WASHINGTON D.C. — In a step toward cultural collaboration, the Honorable Crystalyne Curley, Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council, and His Excellency Baktybek Amanbaev, Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the U.S. and Canada, met at the Embassy of the Kyrgyz Republic to discuss avenues for strengthening cultural relations and mutual understanding between the Kyrgyz Republic and the Navajo Nation on March 20. Also joining the discussion was the Executive Director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office, Justin Ahasteen.

The meeting was held at the invitation of Amanbaev, who is interested in pursuing a cultural exchange to explore similarities between the Navajo people and the Kyrgyz...

AUSTIN, Texas — Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren and actress and activist Jane Fonda participated in the SXSW 2024 South by Southwest conference during the weekend of March 8, addressing toxic environmental perils with specific concerns for the Diné of the Navajo Nation.

At the conference, Nygren took part in the Breaking the Cycle: Building Climate Resilient Communities panel, and Fonda spoke as a panelist in the Hollywood and Activism session.

The actress has used her glamorous platform as a celebrity to beacon attention to Indigenous rights, economic justice, and gender equality. She continues to advocate for climate change and stands tall for vulnerable populations.

In a...

Navajo Nation takes over generating station as SRP departs

LeChee, Ariz. — After nearly 55 years, the land leased by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and five utilities to build the Navajo Generating Station has been returned to the Navajo Nation.

Lemuel Brown, the Salt River Project on-site supervisor of the decommissioning and demolition of NGS since it ceased operation in November 2019, handed the keys to the site to Jason John, director of the Navajo Nation Dept. of Water Resources and chairman of the Navajo Nation Consultation Team that oversaw the decommissioning process, on March 18.

“That pretty much concludes everything we had,” Brown told a small group from SRP, LeChee...

Shareholders say there has been little progress


WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — The shareholder representatives of the Naat’áanii Development Corporation voted unanimously to remove all seven of NDC’s board of directors during a special meeting held on March 13 in Window Rock, Arizona.

NDC, a federally chartered corporation under Section 17 of the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934 and wholly owned by the Navajo Nation, was created in 2018 to boost economic opportunities for the Navajo Nation. However, shareholders say there has been little to no movement with NDC.

The NDC shareholders include Navajo Nation President Dr. Buu Nygren and Speaker Crystalyne Curley, both of whom are...