Affairs, which she co-chaired. Laughter also sponsored legislation to make the Navajo Nation license plate in 2002.

According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, a Navajo Nation plate costs $25, $17 of which goes back to the Navajo Nation Department of Transportation to fund traffic control devices that conform to the specifications prescribed on the highways on the Navajo reservation in Arizona and are not state highways. She was the only independent candidate to serve in the state House or Senate since Arizona was granted statehood in 1912.

NNWO Kicks Of Toys for Tots

The Navajo Nation is pleased to support the United States Marine Corps in their 2022 Toys for Tots campaign to make sure children on the Navajo Nation have a bright holiday. If you'd like to donate to Toys for Tots, click on the illustration by Charles Fazzino above.