LEGISLATIVE SUMMARY SHEET

Tracking No. 0'2..70 -IL

DATE: July 6, 2012

TITLE OF RESOLUTION: RELATING TO THE NAABIK'iyATI' COMMITTEE;

CONFIRMING THE APPOINTMENT OF MS. JENNIFER DENETDALE TO THE NAVAJO

NAnON HUMAN RIGHTS COMMSSION.

PURPOSE: The purpose is to confirm the appointment of Ms. Jennifer Denetdale, as one of

five commissioners, to the Navajo Nation Human rights Commission.

This written summary is provided in accord with the practices of the Navajo Nation Council or Standing Committee on the resolution as drafted by the Office of Legislative Counsel. This written summary does not address recommended amendments as may be provided by the standing committees. The Office of Legislative Counsel requests each Council Delegate to review each proposed resolution detail.

12-545-1

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i-DAY BltL HO 1ME/0ATE: iI , Naa'bik'fyAti' rnrnittee' Vy ,. 1\~GNAllJRE:

'J,t./Z"'''­:NODATE: 1

PROPOSED STANDING COMMITTEE RESOLUTION

2 22ndNAVAJO NATION COUNCIL - Second Year, 2012

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7 TRACKING NO. D2-70 - J2­8

AN ACTION 9

RELATING TO THE NAA BIK'iyATI' COMMITTEE; CONFIRMING THE APPOINTMENT 10

OF MS. JENNIFER D ENETDALE TO THE NAVAJO NATION HUMAN RIGHTS 11 COMMISSION.

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BE IT ENACTED: 13

1. The Navajo Nation finds that Ms. Jennifer Denetdale meets the qualifications required 014

Navajo Nation Hum an Rights Commission as set forth in 2 N.N.C. §922(A). Ms. 15

Jennifer Denetdale's Letter of Interest and Resume are attached hereto as Exhibit No.1. 16 2. The Navajo Nation c onfinns the appointment of Ms. Jennifer Denetdale to the Navajo

17 Nation Human Right s Commission for a four year tenn beginning upon confinnation by

the Naabik'iyai' Co mmittee.18

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Page 1 of 1 12-545-1

LEGISLA TIVE BRANCH HONORABLEJOHNNY NAIZE Speaker, 22nd Navajo Nation CouncilNAVAJO NATION

EXHIBIT

I fib. t

July 2, 2012

Ms. Jennifer Denetdale, Ph.D.

611 Roma Ave., N.E.

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108

Dear Ms. Dr. Denetdale

I am pleased to inform you that, Pursuant to 2 NNC Section 922 (A). I have selected you as a candidate

to serve on the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission.

Pursuant to the Commission's plan of operation, all nominees are required to receive confirmation from

the Commission's oversight committee of the Navajo nation Council before assuming their positions.

This proceeding requires your attendance at the Naa'bik'iyati' Committee Meeting. You will be notified

by the Office of Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission on the time, date and location of your

confirmation hearing. Please be ready to answer questions from the Naa'bik'iyati' Committee relative to

your appointment as a Commissioner of Education.

If you have any questions regarding this letter, Please feel free to contact the Office's Executive Director,

Leonard Gorman, directly at leonardgorman@navajo-nsn.gov or telephone number (928) 871-7436.

Again, congratulations on receiving this noteworthy nomination.

Sincerely,

nnd Navajo Nation council

OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER / NA VAJO NA TJON LEGISU TlVE BRANCH/POST OFFICE BOX 3390 / WINDOW ROCK, ARIZONA 86515 TELEPHONE (928) 871-7160 FAX (928) 871-7255

May 14,2012 Received ~lAY 17 2012

Leonard Gonnan, Director Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission

Human Rights Commission P.O. Box 1689 Window Rock, AZ 86515

Dear Mr. Gonnan:

Please consider my application for the education position on the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission [NNHRC]. As you know, I am currently serving as an interim Commissioner and after spending 9 months on the Commission, I remain inspired by the work that NNHRC conducts on behalf of the Navajo Nation. My experience on the Commission and position as an associate professor of American Studies at the University of

New Mexico makes me an ideal candidate for the NNHRC.

As a commissioner, I will bring my knowledge of the work that the NNHRC has already conducted,

including public hearings around Navajo relationships with bordertowns, efforts to halt the desecration of sacred sites, and the status ofNavajo women and gender violence. I am committed to the NNHRC's directive to bring

the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples to the Navajo Nation and our citizens. The implementation ofUNDRIP for the Navajo Nation means addressing long-standing Navajo human rights

violations and bringing about social justice and true sovereignty for the Navajo people. Further, as a feminist scholar, I have been pleased with the Commission's willingness to address the epidemic violence that Navajo women are experiencing on the Navajo Nation and beyond its borders. If! am appointed to the NNHRC, I intend to continue the work to address the status ofNavajo women and gender violence. I am firmly committed to

justice for Dine and all Indigenous peoples and see the work ofthe NNHRC as part of the process of moving toward real sovereignty for the Navajo Nation.

I am a citizen of the Navajo Nation and a voting member of Tohatchi Chapter. As my vita

indicates, I have over twenty years of experience in teaching Navajo and Native American Studies at the university level. As an educator and scholar, I expect my students, many ofwhom are Dine, to be

responsible to our nation and communities and give back once they have attained academic degrees. I also encourage our non-Indian students and faculty to be good allies to Indigenous peoples. My

scholarship is shaped by my relationships with the Navajo people. As a historian, I have deconstructed tribal histories from Western perspectives and explored what it means for Native peoples to revitalize traditional ways of life. For example, in my book, Reclaiming Dine History: The Legacies ofChief

Manuelito and Juanita, I explored the construction of DinelNavajo history through the stories oftwo Dine leaders, one of whom figures prominently in American histories and the other, a Dine woman, who is remembered through oral tradition that have been passed down through a matrilineal clan for several generations. My insights demonstrate how Western literary and historical traditions have shaped Native and Dine histories. At the same time, I utilize oral history as a methodology and offer examples of how oral tradition can be incorporated into Navajo histories. In 2007, I arranged for royalties from Reclaiming

Dine History to go to the Office ofNavajo Nation Scholarship & Financial Assistance, because I believe

because I believe that when we seek assistance and support from our Nation, we should give back once we are in a position to do so. I hope that my message will encourage other Dine who have benefitted from the scholarships to also give back. My research, writing, and teaching indicate my commitment to the Navajo people and our nation.

My service at the university and to the Navajo Nation complements each other. In addition to serving on the Navajo Studies Conference, Inc. board, and the editorial boards of the University of Arizona Press's First Peoples initiative, and the American Indian Quarterly journal, I have served as an expert witness on behalfof the Navajo Nation, and served as guest curator on an exhibit at the Navajo Nation Museum. I am currently working with the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. on the American Indian Treaties exhibit, which will feature the Navajo treaty of 1868. I am committed to supporting the sovereignty of tribal nations and work to foster dialogues on important Navajo and Native issues by hosting lectures and conferences. At some point, I intend to design a university course on UNDRIP for our students at UNM.

If I am selected to serve on the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission, I will continue my efforts to give back to my Nation and communities by using my hard earned knowledge and expertise on behalfof the Navajo people. I also understand the Dine language like a fluent speaker and am able to translate from Navajo to English at a conversational level.

If you have any questions, please call me at (505) 340-1481 or bye-mail atjdenet@unm.edu.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Denetdale, Ph.D. 6116 Roma Ave., N.E. Albuquerque, NM 87108

Received ~1AY 17 2012

Human Rights Commission

Jennifer Denetdale Receiveo 6116 Roma Ave. N.E.

Albuquerque, New Mexico 87108 MAY 17 2012 jdenet@unm.edu

(505)340-1481 Human Rights Commissior, EDUCATION

1999 Ph.D., History, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff

1991 M.A., English, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff

1988 B.A., English, University ofNew Mexico, Albuquerque

Teaching and Professional Experience

Associate Professor, American Studies Department, University ofNew Mexico, 2009-present

Associate Professor, Department of History, Northern Arizona University, 2008-09

Associate Professor, Department of History, University ofNew Mexico, 2007-08

Assistant Professor, Department of History, University ofNew Mexico, 2002-2007

Interim Director, Women Studies, University ofNew Mexico, Summer 2007

Assistant Professor, Department of Humanities, Arts, and Religion, NAU, 1999-2002

Books

The Navajo (New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 20II)

The Long Walk: The Forced Navajo Exile (New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2008)

Reclaiming Dine History: The Legacies ofNavajo ChiefManuelito and Juanita (Tucson: University of Arizona Press, 2007)

Co-edited Journals and Articles

Co-editor, ''Native Feminisms: Legacies, Interventions, and Indigenous Sovereignties," Wicazo Sa Review vol. 24, no. 2 (Fall 2009)

"Securing the Navajo National Boundaries: War, Patriotism, Tradition, and the Dine Marriage Act of 2005," Wicazo Sa Review vol. 24, no. 2 (Fall 2009): 221-241

"Carving Navajo National Boundaries: Patriotism, Tradition, and the Dine Marriage Act of 2005," American Quarterly vol. 60, no. 2 (June 2008): 289-294

"Discontinuities, Remembrances, and Cultural Survival: History, Dine/Navajo Memory, and the Bosque Redondo Memorial," New Mexico Historical Review 82:3 (Summer 2007): 295-316

2 "Remembering Our Grandmothers: Navajo Women and the Power of Oral Tradition," in Indigenous

Peoples' Wisdom and Power: Affirming Our Knowledge Through Narratives, ed. Nomalungelo l. Goduka and Julian Kunnie (Great Britain: Ashgate Press, 2006): 78-94

"Chairmen, Presidents, and Princesses: The Navajo Nation, Gender, and the Politics of Tradition," Wicazo Sa Review 21: I (Spring 2006): 9-44

"The Navajos in the Twenty-First Century," in The Navajo, Peter Iverson with additional text by Jennifer Nez Denetdale (New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2005): 97-121

"'One of the Queenliest Women in Dignity, Grace, and Character I Have Ever Met': Navajo Women and Photography-Portrayals of Juanita, 1868-1902," New Mexico Historical Review 79:3 (Summer 2004): 289-318

Review essay ofSwept Under the Rug: A Hidden History ofNavajo Weaving by Kathy M'Closkey and Navajo Saddle Blankets: Textiles to Ride in the American West edited by Lane Coulter, New Mexico Historical Review (Fall 2004): 471-479

"Representing Changing Woman: A Review Essay on Navajo Women," American Indian Culture and Research Journal 25:3 (2001): 1-26

Other Writings

"A People Remembers: The Dine and the Bosque Redondo Memorial," Native Peoples magazine (JuVAug 2005), 10

"'Planting Seeds ofIdeas and Raising Doubts About What We Believe': An Interview with Vine Deloria," Jr." Journal ofSocial Archaeology 4: 2 (2004): 131-146

Works in Progress

Co-editor, "Discourses ofNation and Belonging: Essays on IndigenouslNative Feminisms, book contract, Paradigm Publishers, summer 2012

''Navajo Women, Gender, and the Politics ofTradition," book-length study

Prizes and Awards

UNM Faculty of Color Award, Spring 20 II

2007 Gilberto Espinosa Prize for Best Article for "Discontinuities, Remembrances, and Cultural Survival: History, DinelNavajo Memory, and the Bosque Redondo Memorial," New Mexico Historical Review 82:3 (Summer 2007)

Received MAY 17 2012

Human Rights Commissiofi

· ,

3 Fellowships and Service

Interim member, Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission, St. Michaels, Arizona, appointed August 2011

Consultant, American Indian Treaties project, Museum of the American Indian, Washington, D.C., 2011­2012

Guest Faculty, Newberry Consortium in American Indian Studies seminar, Summer 2011

Guest curator, "Hastiin Ch'il Hajiin and Dine leaders" exhibit, Navajo Nation Museum, Summer 20 I 0

John Topham and Susan Redd Butler Faculty Fellowship, Brigham Young University, Summer 2007

Institute for American Indian Research, University ofNew Mexico, Summer 2007

Feminist Research Institute Grant, UNM, Summer 2006

Katrin H. Lamon Residence Fellowship, SAR, Santa Fe, NM, 2002-03

Ford Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, 1997

Tufts University Multicultural Teaching Fellowship, Summer 1997

Conference Papers and Public Presentations

"Return to 'Uprising at Beautiful Mountain': Family, Marriage and Sexuality in the Making of the Modem Navajo Nation," Navajo Studies Conference, Institute ofAmerican Indian Arts, Santa Fe, NM, March 14-17,2012

Guest faculty presentation, Greyhills Academy, Tuba City, Ariz., March 2012

"The DinelNavajo Long Walk: War, Remembrance, and Hope," Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, March 25,2011

Keynote, "Indigenous Scholarship as Resistance, Dissonance, and Celebration," 8th Annual Indigenous and American Studies Storyteller's Conference, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, March 23,24, 2012.

''Native American Historiography and Claiming Space for Tribal Historians," University of California, Los Angeles, March 9, 2011

Invited presenter, "The Politics of Tradition: Gender and the Navajo Nation," University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, May 2005

"Manue1ito & Juanita: Navajo Traditional Leadership," Native Voices 2010 lecture series, Southwest Seminars, Santa Fe, NM, August 30,2010

"DinelNavajo Women: At the intersection ofNation, Gender and Tradition," Telling New Mexico Inaugural Lecture Series, New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe, NM, August 22,2010

Received r·!.<\y 17 2012

4

, .

Speaker, Honoring Indigenous Thought and Survivance Conference, University of California-Santa Cruz, April 30, 2010

"Claiming the "F" Word: Native Women, Feminisms, and Visions of Sovereignty," Vine Deloria, Jr. Distinguished Indigenous Scholars Series, University ofArizona, March 3,2010

Speaker, International Women's Day events, Northern Arizona University, March 2,2008

"The Navajo Nation and Sovereignty: Militarization, Gender, and the Politics of Tradition," public lecture, University ofNew Mexico, Feminist Research Institute, November 13,2007

''Native American History, Gender, and the Politics ofTradition," public lecture, Villanova University, Philadelphia, PA, November 8, 2007

"American History and DinelNavajo Oral History: Honoring Our Dine Ancestors and Bearing Witness," public lecture, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA, November 9,2007

"American History, Native Memories and Juan de Onate," keynote for the Memory and Monuments: Commemorating and Confronting History on the U.S.- Mexico Border symposium, University of Texas, El Paso, February 22,2007

"Discontinuities, Memory, and Regeneration: The Bosque Redondo Memorial to the Navajo Long Walk," American Historical Association, Philadelphia, PA, January 5-8, 2006

''Native Feminisms Without Apology," University of Illinois, Urbana-Champagne, April 28-30,

2006

"Chicana/o-Native Dialogue," University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, May 12-14,2006

"Recovering the Indigenous: At the Intersection ofColonialism, Nationalism, and Tradition-A Dine Example," Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, April 20, 2006

"Remembering Our Grandmothers: Navajo Women, Oral Tradition, and History," Crownpoint Institute of Technology, Crownpoint, NM, April 17, 2006

"Pageant Her-Story," guest, Native America Calling talk show, KUNM, March 16,2006

"Pocahontas and Sacajawea in the American National Imagination: Native Women, Fantasy,

Reality, and Lived Experiences," Autry National Center, Los Angeles, CA, February 26, 2006

Languages

English and Navajo

Received MAY 1.? 2012

Human Rignts Commission

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LEGISLATIVE BRANCH HONORABLEJOHNNY NAIZE NAVAJO NATION Speaker, 22"d Navajo Nation Council

July 11,2012

MEMORANDUM

TO Honorable Members Naa'bik'iyati' Committee

FROM

SUBJECT ASSIGNMENT OF LEGISLATION

, "

I

Pursuant to 2 N.N.C. § 164 (A)(4), this memorandum serves to inform and advise you that I assign the following legislation to the Naa'bik'iyati' Committee:

Legislation No. 0270-12

AN ACTION RELATING TO THE NAA'BIK'IYATI' COMMITfEE; CONFIRMING THE APPOINTMENT OF MS. TENNIFER DENEIDALE TO THE NAVATO NATION HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION.

As the Committee assigned to consider the legislation, Legislation No. 0270-12 must be placed on the Naa'bik'iyati' Committee's agenda at the next regular meeting for final consideration.

ATfACHMENT: Legislation No. 0270-12

xc: Hon. Ben Shelly., President The Navajo Nation

Harrison Tsosie, Attorn'!} General Mark Grant, Controller Honorable Johnny Naize, Council Delegate (prime Sponsor) !

OFFICE OF THE SPEAKER / NAVAJO NA TION LEGISLA TIVE BRANCH / POST OFFICE BOX3390 / WINDOW ROCK, ARIZONA 86515 TELEPHONE (928) 871-7160 FAX (928) 871-7255

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Office ofLegislative Counsel Johnny Naize Telephone: (928) 871-7166 Speaker ofthe M/Mjo Natioll COl/llcil Fax: (928) 871-7576

MEMORANDUM

TO: Hon. Johnny Naize, Speaker 22nd Navajo Nation Council

FROM: Du III sen, mey Offic of Legislative Counsel

THROUGH: ei~~Qmd Ed McCool, Acting Chief Legislative Counsel Office of Legislative Counsel

DATE: July 6, 2012

SUBJECT: OLC Service Request No. 12-545-1: Relating to Naabik'iyati' Committee; Confirming the appointment of Ms. Jennifer Denetdale to the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission.

Pursuant to your request, attached is the above-referenced proposed legislation for your sponsorship. Please review the proposed legislation. If this proposal is acceptable to you, as drafted, please sign the proposed legislation where it indicates "PRIME SPONSOR" and submit it to the Office of Legislative Services for the assignment of a legislation number and referral to the Speaker who will assign it pursuant to 2 N.N.C. §164(A).

If the proposed legislation is unacceptable to you or if you have further questions, please contact me at the Office of Legislative Counsel and advise me of changes you would like made to the proposed legislation. You may contact me at (928) 871-7166. Thank you.

Office of Legislative Counsel/The Legislative Branch / Post Office Box 3390 / Window Rock, Arizona /86515

Office olLegicj,'ti/'e CoulI..-ej / The Legislt/til'" Bral1ch i Post eJjjic'" Box .?'90 / Ir'!/I(j"u' Rod" fJrizol1{1 8651'1

THE NAVAJO NATION

LEGISLATION NO: _0270-12__ SPONSOR: Johnny Naize

TITLE: An Action Relating To Naa'bik'iyati' Committee: Confirming the Appointment of Ms. Jennifer Denetdale to the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission

Dateposted: July 11, 2012 at 4:45pm

Digital comments may be e-mailed to comments@navajo-nsn.gov

Written comments may be mailed to:

Executive Director Office of Legislative Services

P.O. Box 3390 Window Rock, AZ 86515

(928) 871-7590

Comments may be made in the form of chapter resolutions, letters, position papers, etc. Please include your name, position title, address for written comments; a valid e-mail address is required. Anonymous comments will not be included in the Legislation packet.

Please note: This digital copy is being provided for the benefit of the Navajo Nation chapters and public use. Any political use is prohibited. All written comments received become the property of the Navajo Nation and will be forwarded to the assigned Navajo Nation Council standing committee(s) and/or the Navajo Nation Council for review. Any tampering with public records are punishable by Navajo Nation law pursuant to 17 N.N.C. §374 et. seq.