The Diné Nihi Kéyah (our land) Project asserts the need of farmers, ranchers, and homesite holders on the Navajo Nation to be part of land use decision-making in a meaningful way. The vast Navajo Nation is made up of areas that came into being over time, each area established for different purposes and subject to different conditions that have little to do with Diné Kinship and land practices. Land use laws are regional, multi-jurisdictional, and so complex and dispersed as to be inaccessible to community members for self-governance in a meaningful manner. The lack of meaningful access discourages stewardship and pits neighbor against neighbor in ways unthinkable some generations ago. This project seeks to (1) gather together the dispersed land-use laws in one place (both federal and tribal); (2) use the gathered laws to teach Navajo Nation land users their history and meaning; and (3) give the land use community the informed and empowered ability to make their own land use decisions, including offering their own informed solutions and reforms that can stand up to the ignorance of government lawyers.
Diné Nihi Kéyah Project Website – Indian Country Grassroots Support Website