Diné Perspectives: Revitalizing and Reclaiming Navajo Thought

Historic and Demographic Changes That Impact the Future of the Diné and the Development of Community-Based Policy

105 Historic and Demographic Changes That Impact the Future of the Diné and the Development of Community-Based Policy Yolynda Begay The stories and narratives of the Diné peoples have been told from the outsider’s point of view, and this often portrays a different perspective. This research gives me, as a scholar, the opportunity to mesh my professional training as a community-based planner and my Diné identity into a chapter that begins to talk about issues that our communities face. More important , it provides an opportunity to tell our story and how we reflect on traditional knowledge in the context of the Western world. As Vine Deloria (1999, 143), states, “it is very important for younger Indians to take the lead in restoring the sense of family, clan, and community responsibility that undergirds the traditional practices. In doing so the next generation of Indians will be able to bring order and stability to Indian communities, not because of their professional expertise but because of their personal example.” For the Diné peoples, identity goes beyond a Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB)1 and tribal enrollment. Identity is based in kinship, or k’é. This is how we relate ourselves to one another and our surroundings. Our clans are the one string that ties all our generations of people together. 106 • Political Challenges American Indians and Alaskan Natives are the only racial groups that have to prove their identity. No other races or ethnicities in the United States are required to provide policies or definitions on identity. “The definition of ‘Indian’ in federal and state law has engendered endless controversy since the beginning of Indian policy in America” (Spruhan 2000, 1). “About two-thirds of all federally recognized tribes of the coterminous United States specify a minimum blood quantum in their legal citizenship criteria, with one-quarter blood degree being the most frequent minimum requirement” (Garroutte 2003,15). Blood quantum disregards the preexisting cultural knowledge of how tribes identified one another preinvasion . Culture, language, and identity were once a determining role of the Diné peoples. This chapter evaluates the current and historical Diné population dynamics and how these dynamics impact tribal enrollment policy. This evaluation of the Navajo population is a reaction to the call and understanding of the creation of new and unprecedented responses from Native American communities and academia to assist our Native nations toward progress. In the context of this analysis, progress is defined as stepping away from imposed policies and developing policies that are aligned with Diné cultural values. Dr. Lloyd L. Lee (2006, 79), assistant professor at the University of New Mexico, states that “We learned that an imposed enrollment system has impacted Native Nations. . . . We also learned that Indian identity has continued even with ethnic impersonation and bloodquantum bigotry.” Diné identity can be viewed on a continuum with divergent perspectives on identity, as shown in figure 1. The top arrow in figure 1 depicts the colonial facade, or political identity, generated from a long history with the U.S. government. On the other end is the Diné worldview on identity, which is based on Diné core values. This includes k’é. The two perspectives are disconnected. The establishment of the blood quantum policy was engineered to fracture individual identity leading to fractionized generations. “Through intermarriage and application of a biological definition of identity Indians would eventually become citizens indistinguishable from all other citizens” (Garroutte 2003, 42). Figure 1 illustrates two distinct perspectives on identity. In terms of the tribal membership context, “some see blood quantum as a negative force allegedly imposed by the United States and at odds with traditional forms of tribal membership. . . . Others see it as a neutral method to define tribal membership when consistent with the policy goals of a tribe” (Spruhan 2006, 2). Since there is no middle ground between the two perspectives, Historic and Demographic Changes • 107 the goal of this chapter is to begin unraveling the population dynamics of the Diné peoples and to promote discussions on how we can reintegrate traditional knowledge into policy as it relates to tribal enrollment. Data The data used in the study is collected from three sources: the U.S. Decennial Census, the Navajo Office of Vital Records (NOVR), and the Figure 1. Continuum on identity: Political versus Diné worldview • Based on the Diné clan system and establishing relationships • Diné language emphasized • Diné worldview • Reconnects individual to community and landbase...