Dear Mr. Council Delegate Jonathan Nez, I am disappointed to learn that you are not supporting Legislation No. 0298-14. As you may know, shichei, Ben Tallman, is from Navajo Mountain and shimasani is from Shonto. My family still resides in Shonto. Although, I was raised in Black Mesa and I vote in Kayenta Chapter, I still consider you as representing my family and I. I saw the video of you stating why the Navajo Nation decided to recess. I want to take a moment to calm your fears. You stated that we need to stand behind our language and there is fear that the legislation will infringe upon the preservation of language. There is no reason to fear this. First, there are already council delegates who don’t speak Navajo so your reason is already a moot point. Also, from your impromptu video statement, you did not speak Navajo in a “smooth” manner so as you know, there is no one master of the Navajo language, and we all work to increase our proficiency. The matter at hand is for THE PEOPLE to determine the proficiency of a leader in the Navajo language. This is already being done right now, from Dwight Witherspoon and Lorenzo Bates being elected by their constituency. I am confident they are not trying to abolish the Navajo language through their leadership but rather working with schools and communities to preserve the language. But if you want to establish a standard that is quantified, then yes, we can do that for the NEXT election! The 10-day period is passed. If you chose to implement it for the next election, we would have spent 4 years thinking, discussing, and critiquing a test with directed aims just as stated in Navajo law about ntsahakees, nihata, iina, doo siihasin. Then with that European exam, you can say that a candidate passes at 70%, if that is what you want. Personally, shimasani, Hazel Tallman (God rest her soul) never critiqued me and graded me in this way! She always said, “Shiyazhi, yeego inti! Nizhonigo yalti. Yeego inti. Awkitao ajilii.” Did you know shimasani? Do you think she would grade your proficiency in the Navajo language? I assure you, she would not. She would encourage you, tell you how to say it better, and you would learn and increase your effort and ability. It is only because of my elders and my parents, Lilly Etsitty Chief, Hazel Delmar Tallman, Paul Chief, Lillian Chief, Ned Yazzie, and Daniel Benally, that I am who I am! All credit is due to them for my ability to strive to higher learning and continually improve my proficiency in the Navajo language. Furthermore, if you want a standard that is quantified, then why was this standard not equally applied to all candidates regardless of their proficiency from the very beginning? This is unjust! Why is VP candidate Dineh Benally not subjected to the same grievances? Why is an English exam not given to Mr. Whitethorne? This question was raised on proficiency and all I am saying is that it was not equally applied. There is a lack of leadership, legal inconsistencies, and injustice in the matter of Tsosie/Whitethorne vs Deschene. First of all, why did Chief Justice Herb Yazzie allow a grievance to be heard AFTER the 10-day filing period had passed? This is the same judge that somehow allowed Joe Shirley to campaign for a 3rd term! Secondly, a standard was created on the spur of the moment and approved on the fly by an opposing party. Do you think this is biased? I think so! This standard was not critiqued and reviewed by language and cultural experts! I read the standard and it is an illiterate writing of the Navajo language but yet it claims that we should speak perfect Navajo. Who in the Navajo Nation speaks perfect Navajo? Is it Chief Justice Herb Yazzie? Is it Mr. Whitethorne? Is it you? Who are we to judge as an individual at what specific level, B+, A+, a person speaks Navajo? Is this what my grandmother Hazel Delmar Tallman would say to me? This Whitethorne/Yazzie Standard is full of grammatical errors! It even had an English word “and” in it. Eleanor Shirley could not even read it! She was stumbling through the entire incomplete sentence! I am a Christian and, as you know my grandpas and grandmas go to White Post Church and Black Mesa Bible Church, so we don’t’ speak Navajo according to Hozhoji. So are we not Navajo? Does my grandma Hazel Delmar Tallman not speak Navajo or is she not a true Navajo? How dare anyone say that to my grandma! She worked her entire life through her rug weaving so that we can survive. Because I don’t speak Navajo according to Hozhoji, which through Freedom of Religion, I chose not to practice, does this disqualify me to run for any leadership position? This is discrimination! Majority of our young people do not speak Navajo. If their heart is in the right place and they are passionate, they will learn and they will come back to help our people. Just because I was blessed to have parents that spoke to me in the Navajo language, does not give me authority to judge and put someone else down because they faced different challenges. I pray to God that you will not do that! Mr. Chris Deschene has actually created a movement that has never happened thus far even under the past leadership. Many young people are motivated and want to learn the Navajo language. They are inspired by Mr. Deschene’s academic scholarship (Page High School star scholar and athlete, Naval Academy graduate, ASU Masters of Engineering, and ASU Juris Doctorate) and leadership record (veteran in combat, state representative, high school coach). Chris is advocating for preservation of our language through his academic, leadership, and candidacy. He will continue to work towards preserving language and will bring in the young people to re-learn their language. What renaissance like this has happened to this point? What has our leadership done to preserve Navajo language? Are you requiring Navajo language in every school year in every school? Have you implemented anything like the Native Hawaiian Language Schools? I think not. So to say that Mr. Deschene is threatening Navajo language, is a lie. Even you stated that you re-learned it. So you agree, that proficiency is dynamic, changing, and continually improving with use. The fact is, that this legislation is simply stating that determining the proficiency of the Navajo language rests with the people, which is already going on now! The legislation will put a stop to the biased ruling of Chief Justice Herb Yazzie, and Judge Richie Nez who refused to hear the evidence attesting to Mr. Deschene’s proficiency based on the Mr. Deschene’s choice not to validate a test given by a biased, opposing party. I ask you to step forward and be a true leader and consider the facts, biased behavior, injustice, and voice of the people. Joe Shirley should welcome the challenge to go head to head with Mr. Deschene in the election. Both camps support Navajo language so it is not a point of argument. The point is the unequal application of a biased language test after a 10 day period which is the fault of the Navajo Nation government system. The Navajo Election Office already certified Mr. Deschene, printed ballots, and allowed people to vote for Mr. Deschene. At this point, you are treading dangerous ground, by invalidating votes that were casted by a candidate that was already certified. I am thinking about the future, my 3 year old son Tachiinii and my 1-year old son Ji’Hozho and what the Navajo Nation will be like for them in the future. I do not want that future to full of embarrassment and discrimination. “He that have no sin, cast the first stone.” As a parent, I make every effort to speak to them only in Navajo and JiHozho speaks but I pray for my peers who are re-learning and with great heart and compassion desire to give back to their people. Please do not discriminate against us. We are your children. Please listen to us. My grandmother is asking you to bring us home. Please make a way for us to come home. Thank you for your time and I hope that you will take this into consideration. Sincerely, Karletta Chief, Ph.D. (2001-07 University of Arizona, Hydrology) Kayenta Chapter Originally from Black Mesa, AZ, Shonto, AZ, and Cedar Ridge, AZ Bitterwater, Near-the-water, Manygoats, and Red-running-into-the-water 100% full blooded Navajo
Posted on: Thu, 23 Oct 2014 02:33:33 +0000
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