Clash of Cultures
Discussion focuses on women's role as leaders

By John Christian Hopkins
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — Time will tell if luck will be a lady in the race to become the next Navajo Nation president.

Or will the lady sing the blues?

For the first time a woman has made it through the primaries, and now Lynda Lovejoy is looking to become the first woman president of the Nation. But she faces stiff opposition.

Incumbent President Joe Shirley Jr. is an experienced campaigner, and received the highest vote total during the primary.

But Shirley may not be the biggest obstacle Lovejoy has to contend with. Apparently, there's something that time can't change.

The Navajo have never had a woman president, and there are those who think it should stay that way.

"I want to know if people are going to stick with tradition, as far as women in leadership," said Delegate Francis Redhouse. "If we ignore that, we might as well stop teaching our culture and language in the schools, because we've lost our tradition."

"They say it's tradition, but no one can point to it when it began and where," said Kate Young of Salt Lake City.

"Real, traditional Navajo society was matriarchal. Women already had that power, that reverence," said Sararesa Begay, who works as a liaison between her Nation and Congressional candidate Ellen Simon.

Women possess the skills necessary to be an effective leader, Young said.

"I'm excited we finally have a bona fide candidate," Young added. "There's the possibility of change."

"Navajo women as president of the Navajo Nation is an important discussion for both Navajo and non-Navajo people, one that compels us to examine our values regarding gender and the perception of power," said Milton Bluehouse, who left his position in the current administration to work for Lovejoy's campaign. "First, unfortunately there are discussions among Navajo men in which Western gender values play a large role. For example, when I approached one Navajo man who is a community leader and asked his thoughts on Navajo women as leaders, he said rather conservatively, 'Navajo women should be in the kitchen and raising children, not out there in Window Rock.' Immediately, the 1950's image of the American mother at home in the suburban kitchen, with children buckled down in a high chair at the kitchen table, while 'daddy' is in the big city working for corporate headquarters.

"Like this image, the thought expressed by the Navajo male community leader is out-dated and sexist because his attitude promotes a stereotype of social roles based on gender; the attitude is 'Navajo women can't be leaders because they're women,' " Bluehouse continued.

Struggling with change
During the recent presidential primaries at least two of the 11 candidates objected to a woman running. Several other tribal leaders have expressed concern that a woman president breaks tradition.

In many Navajo families, the center is still a strong grandmother, Begay said. But the Navajo thinking became polluted when outside cultures were introduced cultures that held that women were not able to lead, she explained.

"I think we Navajos are still struggling with that," Begay said. "Navajo women are strong not just Navajo, all women but society assigns women to an inferior role."

The result today, is a disconnect from real Navajo tradition, Begay said.

"There is a mist of change in the air throughout Indian Country, where more tribes have elected women to councils and president positions," said Delegate Ervin M. Keeswood. "On the Navajo Nation our people have elected women to serve on our council which is their choice. Title 1 of Navajo law, under the 'foundation of Din law and Din government,' there is a section of law called 'Din Traditional law,' which reads as follows: 'It is the right and freedom of the Din to choose leaders of their choice.'

"When I read this sentence it is very clear that the 19-20th Navajo Nation Council when it approved the Navajo Fundamental laws did not believe that gender would be an issue, which means both men and women are allowed to serve in tribal leadership."

Maintaining focus
Gender should not be the dominant discussion in the presidential run off between Lovejoy and Shirley, Bluehouse said. Instead, discussion should focus on the leadership qualities and professional experience of the person running for Navajo public office.

"To have a bum for a leader just because he's a man rather than having an educated, professional, and experienced leader because she's a woman is absolutely ludicrous," Bluehouse said.

Keeswood was in agreement.

"I have colleagues, whom are both men and women, who have brought equal quality to Navajo Government in terms leadership," Keeswood said. "Based on my experience, I see no difference in the quality, ability in leadership based on gender."

The other discussion about gender and Navajo women as leader is the specific non-Western gender value, or specific Navajo cultural gender value, that is/was steeped in the cultural history of the Navajo people, Bluehouse said.

"Now, in honesty, I'm not a cultural expert, so my knowledge here is rather general, but it is said among culturally competent Navajo people that in the history of Navajo people there had been a lesson learned about a specific woman in a specific time who in a position of power had acted as a tyrant," Bluehouse explained. "And here too, there are discussions among older, more culturally sensitive Navajo men and women who wonder about this historical lesson. However, it is interesting that those who rely on cultural beliefs to prohibit a Navajo woman to be a leader don't also reflect on the cultural beliefs of Navajo women and Navajo female deities as life bearing, harmonizing, and peaceful beings. It appears that modern Navajo discussions on this aspect of Navajo woman as leader is a selective conversation among those opposed to a Navajo woman as leader."

Sovereignty
In addressing the issue of Navajo women as leader there is also a tie-in with discussions of sovereignty and self-determination, Bluehouse said.

"Basically, if we are to address this topic with some thought and intelligent discussion, we have to examine Western feminist political theory and our own Navajo theory of gender. If we, as Navajo people and leaders of government, are to use the language of sovereignty and self-determination, then we should move forward with 'our' own Navajo theory of gender values and leadership, and not rely on what we see and learn from television's conservative and liberal programs, from non-Navajo social values, and from leading non-Indigenous academicians on gender," he said. "After all, we can't talk about sovereignty and self-determination, or even advocate for it, if we buy into the thoughts, the stereotypes, and values that are not our own."

Racism is an important issue being discussed today by Navajo leaders and people, Bluehouse said. But how can Navajo leaders fight discrimination, and stamp out threats to human rights, and not address it in their own backyard, he wondered.

"How effective is our Navajo people and leadership's argument against oppression based on perceived differences, when the very same Navajo people and leadership discriminate and deny Navajo women the opportunity to lead based on gender?" Bluehouse asked.

Begay agreed. "I really believe Mrs. Lovejoy being the first-ever Navajo woman to be a serious contender for one of the biggest tribes in the country is indicative of the Lakota teaching that says the 'Native American women are going to lead the healing among the Native American tribes.' "

John Christian Hopkins can be reached at 1-505-371-5443, or by email at Hopkins1960@hotmail.com.