Yá'át'ééh! Thank you for your readership. NNWO hopes that the information and analysis we provide here every Friday serves you well. |
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Executive Director's Corner |
Yá'át'ééh!
In celebration of Women's History Month, this week's Wáshindoon Weekly includes a story that highlights the quiet tenacity, heroism, and leadership Diné women exhibited during the Long Walk Period. We hope you join us in recognizing their valiant efforts as we approach the anniversary of this very dark period in Navajo history.
This week, I also had the wonderful opportunity to participate in a conversation with Miss Navajo Nation Shaandiin Parrish in her "Wednesdays with Miss Navajo Nation" series where we explored my ascension from childhood to early adulthood and how I navigated critical junctions during my youth. I encourage our Diné youth to check out her series where she sits down with women in leadership positions. Past guests include First Lady Phefelia Nez, Second Lady Dottie Lizer, Arizona Treasurer Kimberly Yee, Executive Directors Dr. Jill Jim and Dr. Pearl Yellowman. This series is a perfect testament to the strength and resilience of women everywhere!
Lastly, I am thrilled to announce the launch of our new website:
At our new website, you will be able to meet members of our team, learn more about our work, and read about issues important to the Navajo people. A HUGE thank you (ahéhee' niitsáago) to the talented Alex D. Yazzie and the Navajo Nation Department of Information Technology for bringing this project to completion. We hope you visit us periodically.
Thank you for reading this week’s Washindoon Weekly. Ahéhee’, thank you.
Be Safe,
Santee Lewis
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Secretary Haaland Confirmed to Lead DOI |
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Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez supported Secretary Haaland in an editorial in Indian Country Today in February. To read it, click on the photo. Photo courtesy of Indian Country Today
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The Navajo Nation congratulates Secretary Haaland on her confirmation and looks forward to working with her.
In a historic 51-40 vote Monday evening, Representative Deb Haaland was officially confirmed to be the Secretary of the Interior, becoming the first Native American woman ever confirmed to a Cabinet position. Secretary Haaland was confirmed by the closest margin for anyone in President Biden’s cabinet up to that time, with the support of only four Republicans in the final tally. Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, was the next closest vote, at 56-43, with the support of just six Republican senators.
Among the Republicans who supported Secretary Haaland were Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME), both considered to be among the more moderate members of the current Senate.
Secretary Haaland is planning a visit to Utah this April to investigate the situation at Bears Ears. As part of her confirmation hearings, Secretary Haaland promised Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) that she would visit Utah monuments and meet with local stakeholders before making recommendations to President Biden on changing their designations.
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Don't Miss the Deadline for Help from the
Paycheck Protection Program for Small Businesses
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If you're a small business owner you may qualify for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan under the CARES Act. The deadline is quickly approaching, so apply now before it is too late. The final deadline is March 31st, but most lenders will only accept applications through March 24th so they have time to process them and get them to the Small Business Administration (SBA) by their deadline. The PPP loans are forgivable if the money is used for certain approved purposes. For more information, speak with your local authorized lender and click Here.
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NNWO Honors the Women of the Long Walk Period |
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In March of 1864 the U.S. military began an action that still resonates with Navajo people to this day.
On March 4th and March 20th, after raiding villages, burning hogans and food crops, and killing livestock, over 3,200 Diné, mostly women, children, and elders were forcibly removed from their homes and marched in two groups from Fort Canby through Fort Sumner to the Bosque Redondo, a barren piece of land in New Mexico where the U.S. government had the goal of interning Apaches and Navajos to live together, even though they traditionally did not get along.
It was over 300 cold, hungry, sick, scared, and sad miles--and only the beginning of what would be the darkest chapter in Navajo history.
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The Long Walk to Bosque Redondo was actually a series of marches over four different routes from Fort Defiance to Fort Sumner, distances that ranged between 375 miles and 425 miles. Map courtesy of the Santa Fe New Mexican.
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In 2019 students from the Holbrook Indian School retraced the steps of the Long Walk. If you want to read about their journey, click on the photo. |
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Navajo women were protagonists in efforts to end the imprisonment of Navajo people at Bosque Redondo. Photo courtesy of Indianz.com.
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According to oral histories, Diné women advocated fiercely for their people as they struggled to keep their families fed and warm. While it was male leadership that participated in the negotiations, the role of the women, while understated and likely exercised behind the scenes, was significant.
As military leadership under General William Tecumseh Sherman began to assess that the Bosque Redondo could not support more inhabitants and the relocation experiment had been a dismal failure, Navajo leaders began negotiating with Washington, DC to return to Dinétah.
The stories of the Long Walk period have been well documented through documents, photos, exhibits, memorials, narratives, and oral traditions. While Navajo leaders, Barboncito, Manuelito, Delgadito, Largo, Herrero, Armijo, and Torivio are credited with negotiating the Treaty that returned the Navajos to their homes, oral traditions credit the interned Navajo women with being the real provocateurs of actions that eventually led to the establishment of the modern Navajo Nation.
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Dr. Jennifer Nez Denetdale, Ph.D., a professor of American Studies at the University of New Mexico has written extensively on the Long Walk period. A descendant of Juanita, wife of Manuelito, Dr. Denetdale currently works with the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission. Click on the cover of one of her books to learn more.
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President Nez to Testify on RECA |
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On March 24, President Nez will provide virtual testimony before the House Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties during their hearing on “Examining the Need to Expand Eligibility Under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act.” For more information and to attend the hearing, please click Here.
Past efforts advocating for RECA include prior testimony delivered during a field hearing before the the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held October 2019 and another hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee held June 2018 to examine the eligibility requirements of RECA.
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CONSULTATIONS, GRANT OPPORTUNITIES, EVENTS, & FEDERAL NOTICES |
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On Wednesday, March 24, 2021 at 2:30 pm (EST), the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs will hold an oversight hearing entitled, "Build Back Better: Water Infrastructure Needs for Native Communities." For more information and to attend the hearing, please click Here.
On Wednesday, March 24, 2021 from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm (EST), the Office of National Drug Control Policy will hold a Nation-to-Nation Addiction Epidemic and Other Substance Use Challenges Tribal Consultation, the purpose of which is to better inform Federal drug policy priorities and ensure that they meet the needs of Indian Country. If you would like to attend, please email to [email protected].
Zoom ID: 160 9953 2172 Passcode: 610467
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EVENTS
March 22, 2021
Written comments are accepted.
April 6-8, 2021
April 8, 2021
April 11-14, 2021
April 22, 2021
April 26-29, 2021
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FEDERAL NOTICES
ANA proposed interpretive rules and general statements of policy that relate to ANA's funding opportunities in Fiscal Year FY 2021. Changes to FY 2021 funding opportunity announcements (FOAs).
Comments are due by March 22, 2021.
HUD is seeking approval from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the information collection described below.
Comments are due March 26, 2021.
The U.S. Department of Education (Department) proposes a priority and requirements for the Training of Interpreters for Individuals Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing and Individuals Who Are DeafBlind Program, Assistance. Comments are due April 1, 2021.
The Department of Education is soliciting comments on the proposed information collection request (ICR) that is described in the Federal Register Notice. The Department of Education is especially interested in public comment addressing the data collection and usage and other issues. Comments will be considered public records and are due by April 1, 2021.
The Source Directory of American Indian and Alaska Native Owned and Operated Arts and Crafts Businesses is a program of the Indian Arts and Crafts Board that promotes American Indian and Alaska Native arts and crafts. The Source Directory is a listing of American Indian and Alaska Native owned and operated arts and crafts businesses that may be accessed by the public on the Indian Arts and Crafts Board's website http://www.doi.gov/iacb. The request asks for new listings and comments on or before April 5, 2021.
The Department of Labor requests information on issues related to the development of a report concerning “Labor Market Information on the Indian Workforce.” The Department invites tribal leaders, representatives, data specialists, and tribal members, as well as researchers and other stakeholders to submit information.
Written responses are due on April 9, 2021.
The Department of Commerce invites the general public and other Federal agencies to comment on proposed, and continuing information collections. The National Minority Business Awards Program is a key element of Minority Enterprise Development Week and celebrates the outstanding achievements of minority entrepreneurs. Comments are due April 23, 2021.
The Rural Utilities Service’ Rural eConnectivity Program provides loans, grants, and loan/grant combinations to facilitate broadband deployment in rural areas. This rule describes the eligibility requirements, the application process, the criteria that will be used by RUS to assess applicants' creditworthiness and outlines the application process. Comments are due by April 27, 2021.
The Department of Education (Department) invites applications for new awards for FY 2021 for Educational Technology, Media, and Materials for Individuals with Disabilities—Television Access Projects. Applications are due April 27, 2021.
The Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proposing to collect data for a new wave of the Head Start Family and Child Experiences Survey (FACES).
Comments are due by May 18, 2021
The U.S. Department of Education invites applications for new awards for FY 2021 for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) Program.
Applications are due June 1, 2021.
The Department of Education is inviting applications for FY 2021 for the American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Training and Technical Assistance Center—to provide training and technical assistance (TA) to governing bodies of Indian tribes that have received an American Indian Vocational Rehabilitation Services (AIVRS) grant.
Applications are due June 14, 2021.
The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Center for Minority Veterans (CMV), is seeking nominations of qualified candidates to be considered for appointment as a member of the Advisory Committee on Minority Veterans (“the Committee”). Nominations for membership on the Committee must be received no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on July 15, 2021.
Notice of Funds Availability inviting Applications for grants to support, prepare for, and respond to the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund Rapid Response Program.
The CDFI Rapid Response Program (CDFI RRP) Fund will provide (i) awards of up to $5 million to Certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) to support, prepare for, and respond to the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. All awards provided through this funding notice are subject to funding availability. Please refer to announcement for deadlines.
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For questions or concerns, please contact:
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