Ts'ah Bii Kin (Inscription Rock) Chapter House reclaims traditional Diné name

TS'AH BII KIN-Navajo Medicine Man Buck Navajo blessed the legislation enacted for the former Inscription House Chapter House to change its name to its original Diné name of "Ts'ah Bii Kin" (House in the Sage Brush) on April 28.

Ts' ah Bii Kin Chapter president Larry Goodman said area community members wanted to reclaim their Diné name rather than use the non-Indian name of "Inscription House."

Area community members gathered to celebrate. Goodman pointed to his fellow community leader, Keith Begay saying Begay knows the story of how this rural community of approximately 1,500 people became "Ts'ah Bii Kin."

Begay who was born and reared in Ts'ah Bii Kin about 70 years ago said when Navajo ancestors lived in the area, there was a log building structure built surrounded by a bountiful amount of sagebrush.

"In olden days there was a lot of sagebrush here," he said. He noted that the federal government and non-Indians who were describing a historic Spanish inscription on ancestral ruins assigned the former name of Inscription House.

"It (Ts'ah Bii Kin) is the right name, it's what the community wanted to be called," Goodman said. "It's a historic name and we wanted to carry it on."

Willie Grayeyes, a former council delegate, served as Master of Ceremonies during the celebration. Currently, Grayeyes is the chapter project manager.

"This is a good day," said Delegate Lena Manheimer, who replaced Grayeyes. "It's good to have the original name. That name has been used by the community for years."

Ts'ah Bii Kin secretary/treasurer Martha Tate said an effort to change the name began more than a year ago, when Grayeyes was still council delegate. When he gave up his council seat, he asked Council Delegate Evelyn Acothley (Bodaway-Gap/Cameron/Coppermine) to co-sponsor the legislation and help Manheimer get it passed.

Delegate Jonathon Nez (Shonto) is a strong supporter of the name change, and said the ability of the chapter to reclaim its original name is indicative of local self-governance at work.

Nez traveled from the nearby community of Shonto to attend the ceremony.

Tate said that the name change is not the only new project that community members are working on. Within a year, the chapter hopes to have the local Indian Health Service facility and the Inscription House Market, change their signage and names using "Ts'ah Bii Kiin."

For more information on the Ts'ah Bii Kiin Chapter, call (928) 672-2337.

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