Navajo Nation government

[Marks - the Earth's Sun]

again just something that I wanted to share.

The Surgeons
Five surgeons at IHS are discussing who has the best patients to operate
on. The first surgeon says, "I like to see accountants on my operating table
because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered."

The second responds, "Yeah, but you should try electricians, everything
inside them is color coded."

The third surgeon says, "No, I really think librarians are the best,
everything inside them is in alphabetical order."

The fourth surgeon chimes in: "You know, I like construction workers.
Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the
end, and when the job takes longer than you said it would."

But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed: "You're all
wrong. Navajo Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no
guts, no heart, no balls, no brains and no spine, and the head and ass
are interchangeable!

[Marks - the Earth's Sun]

Thursday, September 29, 2005

Magazine Aims To Spur Indian Economic Development

By Susan Montoya Bryan/
Associated Press
Frank Dayish Jr. was raised on the nation's largest American Indian reservation and knows about the living conditions — no running water or electricity in some homes, dirt roads and few places where people can find work.
A top priority for Dayish, vice president of the sprawling Navajo Nation, and other tribal leaders is improving conditions with new infrastructure and economic development.
"That's what we're trying to do here — stimulate small business owners to stand up,'' says Dayish, once a business owner himself. "And if we can just saturate the Navajo Nation with that I think it would give us a real kick start.''
Dayish hopes Rez Biz, a new monthly publication dedicated to Indian business, will help that entrepreneurial spirit blossom.
The magazine debuts this month. It aims to encourage economic development and spur small business on the Hopi reservation in Arizona and on the Navajo Nation, which spans Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.
The magazine will be available in early October at newsstands across the two reservations and at select locations in Albuquerque, Phoenix and Flagstaff. It will be free for the first few months and then depending on circulation, it may cost up to $1.
The creators of Rez Biz say there hasn't been anything quite like it before, and they hope the publication will connect Indians interested in running their own businesses by providing a roadmap made of the experiences of others.
"A magazine like this, it's going to spread like wildfire,'' Dayish predicted after the independent magazine was unveiled in Albuquerque last week. "Once you lay this thing out there and see what the Navajo Nation can do with all these different things and then share it with other Indian nations, I think it's going to be just a massive explosion.''
Navajos George Joe and Michael Clani are behind the magazine. Their goal is to tell the stories of successful Indian entrepreneurs, analyze government sponsored economic development programs and give people ideas for making a living.
They hope the magazine can eventually find a national audience.
Joe, who writes for regional newspapers and has worked as a public relations officer with the Navajo Nation, said studies show that 85 percent of Navajo wages and other income is spent off the reservation. If businesses can be developed on the reservation, he said they could tap into that revenue.
Tribal officials have also pointed out that Indian unemployment stands at about 46 percent.
"We are on a mission. We have an agenda,'' Joe said. "We need to start looking at this and talking about this. We think this is the only way change will come about.''
Dayish also talks about the need for change. Applying for a business license on the Navajo Nation can take as many as seven years, he said.
"For me, it was very difficult to get a business site lease just because of the process and how much time it took,'' he said. "By the time a person puts an application in place and finally gets it reviewed and has the potential to get it approved, the person has lost interest, and I'm one of those guys.''
The tribe recently delegated authority to its local chapters to award business site licenses to speed up the process and spur economic growth. The tribe also started what it calls the "Buy Navajo'' campaign to support Navajo-run businesses.
While many tribes face the same obstacles in jump starting economic development, different cultural beliefs can dictate whether an Indian nation relies on private entrepreneurship or a tribally supported economy, said Manley Begay Jr., co-director of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development.
He added that good communication — something officials hope Rez Biz will provide — can help tribes determine what works best for them.
"I think there is a real need for that because when stories are shared, it really helps a would-be entrepreneur think and understand that they're not the only person addressing these issues and problems and they are not the only person succeeding,'' he said.

[Marks - the Earth's Sun]

Posted by Webmaster on September 29th 2005 to Headlines
Navajo Times

WINDOW ROCK - A photo identification that every Navajo can carry in their wallet or pocketbook – that’s the latest idea of Fort Defiance Council Delegate Larry Anderson.

He already has the support of the council’s Human Services Committee, which approved a resolution recommending a supplemental appropriation of $149,574 to the Vital Records Program to set up the system.

The system would provide every Navajo who wanted it – it wouldn’t be mandatory – with a card identifying them as members of the Navajo Nation.

In this modern age, where proper identification is important, such an identification card could be used by the young and the old and everyone in between.

“I can see this be of great use to the elderly,” Anderson said, “who may be needing to get a loan or cash a check and they need to show photo identification.”

Many elderly don’t drive and except for their Social Security or census card, don’t carry much more for identification purposes, he said.

This photo identification would supplement the cards that most Navajos now carry and would be a great help for those who need photo proof in stores and elsewhere.

He was asked about the possibility that this could be viewed by some as the government wanting to have more control over the lives of Navajos.

But Anderson said this program is motivated by only one purpose – to help Navajos – and said those who feel that way just don’t see the broader picture of the benefits it will provide to the average member of the tribe.

There’s also the possibility – at least in the beginning – that the cards will become something of a status symbol, something like it was a few years ago when credit card companies began putting photos on their cards.

Anderson said there would be no fees for the card and Navajos would be able to go to any of the five agency census offices to get their photos taken and get the card once the program is approved by the council and funding is authorized.

That may be Anderson’s greatest problem – getting the financing.

The big question may not be whether he can convince the council that the program is needed but whether he can convince them that they need to appropriate $150,000 at a time when almost every council delegate has his own wish list going into next year’s election.

Anderson said that despite all of the potential problems the idea may be face, he feels confident that ultimately the council will give its approval.