26.6.08
Protecting Mount Taylor
P.O. BOX 7440 WINDOW ROCK, AZ 86515 ! (928) 871-7000 ! FAX: (928) 871-4025
CONTACT: GEORGE HARDEEN
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
OFFICE – 928-871-7917
CELL – 928-309-8532
pressoffice@opvp.org
Navajo Nation Vice President Ben Shelly (second from right) joined tribal leaders joined to commend the New Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee’s June 14 decision to place Mount Taylor on the Emergency Listing of the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties. From left to right is Hopi Tribal Chairman Benjamin Nuvamsa, Laguna First Lt. Governor Richard Luarkie, Zuni Governor Norman Cooeyate,
and Acoma First Lt. Governor Mark Thompson.
Navajo Nation Vice President Ben Shelly joins tribal leaders
to commend cultural property protection for Mount Taylor
ACOMA, N.M. – Navajo Nation Vice
President Ben Shelly joined four other tribal
leaders during to commend the June 14
decision of the New Mexico Cultural
Properties Review Committee to place Mount
Taylor on the Emergency Listing of the New
Mexico Register of Cultural Properties.
“The Navajo people are tied to the land and
sky through prayers and songs that were
sung by the Holy People during the creation
of the mountains and the world,” the Vice
President said. “Our sacred mountains give
the Navajo people strength, and through the
role of Nahat’รก – leadership and planning,”
said Vice President Shelly.
Joining the Vice President was Zuni Governor
Norman Cooeyate, Hopi Chairman Benjamin
Nuvamsa, Acoma First Lt. Governor Mark
Thompson, and Laguna First Lt. Governor
Richard Luarkie.
“Traditional Navajo people have always looked
to these mountains for guidance and leadership for the
Navajo people and the Navajo Nation Government,” Vice
President Shelly said. “Each mountain is honored and
respected by Navajo people daily through offering song
and prayer.”
The five nominating tribes, including the Pueblos of
Acoma, Zuni, and Laguna, the Hopi Tribe and the Navajo
Nation, pushed for the designation of areas above 8,000
feet on Mount Taylor and the top of Horace Mesa as a
traditional cultural property, or TCP, which is an area
deemed important to maintain the cultural identity of a
community.
“Sacred shrines, trails and offering places maintain great
cultural and religious significance,” Zuni Governor
Cooeyate said. “These properties are imbued with life
and spiritual forces that have been blessed by our creator
since time immemorial before their use, and once
blessed, they are blessed in perpetuity.”
The temporary one-year listing of Mount Taylor to the
New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties provides a
layer of protection by requiring adverse development
within the TCP area be reviewed by the New Mexico
Historic Preservation Office.
“Mount Taylor is known and remembered in our songs,
ceremonies, and shrines,” Hopi Chairman Nuvamsa said.
THE NAVAJO NATION
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT & VICE PRESIDENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 24, 2008
P.O. BOX 7440 WINDOW ROCK, AZ 86515 ! (928) 871-7000 ! FAX: (928) 871-4025
“The Hopi Tribe provided documentation to the committee
in our petition establishing cultural associations with
Mount Taylor, and demonstrating that 28 Hopi deities and
other religious personages, 36 Hopi clans, and a number
of Hopi religious societies have close cultural connections
with Mount Taylor.”
Within one year, the nominating tribes must prepare a
permanent designation application and must go before
the committee to seek a permanent designation.
“We believe in sustaining life on the mountain,” Laguna
First Lieutenant Governor Luarkie said. “This means
protecting the water resources. We have great concerns
that unimpeded development could affect the water
resources.”
He said the headwaters for several of Laguna
communities are located within the TCP area for which
the tribes seek designation. Without healthy water, many
forms of life will cease to live, he said.
Arvin Trujillo, executive director of the Navajo Nation
Division of Natural Resources, Alan Downer, director of
the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department, and
deputy director Steven Begay assisted with Navajo
Nation testimony.
The Historic Preservation Department will collaborate
with area tribes to responsibly and respectfully manage
our Navajo cultural resources, especially Mount Taylor,
Mr. Begay said.
# # #
4.6.08
The American Academy Helps Navajo Nation Preserve Language, History
http://www.centredaily.com/news/education/v-print/story/633066.html
Centre Daily Times Tue, 03 Jun 2008 8:06 AM PDT
Tuesday, Jun. 03, 2008
The American Academy Helps Navajo Nation Preserve Language, History
SALT LAKE CITY — Navajo students can now learn their tribe's customs and language while becoming eligible for scholarships, thanks to two Navajo courses now being offered by leading online high school The American Academy.
The American Academy offers courses in Navajo Government and Navajo Language. Both courses are intended to enrich the cultural knowledge of students within and outside of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Government course covers the evolution of Navajo government from its beginnings to the present time. In the Navajo Language course students learn to speak, write, and read numerals, anatomy, conversational phrases and other common terms.
"It's very important to the Navajo people to pass their traditions and language down from generation to generation," said Rebekah Richards, senior vice president of academic affairs and principal of The American Academy. "Teachers who are qualified to educate students about Dine culture are rare, particularly outside the reservation. We help members of the Navajo Nation preserve their cultural heritage by offering these online courses -- students anywhere in the country can access the courses and master the content with the help of a Navajo teacher."
High school credit for both courses is required to be eligible for the Chief Manuelito Scholarship, a four-year, $7000 per year scholarship awarded annually by the Navajo Nation to high-achieving Navajo students entering their first year of college. Several American Academy students are currently eligible for the award; recipients of the scholarship will be announced in July. Previously students outside traditional Navajo regions had little or no access to cultural courses from accredited institutions, but having the courses available online expands the potential scholarship applicant pool significantly.
"We sought availability of online Navajo courses because many schools that serve Navajo children do not offer such courses at the high school," said Rose Graham, director of the Navajo Nation Office of Scholarship and Financial Assistance. "Also, there are Navajo families in just about every state of the union where Navajo Language and History are definitely not taught in schools."
The American Academy is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, which means that credits earned at The American Academy will transfer to public and accredited private high schools across the country. The American Academy serves students throughout the U.S. and in several countries. Every student has access to licensed instructors and to tutoring available on-demand, 24/7.
Enrollment is now open at The American Academy, and 233 different classes begin every Monday. For more information, please visit http://www.TheAmericanAcademy.com.
About The American Academy
The American Academy is an accredited online high school built on a system that has served more than 80,000 students since 1994. It serves students worldwide who want to supplement their high school program or earn their high school diploma. The American Academy offers a flexible educational experience along with a high quality, engaging curriculum that aligns with state standards. Through its relationships with long-standing education institutions, including the Utah State Board of Education, The American Academy provides leading-edge resources and access to licensed, experienced instructors. For more information, please visit http://www.TheAmericanAcademy.com
Sprout Marketing for The American Academy Alex Koritz, 801-641-3808 alex@sproutmarketing.com
Centre Daily Times Tue, 03 Jun 2008 8:06 AM PDT
Tuesday, Jun. 03, 2008
The American Academy Helps Navajo Nation Preserve Language, History
SALT LAKE CITY — Navajo students can now learn their tribe's customs and language while becoming eligible for scholarships, thanks to two Navajo courses now being offered by leading online high school The American Academy.
The American Academy offers courses in Navajo Government and Navajo Language. Both courses are intended to enrich the cultural knowledge of students within and outside of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Government course covers the evolution of Navajo government from its beginnings to the present time. In the Navajo Language course students learn to speak, write, and read numerals, anatomy, conversational phrases and other common terms.
"It's very important to the Navajo people to pass their traditions and language down from generation to generation," said Rebekah Richards, senior vice president of academic affairs and principal of The American Academy. "Teachers who are qualified to educate students about Dine culture are rare, particularly outside the reservation. We help members of the Navajo Nation preserve their cultural heritage by offering these online courses -- students anywhere in the country can access the courses and master the content with the help of a Navajo teacher."
High school credit for both courses is required to be eligible for the Chief Manuelito Scholarship, a four-year, $7000 per year scholarship awarded annually by the Navajo Nation to high-achieving Navajo students entering their first year of college. Several American Academy students are currently eligible for the award; recipients of the scholarship will be announced in July. Previously students outside traditional Navajo regions had little or no access to cultural courses from accredited institutions, but having the courses available online expands the potential scholarship applicant pool significantly.
"We sought availability of online Navajo courses because many schools that serve Navajo children do not offer such courses at the high school," said Rose Graham, director of the Navajo Nation Office of Scholarship and Financial Assistance. "Also, there are Navajo families in just about every state of the union where Navajo Language and History are definitely not taught in schools."
The American Academy is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, which means that credits earned at The American Academy will transfer to public and accredited private high schools across the country. The American Academy serves students throughout the U.S. and in several countries. Every student has access to licensed instructors and to tutoring available on-demand, 24/7.
Enrollment is now open at The American Academy, and 233 different classes begin every Monday. For more information, please visit http://www.TheAmericanAcademy.com.
About The American Academy
The American Academy is an accredited online high school built on a system that has served more than 80,000 students since 1994. It serves students worldwide who want to supplement their high school program or earn their high school diploma. The American Academy offers a flexible educational experience along with a high quality, engaging curriculum that aligns with state standards. Through its relationships with long-standing education institutions, including the Utah State Board of Education, The American Academy provides leading-edge resources and access to licensed, experienced instructors. For more information, please visit http://www.TheAmericanAcademy.com
Sprout Marketing for The American Academy Alex Koritz, 801-641-3808 alex@sproutmarketing.com
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