Tuba Navajo language immersion program students take linguistic skills on the road
Tuba City Junior High Navajo language class visits Navajo Nation capita

Katherine Benally, chair of the Navajo Nation Resources and Development Committee and council delegate greets Tuba City Junior High language immersion students on their visit to the Navajo capital Oct. 23. Photo/Rosanda Suetopka Thayer

Katherine Benally, chair of the Navajo Nation Resources and Development Committee and council delegate greets Tuba City Junior High language immersion students on their visit to the Navajo capital Oct. 23. Photo/Rosanda Suetopka Thayer

TUBA CITY, Ariz. - What better place to take your new, finely honed tribal language skills to than your own tribal government capital?

Tuba City District Junior High Navajo immersion language teacher Louise Kerley and her fellow language teacher Sally Nez took 24 of their language students to the Navajo tribal council chambers to find out what is going on with tribal legislation and current tribal issues. The students and teachers observed their chapter council delegate present, defend and elaborate on important policy for the people.

The students along with one parent-chaperone left Tuba City at 5 a.m. to travel three hours by school bus to Window Rock. The group visited Navajo Nation Council Chambers during the quarterly fall session where the 24 tribal chapter council delegates discussed energy issues and the tribal budget last week.

The students had several weeks to prepare before the trip. They studied the Navajo Nation's 110 chapters and a historical overview of how the Navajo Nation originally started.

The students studied how the 110 chapters are divided into five separate agencies, Shiprock Agency, Ft. Defiance Agency, Crownpoint Agency, Chinle Agency and the Western Navajo Agency, where their school district is located in Tuba City.

Teachers Kerley and Nez also went over how the quarterly Navajo Nation meetings are set up, how many chapters each council delegate represents and the Navajo names for the 24 council delegates as well as their committees.

Kerley and Nez also went over how tribal legislation is introduced and how an individual or a group of council delegates sponsors the legisltation. The teachers also discussed how legislation passes and how it is enacted.

The students sat in the southern area of the public gallery in the chambers. Council delegates Walter Phelps-Leupp, Russell Begaye-Shiprock, Joshua Butler-Tuba City and Katherine Benally-Dennehotso, who is also the chairwoman of the Resources and Development Committee, recognized the student visitors.

Navajo Nation House Speaker Johnny Naize met with the students and teachers in the gallery before the council session started, introduced himself, welcomed them to the chambers and then asked the students if they would do the Nation an honor that morning by leading the Pledge of Allegiance for the council's morning session.

The students all eagerly responded, Aoo' (yes).

Naize told them that after ringing the morning session bell they would be formally recognized into council record for the day's session and then they could file to the front of the council chamber podium in front of the posted flags.

Naize explained to the students that the Santa Fe Railroad company gave the Navajo people a special bell in the 1950s that is rang before every council session to announce to the council delegates that their formal session is about to start.

This special bell was rung five times. The students filed to the front of the chambers where Naize announced that the council had "very special visitors from the Western Navajo agency, Tuba City School District in the Navajo Language Immersion program and that children and grandchildren were the most precious resource that the Nation had."

Russell Begaye, Shiprock council delegate, also met with the students and spoke Navajo exclusively to them, asking them "Where are you coming from?" The students responded in Navajo, "Tonaneesdizidee' niikai (We came from Tuba City) ."

Russell said "Ha'at iish biniiye noohkai? (why are you visiting?)"

The students told Begaye, "Danihidoonaal doo idahwiidiil aal biniiye niikai. (The reason we came is to observe and learn from you.)

Begaye was visibly impressed and told the students, "Ahe'hee" and that he was very glad to have met them and that he hoped they would learn a lot that morning.

Walter Phelps, Leupp council delegate, also took the time to state on the council record that the students from Tuba City junior high were visiting and recognized "his sister Louise Kerley who has served tirelessly on the Cameron Chapter as secretary and as a life long teacher and advocate of the Navajo language."

Phelps commended the students for their study and implementation of their tribal language into their regular daily school sessions.

Kerley explained later in the day while being interviewed by Jared Touchin, public information officer for the Navajo Nation, that she requires a full hour a day of Navajo language and culture in her junior high language program. The district program requires a minimum of 45-minute daily sessions for all of its students in either Navajo or Hopi language. She said the extra 15 minutes is very helpful in getting the students to practice their basic conversation skills.

Kerley and Nez are instrumental contributors in the Navajo language pilot program the Tuba City district implemented for the entire district curriculum this year. Adair Klopfenstein, Native Studies director, provides administrative support.

"It was really cool to go on this trip, especially after all the studying we had to do to get ready," said eighth grade student DeShawn Tallsalt. "It was really neat to listen to all the delegates take turns in asking questions, getting answers and stating what they wanted for their chapters with some of the new laws they are trying to pass. I was kinda shocked when Mr. Naize asked us to do the Pledge of Allegiance, but I felt really honored to do it."

Fellow eighth grade student student Kalista White said she is really interested in American politics.

"Not so much about just tribal politics, but ever since my parents started talking about Barack Obama in our house, and how even a minority person could get to be president, I really wanted to know how our own Navajo Nation passes its laws and how the 24 delegates represent our big huge tribe," White said. "I learned a lot today, it was really neat to sit in a real session of our council."

Naize also presented the students, teachers, bus driver and parent chaperone with gift bags from the Navajo Council after their visit. The bags contained novelty sports balls, a juice box, fly swatter, five point colored highlighter for school work and sunglasses.

More information on Tuba City's Navajo Language Immersion program is available at (928) 283-1000.

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