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3 Introduction Giving order to these sounds and words empowers me to rise above and beyond myself. Words uplift me to heights from which I transform myself into a power that transmutes any experience into an energy, which I may direct toward a definite purpose that I desire to achieve. I am the maker of my destiny. From this height, I know that words, knowledge, thoughts, emotions, experiences are all important. Isolated and dormant, they are useless. They are potential power. What is more important is knowing how, when, and for what to use this power. Therein lies our personal power! From this height, everything matters. Everything matters! —Rex Lee Jim, “A Moment in My Life” This book features Diné men and women’s personal perspectives of a distinct Diné matrix and their thoughts on the challenges that Diné peoples face. I use Viola F. Cordova’s term “matrix.” Her writings were compiled into How It Is: The Native American Philosophy of V. F. Cordova (2007), edited by Kathleen Dean Moore, Kurt Peters, Ted Jojola, and Amber Lacy with a foreword by Linda Hogan. Cordova used the term “matrix,” since it implies a web of related concepts. The term is defined as something within that something else originates and forms. A matrix forms a foundation , becomes a world picture for the individual and the community, and is culture specified. Cordova’s explanation for the use of “matrix” rather than the terms “worldview” and “philosophy” fits well with the various distinct Diné perspectives. These perspectives show a distinct matrix on individual and communal levels. The contributors share an insightful and humanistic way to understand the meaning of a vital foundational paradigm in Diné thought, Sa’a ˛h Naagháí Bik’eh Hózhó ˛ó ˛n (SNBH). The aim of this anthology is to initiate discussion on Indigenous philosophical principles in general but more specifically to discuss how Diné individuals live SNBH in the self-determination era. Very few texts focus on Indigenous peoples’ matrices and their own philosophical foundations within their communities. The contributors to this anthology offer insights into areas impacting the 4 • Introduction Navajo Nation and its peoples. These insights are individual critical engagements raising questions on Diné thought, language, sovereignty, and way of life. The contributors are situated in everyday actualities of a Diné way of life and thus write from Diné standpoints. Their writings represent Diné intellectual sovereignty as embodied knowledge, both epistemological and ontological, and grounded in a way of knowing that interconnects thought, speech, experience, and land. Not all of the contributors are professors or scholars; some are persons who help Indigenous peoples in their fight for justice and prosperity as well as the Navajo Nation in its effort to rebuild and sustain a free and vibrant Native nation. As embodied Indigenous peoples, these individuals are contributing to current philosophical reflections of Indigenous sovereignty and challenging dominant perspectives about Indigenous peoples and ways of thought. These individuals do not provide a quintessential definition of a Diné matrix; instead, they seek to reveal its multiple interpretations, ways of knowing, and ways of living. They are working to ensure an intellectual and cultural sovereignty reflected in how Diné peoples think, act, and live. Diné peoples have diverse perspectives in all disciplines and areas of life. More than three hundred thousand people self-identify as Diné, and each person has his or her own individual outlook on how to approach and live life, what to believe in, what to aspire to be, and what lifestyle to pursue. American thought and way of life has impacted how Diné peoples think and live their lives. More than four hundred years of American colonization, interaction, and experience with many distinct peoples has shaped Diné matrices and lifestyles. All of these experiences also influenced what once was a more unified Diné matrix. Diné thought in the self-determination era is fairly individualistic and less communal than in the past. While individual people will each have different thoughts on many aspects of life, they are still Diné because of their own personal histories , their connection to the ancestors, and their resiliency to survive and continue as distinct Native peoples. I grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, hearing about SNBH, but I never knew the meaning of these words. My parents did not teach me the Diné language except for words and phrases here and there. I learned certain words and phrases, and when I started college in 1990 I learned even more. But I am...

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