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Road to Chinle October 17, 2008 |
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| Today the Diné economy encompasses the traditional occupations of goat, sheep and
cattle herding, weaving (rugs!), pottery and jewelry crafts; and the newer sectors of tourism and mining of coal and uranium;
and only in 2004 did they join the casino business. Nearly every family has someone producing or selling
jewelry. Uranium mining has left an ugly legacy since its beginnings when it supplied the fuel for the Manhattan Project, of abandoned mines, waste piles, mills, tailings and radioactive dust, and the resulting health effects of the contamination. Traditional Diné society is matrilocal. The husband would move into his bride's dwelling and become part of her clan. Ownership of livestock (and according to wikipedia, land) was the woman's prerogative, and she received the family inheritance. Today there is no private ownership of land, it is owned in common and administered by the Nation's government and leased out to customary users and organizations. The government established in 1923 was reorganized in 1991 into a three branch system. The Nation is divided into five provinces entitled "Agencies" which match the five Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Agencies (Chinle, Eastern, Western, Fort Defiance, and Shiprock) assigned to the Nation. The agencies are further subdivided into chapters, who elect delegates to the Navajo Nation Council every four years. Sovereignty of the tribal government is limited in that proposed legislation must be reviewed and approved by the United States Secratary of the Interior. Most conflicts are then settled by "negotiation and political agreement". Federal entities like the BIA Police and the FBI operate within the Nation's borders. |
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 Last Pictures |
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 Canyon de Chelly 1 Map |
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