Window Rock,known in Navajo as Tségháhoodzání,is a census-designated place (CDP) that serves as the seat of government and capital of the Navajo Nation,the largest territory in North America of a sovereign Native American nation. The capital lies within the boundaries of the St. Michaels Chapter,adjacent to the Arizona and New Mexico state line. Window Rock is the site of the Navajo Nation governmental campus,which contains the Navajo Nation Council,Navajo Nation Supreme Court,the offices of the Navajo Nation President and Vice President,and many Navajo government buildings.
The Navajo Nation,also known as Navajoland,is a Native American reservation of Navajo people in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona,northwestern New Mexico,and southeastern Utah. The seat of government is located in Window Rock,Arizona.
Northland Pioneer College (NPC) is a public community college serving the communities of northeastern Arizona. Campuses are located in four of the largest Navajo County communities:Holbrook,Show Low,Snowflake,and Winslow. Five centers are located in Hopi/Polacca,Kayenta,Springerville,St. Johns,and Whiteriver. NPC also partners with community members in Apache County,Arizona.
The Navajo Nation Council is the Legislative Branch of the Navajo Nation government. The council meets four times per year,with additional special sessions,at the Navajo Nation Council Chamber,which is in Window Rock,Arizona.
Joe Shirley Jr. is a Navajo politician who is the only two-term President of the Navajo Nation. He served as president from 2003 to 2011. He lives in Chinle,Arizona,and is Tódíchʼíiʼnii,born for Tábąąhá.
Edward Thomas Begay was a Native American politician who served as the Speaker of the Navajo Nation from 1999 to 2003. He also served as Vice-Chairman in 1983 under the Chairmanship of then Chairman Peterson Zah. Begay was a major influence in the Churchrock/Bááh Háálį́ community,and was active within Chapter Affairs.
The President of the Navajo Nation is the Executive Branch of the Navajo Nation. The office was created in 1991 following restructuring of the national government. The President and Vice President are elected every four years. The Navajo Nation President shall serve no more than two consecutive terms.
Ben Shelly was the 7th president of the Navajo Nation. He was the first president to have been elected both president and vice president of the Navajo Nation,as well as the first New Mexican Navajo to hold the Navajo presidency.
Kayenta Unified School District No. 27 is a school district headquartered in Kayenta,Arizona,located within the Navajo Nation.
Frank Chee Willeto was an American politician and Navajo code talker during World War II. Willeto served as the vice president of the Navajo Nation under President Milton Bluehouse,Sr. from his appointment in August 1998 until January 1999,when the Begaye administration took office.
Russell Begaye is a Navajo politician who served as the 8th president of Navajo Nation from May 2015 to January 2019. He was the second New Mexican Navajo to hold the Navajo Presidency.
The Navajo Nation presidential election of 2018 was held on Tuesday,November 6,2018. The candidates for President of the Navajo Nation in the general election were Jonathan Nez and Joe Shirley,Jr. Jonathan Nez and running mate Myron Lizer won the election. Although neither Nez nor Shirley were incumbents,they possessed the high name recognition associated with incumbents.
Lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender (LGBT) people in the Navajo Nation,the largest indigenous sovereign state in the United States,face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Same-sex sexual activity is legal,but same-sex unions are not recognized,and marriage has been banned by the tribal constitution since 2005. In 2022,a bill was introduced to repeal the ban and recognize same-sex marriage,but has faced challenges on the reservation.
On March 17,2020,the COVID-19 pandemic was reported to have reached the Navajo Nation. The virus then spread rapidly through the Navajo Nation to the point that the Navajo,in 2020,had a higher per capita rate of infection than any state of the United States. The population according to the 2010 United States census was 173,667. As of September 13,2022,the number of confirmed cases was 31,571 with 1,893 deaths.
Myron Lizer is an American politician and businessman and served as the 10th vice president of the Navajo Nation under President Jonathan Nez.
The 2022 Navajo Nation presidential election took place on Tuesday,November 8,2022,to elect the president and vice president of the Navajo Nation. The primary election was held on August 2. Incumbent president Jonathan Nez ran for reelection with attorney Chad Abeyta as his running mate. Incumbent Vice President Myron Lizer did not seek re-election,instead running for U.S. House in Arizona. Nez and Abeyta advanced to the general election,as did the challenging ticket of construction manager Buu Nygren and Torreon/Star Lake Chapter President Richelle Montoya. Nygren and Montoya won the general election by a 6-point margin,and Montoya became the Navajo Nation's first female vice president.
Buu Nygren is the 10th President of the Navajo Nation. Nygren-Montoya received 34,890 votes,defeating the Nez-Abeyta campaign who received 31,339 votes in the 2022 election. He was sworn in on January 10,2023.
Richelle Montoya is an American politician who is the 11th vice president of the Navajo Nation. She is the first woman elected to the executive office of Navajo Nation.
The 2015 Navajo Nation Presidential Election was held on April 21,2015,with the primary on August 26,2014. Joe Shirley Jr. and Chris Deschene advanced to the general.
Crystalyne Curley is an American politician serving as the 11th speaker of the Navajo Nation Council since 2023. She is the first woman to hold the position. Curley was Miss Navajo from 2011 to 2012.
