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The Chairman of the
Navajo Tribal Council
discusses present-day (1968) problems and the future of theNavajo Nation.
Raymond Nakai
This interview, arranged and photographed by K. C. DenDooven and conducted by his editor, Gaylord Staveley, appeared in Western Gateways Magazine - Navajo Indian - Winter 1968The population of the Navajo Indian tribe is roughly equal to that of ALL other American Indian tribes combined. The fact that Navajo population is "exploding" along with the rest of world population is a curious phenomenon, for most other American tribes are barely holding their own numerically; many of them are decreasing in number.Many of the Navajo younger generation have left and are leaving their scenic homeland, attracted by higher education, regular pay scales, and military service. Many find a place in what Mr. Nakai calls the "dominant society"; many find it alien and uncomfortable and return home.
Most of the Navajo People still live on the fifteen million acre reservation that was created for them through a series of withdrawals of public land. Their growth in numbers cannot be explained in terms of geography, for Navajo land is no more conducive to human habitation than any other Indian reservation, and perhaps less so than some. It cannot be explained in terms off tribal wealth, for though recent years have brought considerable revenue from mineral leases and royalties, the Navajo seem to have been increasing in numbers - - albeit slowly - - right from their beginning as a separate nation within our nation.
The roots of today's Navajo ways are fixed primarily in the reservation type of life, to which they were relegated one hundred yeas ago after a tragic four year captivity. Between 1864 and 1868 virtually the entire Navajo Nation, approximately 8500 people, was in detention at Fort Sumner, a military post in eastern New Mexico.
At the time the Navajos returned from captivity to their traditional homeland, their "government" consisted of a number of clans and extended family groups who had allegiance to local chiefs. There was no centralization.
The white man, oriented to span-of-control concepts, was neither able to understand this type of "organization" or to cope with it, and within a few years had started setting up his own pyramid system of organization among the Navajo. Main chiefs were designated, and sub-chiefs for certain regions, then sometime later, the concept of Chapters at grassroots level. The Chapter represented a locality, and each Chapter chose a Councilman. Councilmen were supposed to communicate with sub-chiefs, and they with the Main Chief, who went to the Indian Agent.
Eventually a Tribal Council emerged, a body made up of Councilmen representing the various localities on the reservation, and with a Council Chairman chosen by popular vote of the Navajo People. It was an Organizational Chart type of government set up within the Navajo Nation by white men.
The first Chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council was elected in 1923 and the office has continued since that time. Raymond Nakai is the ninth chairman elected in 1963.
Mr. Nakai was born near Lukachukai, Arizona in October 1918. At fort Wingate, New Mexico, where he attended school, he received his First Holy Communion and was Confirmed . From there he went to Shiprock Boarding School, graduating from high school in 1942, just in time for Naval duty. In the Pacific Theatre he took part in the second Sea Battle of The Philippines and the battles of Guadalcanal, Attu, Makin, and Tarawa.
Following his Navy discharge,Mr. Nakai took a job with the Navajo Ordnance Depot near Flagstaff. For ten years, in addition to his regular job he conducted an early morning radio broadcast in the Navajo Language.
In 1963 he began his campaign for Chairmanship of the Navajo Tribal Council, the position he holds today.
"Only he who makes his people strong is strong, and only he who rules free men is great", he has said. "This shall be the motto of my administration."Western Gateways: Mr. Chairman, the Navajo Tribe has increased in population from about nine or ten thousand people in 1868 to well over a hundred thousand as 1968 approaches. To what do you attribute this?
Raymond Nakai: I believe the reason the population is increasing at such a pace is due to certain types of programs that have reduced the high death rates we were confronted with not too long ago. Statisticians tell us there will be better than six thousand Navajo babies born in 1967, which is almost the number of Navajos that were released from captivity at Fort Sumner in 1868. So not only is the rest of the country and the world around us confronted with this so-called population explosion, but the Navajo Tribe is faced with the same problem.
Western Gateways: How well do the various domestic welfare programs seem to fit the Navajo way of life?
Raymond Nakai: I think they fit. Most of the younger people of the tribe would much rather pursue new ideas, which we are trying to get implemented for them. Through their contact with the outside world, the dominant society, this impression has been made on their minds. You know, the way of living, the way of doing things, the social activities.
What we are doing is actually for the old as well as the young, but I am sure the young people will have a greater advantage from it.
Western Gateways: It sounds as though the people who need these programs most - - the old people - - are the ones least receptive to them.
Raymond Nakai: That's right. But you see this Navajo Nation is a young nation. The population is something in the neighborhood of 125,000, and about 50 or 55 percent of the people are below the age of twenty.
Western Gateways: Your economic growth has been quite remarkable , too. What is it the Navajo Tribe has that the other tribes perhaps don't, that enables such growth?
Raymond Nakai: Imagination, I would say. it's been said over and over that a man without imagination is like a pair of spectacles behind which there are no eyes. I think the Navajo Nation has imagination, they seem to come up with ideas on how to cope with problems they are facing now or will eventually face in the future. I think this is the reason why the Navajos are moving ahead aster than some of the other tribes. And being the largest tribe I think also has something to do with getting needed assistance for our programs.
Western Gateways: Today's Navajo is so much different from the Navajo of one hundred years ago. What do you think the Navajo of 2068 will be: will he have been totally assimilated?
Raymond Nakai: I'm looking forward toward the day when the Navajo will be, as you say, totally assimilated into the dominant society. I don't see any way this can be prevented. If you can develop an individual's ability, refine it, train him so that he is just as good as the next man, then this brings about a mobility and he can fit into any place in the dominant society without any trouble at all. He will be just as good as the next man, you see. Mobility is extremely important in this venture of ours.
Western Gateways: Vocational mobility?
Raymond Nakai: Social and vocational. All kinds. And when this happens I feel the Navajo Nation will no longer be separate- - I think eventually that will come, no matter what happens.Then there are other facets of this. One is inter-marriage. there's so much of it going on right now.
Western Gateways: What will happen when total assimilation does occur. will Navajo rugs still be woven. Navajo silver still be worked?
Raymond Nakai: We are going to retain some of the Navajo culture and heritage. Present day thinking is that this can very well be done. We have a cultural-heritage center right now under ONEO (Office of Navajo Economic Opportunity--Ed) at the Rough rock Demonstration School. Our goal is to pursue some of the culture, some of the mythology, some of the philosophy that the Navajo people had over the years. Perhaps this can be preserved as a contribution to the humanities, something like the Greeks did.
Western Gateways: Do you think "progress" means imitation of the white man's way?
Raymond Nakai: Not necessarily imitation, though the Navajos, you know, are noted for that. They adopted certain things from the Spaniards, and of course we are adopting certain ways of the Anglo. But I don't know if this will be the ultimate thing. As we go on with our developments, we're coming up with new ideas. We're also putting new touches on old ideas. I think the location of the new General Dynamics plant on the reservation is an example of this. Several years ago there was tremendous opposition to this type of thing, but now it seems the wall has been broken down, so to speak, so that The Tribe can go ahead.
Western Gateways: Do you have guidelines as to the type of industry you want on the Navajo Reservation?
Raymond Nakai: We would like to bring in industries that employ men. Up to now those that relocated on the reservation employ mostly women. This of course creates social problems. Automotive parts manufacturing or even the assembly of motor vehicles would be desirable. Mining is of course going on right now and employs some men folk as heavy equipment operators and so forth. But we are looking toward a day in the future when some of the Navajo students who are in the colleges and universities right now will have been trained in highly technical areas so they can take over positions within industries that have relocated here. For example, the Four Corners Power Plant - - if we can train people to fill positions that are presently occupied by Anglos we can hope that in time a Navajo would replace that anglo.
Western Gateways: In addition to being a political entity, the Navajo
Tribe is a business entity. What are some of the tribal enterprises?Raymond Nakai: The Arts and Crafts Guild, the Navajo Forest Products Industries (NFPI), the Navajo Times - - our newspaper, a hotel at Shiprock, New Mexico, and the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority (NTUA).
Western Gateways: The Navajo National Bank?
Raymond Nakai: No that is not a tribal enterprise.
Western Gateways: Does the Tribe hold stock in the bank?
Raymond Nakai: Yes, we hold shares. Not in the bank actually, but in the holding company, the Navajo Bancorporation.
Western Gateways: Is there tribal membership in the board of the bank or the holding company?
Raymond Nakai: We had at one time one member of the tribe on the board of directors of the bank, and they have just indicated they want to re-establish that. Then on the board of the holding company we do have three people, which is still just a minority.
Western Gateways: In the sense that the Navajo are a nation, would it be correct to say that tribal business enterprises are nationalized?
Raymond Nakai: No, not necessarily. For example the Navajo Forest Products Industries is set up as an entity separate by itself, run by a board of directors just like any big business corporation. NTUA is the same way.
Western Gateways: Is there an overlap, with members of the tribal council sitting on these boards?
Raymond Nakai: No, these boards of directors are composed of people who are well versed, well experienced with years of background in the certain type of industry. In NFPI there are many people on the board that have twenty or twenty-five years of lumber work background.
Western Gateways: Both Navajo and white?
Raymond Nakai: Yes, both Navajos and Anglos.
Western Gateways: Are these enterprises corporate entities, that is do they issue stock or are they set up some other way?
Raymond Nakai: No they do not issue stock. The money they are using was of course put up by the Navajo Tribe. This will eventually be paid back; this is the way it's set up.
Western Gateways: What is the Net Worth of the Navajo Tribe?
Raymond Nakai: I don't have the figures before me, but I'd say it is well over one hundred million dollars. That is, I'm talking about a very small aspect, the net worth. If you take all the natural resources and everything else, I don't know, you see.
Western Gateways: You've said that the Navajo Nation is "quasi-soverign," Would you elaborate on that?
Raymond Nakai: Well, this started with the signing off the Peace Treaty between the Government and the Navajo Nation. Of course prior to the signing of that treaty the Navajo had their own type of government.
Once you enter into this kind of thing there are certain external powers that are taken away. This is what happened and this is why I say its like a sovereignty, but limited in power. We are citizens, but we cannot enter into a peace treaty with any foreign nations or with a warring nation. The jurisdiction of the state ceases right at the reservation boundary. Inside the bounds of the reservation there are certain federal laws that apply. The internal affairs are of course left up to the Navajo Tribe. The government, the policy-making, the legislative powers, the judicial setup, are totally Navajo. This is the way the Navajo Nation is today.
Western Gateways: Would you give us in capsule form a statement of your ambitions for the Navajo People?
Raymond Nakai: Employment. I think this is one of the biggest. Education is another. training. These things are real close to my heart. I would like to see these accomplished. I know it will take many years to do it, but I find that we should start now in that direction, start laying the groundwork. Economic self-sufficiency is the goal here.
Another thing is in the area of mankind. You see, the whole program is centered on human dignity - - getting the individual to do for himself those things that are good, that make life good, that make life happy. And at the same time the responsibility that goes with it. I think this has been overlooked through the years, and is very important. Some of the things I mentioned earlier are, I think, the way to achieve these goals.
Our Bill of Rights is something that's been real close to my heart. I felt that this largest of Indian Tribes with its own government still was unable to guarantee the rights that the individual has.
Western Gateways: What is the substance of the Navajo Bill of Rights?
Raymond Nakai: Well, when I say basic human rights, I'm talking about Freedom of Religion, Freedom off Speech, of the Press, The Rights of the People To Assemble Peaceably, the Right of the People to Bear Arms, the Right of The People to be Secure in Their Homes, and so forth. About the same things that are set forth in the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitution. most people do not realize that although the Constitution of The United States is the supreme law of the land, it only restrains the federal government from denying those rights to its citizens. It does not restrain tribal governments from infringing upon those rights. In other words, a tribal government can deny freedom of worship to its members and there's no recourse, no way the individual can assert those rights against the tribal government, the way the laws are; the way the court decisions were handed down. So there's an area which I felt was very touchy and this is the reason we moved ahead with the Bill of Rights. We wanted to protect our people against any infringement that a tribal council might come up with later.
Western Gateways: The problem is that your people would have had no recourse to the federal government against the tribal council?
Raymond Nakai: That's right. This is where the quasi-sovereignty comes in, you see. I think certain cases tried in the Federal courts have borne this thing out without any shadow of doubt. I think the courts have handled down certain decisions were specific in saying that the only way individual members of Indian tribes can protect their rights against infringement by so-called tribal governments is for them to write those rights into a tribal constitution or into a Bill of Rights as we did
Western Gateways: Then you feel that the Tribal council is not a representative form of government in all cases?
Raymond Nakai: There's arguments pro and con on this. I think to some extent it is a representative government, but without The People delegating it the authority and the powers. The power and authority are missing - - they were given through bureau regulations, not by The People. The tribal government is representative to the extent that the Navajo People themselves vote their leaders into the offices they hold, you see, but devoid of any powers. I've felt for quite some time that this so-called Navajo tribal government was not set up by the Navajo People, and that to set up any type of government, the residual power of The People should be manifested. I think the only way this can be done is through a basic document such as a constitution, you see. This is the only way you get the consent of a people to be governed.
This has never happened. The Bureau off Indian Affairs decided to come up with some rules and regulations to set up the tribal government and this is what we're operating by today. I feel this is wrong - - that it shouldn't be - - and that we should go back to The People and give them the responsibility for drafting the type of constitution that they want, and set forth the powers to be delegated to the government and also the limitations. This to me is coming closer to a democratic type of government, you see. And this is our aim. The next move, since we've gotten our Bill of Rights through, would be to set up a committee to start working on a Tribal Constitution for the Navajo People.
Western Gateways: The Navajos, then, do not have any say in what the Bureau of Indian Affairs or the federal government decides for them?
Raymond Nakai: Well, yes, I think you can put it that way. I think if the federal government were to say they are going to take over the Tribal Government. I think they can do it, you see. They can run it. This is where the gap is. On the other hand if the Navajo Tribe or the Navajo People were to set up their own government and give it power, authority and limitations, then the consent of The People is there and the federal government cannot come in and say your government is set up according to my rules; I can tell it what to do and what not to do. You see?
Western Gateways: Mr. Nakai, would you say that the typical Navajo of today is still a sheep herder?
Raymond Nakai: No, I wouldn't say that he is, not any more. I think there is a typical Navajo, but it's just that the economic situation is changing. New types of industries will be relocated here and some of course are already relocated here, and a lot of The People will be working in those industries. This will get them away from the sheep herding that was prevalent thirty or forty years back. It can't be the old way; you take the young people into consideration. Take my children, they don't want to go out and herd sheep like I used to do. They don't want to go out and bale hay or gather up bales like we used to do forty years ago. They would much rather get a good education, good training so that they can perhaps sit in an office - - air conditioned office - - be an executive, you know. Maybe getting a salary of $10,000 a year. The trend, you know, is in this direction. We certainly can't change it. This is of course the same thing you see in your dominant society.
Western Gateways: What type of tourism-activities do you think the Tribe will be going into in the future?
Raymond Nakai: We really haven't decided entirely yet. But we did make application to the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for a grant to develop some motel, restaurant and marina type facilities at Padre Point on Lake Powell. This has been approved.
Western Gateways: Is there a target date for beginning construction?
Raymond Nakai: Not yet, but we've got everything ready, and just a few minor modifications that have to be made before we can go ahead with it. The problem now of course is to get the finances together. It could be from the federal government, or we might have to move in the direction of private corporations or even banks perhaps to set up the necessary funds.
Western Gateways: We know that prior to waging your successful campaigns for the Chairmanship, you had a Navajo language program on radio station KCLS in Flagstaff. How did that come about?
Raymond Nakai: Well, I was working at the Navajo Army Depot at Bellmont, and C. J. Saunders came out one day looking for a dependable Navajo announcer. I did a lot off work for the Commanding Officer of the depot, and he recommended me. I really enjoyed that radio work because every morning when I went over there to run the program, I was in touch with The people regardless of where they were.
Western Gateways: And this was conducted entirely in the Navajo language. What type of program was it?
Raymond Nakai: Mostly commercials, announcements for the big firms throughout the nation, advertisements, of course news items, gems of wisdom and every now and then something in the scientific line.
I think I did a good selling job, in fact that's how I started smoking Salem Cigarettes! I used to advertise them, and one time C. J. Saunders and his engineer drove out on the reservation to determine how effective a job I was doing. They went to Tuba City and some other trading posts and asked for Salems and no one had any. The traders were trying to sell some other brand to The people and they wouldn't take them. The same thing happened with Borden's Evaporated Milk. They didn't want any other brand - - they said, "Mr. Nakai said Bordens is good." So apparently it pays to advertise.
Western Gateways: We're you still with the radio station when you began your campaign for the chairmanship of The Tribal Council?
Raymond Nakai: I was working there at the same time I was at the Ordnance Depot as supervisor. Of course the two jobs together gave me a good income. This was when Mr. Damon and some of our people got together and started strategizing I don't think I ever did any campaigning as such over the station, although I was accused of doing it, you know. Some of the gems of wisdom I had on the air for the Navajo People to think about of course had to do with government, some had to do with social life, some had to do with everyday life, so I got comment from The people that it was the best thing that happened. It started them thinking for themselves, and finally as we went along it built up like a snowball. So then the decision was made: let's take a crack at The Chairmanship. And we succeeded.
Western Gateways: Was that your first entry into tribal politics, or had you held other office?
Raymond Nakai: No, I was never a Councilman or a Chapter officer.
Western Gateways: Have you ever been sorry you won the Chairmanship?
Raymond Nakai: No. I find this very challenging. I've always said that if the individual can do and can contribute to Society. I felt that this is the reason we were sent to school, to someday return and help The People, to uplift their standard of living. This is what really made up my mind to get into this.
Many people ask why we fight the white man's war. Our answer is that we are proud to be Americans. We're proud to be American Indians. We always stand ready when our country needs us." Raymond Nakai, former Navajo Code Talker
EPILOG:
October 23, 2005
THE ARIZONA REPUBLICRaymond Nakai, 86, influential Navajo tribal leader
written by: Mark Shaffer
Republic Flagstaff Bureau
Aug. 16, 2005 12:00 AMFormer Navajo President Raymond Nakai, a leader in Native American higher education and father of renowned flutist R. Carlos Nakai, died late Sunday at age 86.
Nakai, who led the nation's largest reservation from 1963 until 1971, paved the way for the founding of Navajo Community College, the first Native American-controlled junior college in the country, which had its name changed later to Dineh College.
Nakai also was instrumental in empowering Navajo citizens against their own government and giving legitimacy to the Native American Church, which had suffered from years of oppression in Indian country, former Navajo President Peterson Zah said. advertisement
"He was a wonderful man and good leader," Zah said. "He really woke up the people and gave Navajos their first real bill of rights. Before Nakai, it was a real gray area between members of tribe and their government. He also was a huge advocate of the Native American Church against those who questioned the legitimacy of it."Nakai also brought former Navajo President Peter MacDonald back to the three-state reservation to oversee economic development in the 1960s.
Nakai then defended MacDonald, once the most powerful Native American in the country, to the end when scandal and riots ended his administration in 1989.
Peter Iverson, an Arizona State University historian and expert on the Navajos, said Nakai was one of the first Native American leaders to bring media savvy to the office. Nakai had been a radio broadcaster in Flagstaff before his political career.
"He was well-educated and had lived off the reservation and made significant use of the radio," Iverson said. "He resonated extremely well with the Navajo people because he pledged to spend less for white elephants and monuments and more for hogans and then followed through."
Iverson said that although MacDonald and Zah have been the Navajo political giants the past 30 years, Nakai dominated the era before and that "he was one of the great bilingual speakers ever from the culture."
Funeral services tentatively are scheduled for Thursday in Nakai's home community of Lukachukai on the Navajo Nation.
Red Lake Net News
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