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Navajo scholars developing 'first of its kind' Din茅 textbook

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Researchers and contributors for the Navajo government textbook gather for a photo.

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About a decade ago, Kara Roanhorse applied for the Navajo Nation鈥檚 Chief Manuelito Scholarship, which aims to recognize high-achieving students with thousands of dollars per year for their undergraduate studies.

As part of that program, she said she had to take a Navajo government course, a class that disappointed her because of its lack of complexity and historical basis.

鈥淐urrently, there鈥檚 no concentrated text or deeper considerations in existence for young people to discuss issues of sovereignty and self determination,鈥 Roanhorse, now a University of New Mexico doctoral degree candidate, told the Journal this week.

Filling the types of gaps Roanhorse found in her schooling is why a team of UNM professors and other researchers, editors and contributors are developing a textbook on the history of Navajo government, an effort they tout as the first of its kind.

Kara Roanhorse

鈥淭he gap that we鈥檙e filling is to create something that is current and relevant to the needs of young Din茅 people and other Native people who have the lived experiences of these issues, of these events, and the policies that impact their lives,鈥 said Roanhorse, a contributor on the project.

Geared toward high schoolers taking Navajo government and social studies classes, the textbook will be published in three parts 鈥 one in English, one in Din茅 and another digital, English form, professor and Department of American Studies chair Jennifer Denetdale said.

She added that authors hope to submit their first draft of the textbook in March and have a near-complete manuscript ready for publication within two years.

鈥淚t really actually is historic, because it鈥檒l be the first one,鈥 said Denetdale, a co-editor of the textbook.

Denetdale鈥檚 inspiration for the project came from her grandson, she said. Years ago, while helping him take an online Navajo government class, she found herself surprised by how outdated and irrelevant his textbook was.

鈥淚 said, 鈥業鈥檓 really shocked that this is what you have to work with,鈥 and, 鈥業t鈥檚 a very Western perspective of the development of Navajo government,鈥 鈥 Denetdale said. 鈥淪o I told my grandson, I said, 鈥榃e鈥檙e going to write a new textbook.鈥 鈥

Jennifer Denetdale

Project backers, Denetdale said, were also partially inspired by the landmark Yazzie-Martinez lawsuit, which in 2018 yielded a decision from a judge that New Mexico wasn鈥檛 fulfilling its duty to provide a sufficient education system, particularly for English learners, students with disabilities, economically disadvantaged students and Native American pupils.

Specifically, that decision found the latter of those students benefit from 鈥渞igorous and well-designed curriculum that is culturally relevant,鈥 and advocates of Native American education have long pushed for more funding, programs and autonomy to accomplish that.

This textbook appears to fall into that.

鈥淲e can鈥檛 over-stress the importance of this curriculum that鈥檚 being developed by Din茅 people themselves,鈥 Roanhorse said.

In its comprehensive budget, the Navajo Nation Council set aside roughly $173,000 to develop the textbook.

That budget provision was pushed by council Delegate Andy Nez, who echoed the need for a 鈥渇irst of its kind鈥 educational resource about Navajo government.

鈥淥ftentimes, there are not a lot of resources about Navajo written by Navajo,鈥 he told the Journal. 鈥... I think it鈥檚 really important to know that this textbook is being funded and supported by Navajo Nation, for Navajo Nation students, written by Navajo scholars.鈥