Officials take oaths of office today in Shiprock, Tuba City

By Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau

IYANBITO CHAPTER — About 150 men and women took their oaths of office Thursday morning in the Wingate High School auditorium, beginning four-year terms as chapter presidents, vice presidents, secretaries-treasurers, land and school board members, and an election supervisor.

The four straight days among the five agencies conducting the chapter-level inaugurations ends today in the Shiprock High School auditorium for the Northern Agency and in the Grey Hills Academy High School auditorium in Tuba City for the Western Agency.

At Wingate High School, the big auditorium was full for the four-hour ceremony, complete with seven major speeches and young adults showing how well they have preserved their Navajo culture and language.

Navajo Nation District Court Judge Wilson Yellowhair gave the oaths as the new leaders promised to uphold the laws of the Navajo Nation and the Treaty of 1868, to advance the interests of the Navajo people through their ethical duties and responsibilities.

Joseph Martin, a Navajo from the Southwest Indian Polytechnic Institute, concentrated on what leaders of successful and struggling tribes found to be the keys to their situations.

He also said that with the present administration in Washington, D.C., it will be a difficult path for tribes. "These are the hard facts we have to deal with," he said.

New leadership program
To help deal with the dominant society, the Albuquerque school has launched a new tribal leadership program, he said.

A national survey asked tribal leaders if government is the solution or the problem "to everything we address."

Martin said, "The most effective tribal leaders agreed government is not the solution and they agreed government is part of the problem. However, some said if it is done correctly, government can be a part of the solution."

This means it is up to the individual leaders, even though "it's not a one-person show" since "it is a team effort... to help people," Martin said. His analysis was "you definitely have to play your part to make things better for your people."

Martin said both successful and struggling leaders agreed, "You need to be absolutely clear what it is you want to achieve and make sure the people out there have the same understanding of what you want to achieve." This is best achieved, he added, by having a very clear and simple story line.

Ariz. Gov. Janet Napolitano is a master of this, he indicated. New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson does an adequate job with carefully crafting words to connect how spending money relates to the goals he has in mind, Martin said.

Navajo government not clear
Sadly, he indicated, that is not the case with the Navajo Nation.

Key issues he cited were the use of technology, scholarships, the water rights settlements, control of education to expand sovereignty, and reducing the size of the council. As to chopping down the tribe's governing body he said it isn't so much the number, but effective representation that is the issue.

Council Speaker Lawrence Morgan, a long-time tribal school board member, called the newly-installed group "the 2005 Inaugurating Class."

He told the new officials their leadership is important, "for it is the essence of representation at the local level which you...communicate onto the central government." "Often," he added, "your reward will be measured by the benefit that your local people receive."

A chapter exercising the power of a local government "is as equally important as the sovereign powers exercised by the Navajo Nation Council," Morgan said.

Turning to the 1998 Local Governance Act, the speaker said some changes have been made, with more on the way, and encouraged chapter officers to exercise the local empowerment given to them.

Take next step
"I see a lot of ability, creativity, excitement and determination. It appears that this Class will be the one to take the next step in using the new amendments to enhance the capacities at the chapter level and generate local revenue," Morgan said in encouraging them to become resourceful.

President Joe Shirley Jr. agreed with Morgan that although it is difficult, "Public service is an honorable profession. I've been doing it for 36 years," including being a council delegate 12 years and a county supervisor for 18.

"If you are going to accomplish things for the people, it takes enthusiasm; it takes spirit. If you have enthusiasm, if you have spirit, if you believe in yourself, it won't get you down," he said, when obstacles crop up. Shirley added that an elected official must believe there are what he called "no impossibilities." A person must have those qualities, he said, "otherwise step down and let somebody else do the job who believes."

The president concluded that being a public official is definitely a challenge and that the job should be done with prayer since "that's our way of life."

The other major speeches came from State Sen. Leonard Tsosie, Community Development Division Director Ronnie Ben, Navajo Area School Board Association Director Pauleen Billie and University of New Mexico-Albuquerque Ph.D. candidate Marilyn Tracey.

— To contact reporter Jim Maniaci, telephone (505) 371-5443.