Guided By the Mountains Exploring the Efficacy of Traditional and Contemporary Governance November 15, 2010

Acknowledgments Mom! – Family Committee Members Marshall Foundation Diné Policy Institute Navajo Nation Diné College American Indian Studies U of A Political Science Dept. U of A Sociology Dept. U of A

What We’ll Cover Some Diné Philosophy Highlights of Diné Governance History Nation Building Approaches Concepts of Diné Governance Contemporary Role of Diné Philosophy Empirical Evidence For Contemporary Diné Philosophy Salience

Diné Philosophy of Governance?

Interaction Disrupts Diné Ways of Governing

Diné International Governance?

A History of Disruption Interacting with Colonial Actors The History Book Version Treaties with Spain - Four Treaties with Mexico - Ten Treaties with the U.S. – Nine Two are Ratified By Congress All are Broken Breaking Treaties is Consistent with Many European Philosophies of Governance, especially Realism

U.S. Federal Indian Policy – Not Conducive to Diné Governance Treaty Making Ignores Diné Norms of Diplomacy Murder of Narbonna – beauty way leader Removal Hwéldi Ignores Diné mandate to live within Sacred Mountains Reservation Period 1868 Treaty – Diné leaders believed they were granted the space within the Sacred Mountains

Self Determination In spirit, an opportunity to have Diné ways guide the people Perhaps too much disruption has already occurred We can’t expect 200 years of disruption to be repaired in 35 years

Nation Building Approaches? Level of Generality Issues Inconsistent systematic approach to research Can lessons from Nation A be applied to Nation B? Making sense of the plethora of research

The Future of Nation Building Research What are the patterns of current research? Cultural Political Economic Gaming

Current Orientations of Nation Building Research

Concepts of Diné Governance Concept Building Method (Goertz 2006) Basic Level Secondary Level Data/Indicator Level

Concepts of Diné Governance Limitations on Concept Building Primary and secondary documents Shareable knowledge An invitation for fine tuning

Concepts of Naat’ 1 anii

Concepts of Naachid

Post 1922 Concepts

Concept Analysis Qualitatively – Pre-contact governance is bottom up Expresses the philosophy of government by the people and for the people Post contact governance is top heavy Expresses U.S. Federal interest in Extracting resources Enriching energy corporations Preventing Navajos from making decisions about their land management

Concept Analysis Transparency The level of grass roots governing may not otherwise be overt in descriptions of pre contact governance The level of Federal influence may not be otherwise clear in post 1922 governance The level of Navajo agency may not be visible without concepts (snapshots) of each change

Concept Analysis Tunable Did you agree with every aspect of each concept? Communities can comment on the various institutions Communities are in a better position to adopt what they like as they see fit Debatably, concepts may be less open to covert manipulation for self interest?

Concept Analysis Replicable Others may create concepts for Diné or other Native Nations Reliable Consequences of tuning are consistent Changes will resonate across all levels Valid Are subjective decisions consistent with a given philosophy?

Salience of Diné Philosophy Today Fundamental Laws Adopted by NNC Each branch of Navajo Nation government (judicial, executive, council) supports adopting Recognition that merely recognizing Fundamental Laws does not mean the Fundamental Laws have been understood by branches of government More work needs to be completed Currently, challenges to Fundamental Law exist today

Looking Ahead Today, Navajo Nation lacks an international agenda Suggestions: Recognize Domestic Naat’ 1 anii Establish International Naat’ 1 anii Consider potential for shaping norms of international behavior Based on economic liberalism

Domestic Naat’ 1 anii?

Do Traditional Ways Belong Here? Why is tradition still here today? Didn’t colonial activity eliminate traditional ways? What about traditional ways of governing? Time may have had more impact on traditional ways of governing than overt U.S. pressure Are the old institutions gone? Or are they dormant?

Do Traditional Ways Belong Here? What if we could prove: 1. Diné had more to do with suspending or ending their own traditional institutions of governance 2. Observable data supports Diné agency in ending or suspending their institutions 3. Diné institutions are dormant and not lost 4. Future events may open windows of opportunity to reestablish traditional institutions

Do Traditional Ways Belong Here? Research Design Two Theories Explain why traditional governance is still here Peoplehood explains how institutions of Diné governance were preserved Punctuated Equilibrium Model (PEM) explains how the history of interaction failed to remove institutions of Diné governance

Do Traditional Ways Belong Here? Research Design Data? Primary and sources Oral accounts

How did traditional institutions survive?

How did colonial interaction fail to eliminate traditional institutions

Testing the Theory Stasis A = Naat’ 1 anii System Shock = Event or events which disrupt Naat’ 1 anii System or Critical Juncture Chaos period Stasis B = Business Council of 1922 Which events are “shocking” enough to disrupt Naat’ 1 anii System stasis?

Table 6.2 here – List

Shock Continuum

Distribution of Events

Event Frequency and Relative Shocks

Impact of Institutions – 2 by 2 table

Table 6.7 – Truth Table Here

Truncated Truth Table

Shocks of.6 or greater – 2 by 2 table

Set Theory – Set Relationship

Conclusions Search from above - Atsa Search from the ground – Ma’ii Tso First Record of Indigenous Political Philosophy Fill’s the blank between objective and subjective decisions Concepts Quantitative Proof of Existence Future Research involves more tipping points for modifications from 1922-today... But does it matter? Not really lost, just dormant – do other Native Nations fit?