A grassroots Dineh group is helping to fight against environmental hazards. Activist Hazel James is a coleader of the Dineh Biziil (meaning “Navajo strength to power”) coalition, a group dedicated to fighting for social and environmental justice. It started as a small group seeking improvements in Navajo government in 2000 and is looking to expand its members and coalition worldwide. A major cause is the fight against a proposal for uranium mining in the region that would contaminate drinking water among the Dineh. Another group, the Save the Peeks Coalition, is also fighting against development of ski resorts on the San Francisco peaks in Arizona that are sacred to the Dineh and 14 other tribes.
Navajo youths have sought various art forms to express their cultural identity. There is a surge of rock music among the younger generation that often incorporates traditional chanting and melodies into cathartic electric musical expressions. The radio station KTNN, in operation since 1985, broadcasts across the Navajo Nation. It provides news, educational programming, and music and entertainment to Indians across the land. Radio is important to many Native people, who rely on it as their only source for information.
Poetry has also been kept alive through the generations. Sherwin Bitsui, a Dineh poet, graduated from the Institute of American Indian Arts and has won a number of fellowships and awards for his poetry, traveling worldwide to read and lecture. His first book, Shapeshift, came out in 2003. His poetry is imagery based, with a twist of surrealism while addressing Native issues along with personal observation and reflection.
World History
