Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council

Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council
Great Seal of the Navajo Nation
Incumbent Crystalyne Curley since January 23, 2023
Style	Madam Speaker (informal) Honorable Speaker (formal)
Status	Presiding Member of the Navajo Nation Council
Residence	Window Rock, AZ
Seat	Navajo Nation Council Chamber
Appointer	The Navajo Nation Council
Term length	Two years
Constituting instrument	Navajo Nation Code & Treaty of 1868
Inaugural holder	Chee Dodge
Salary	~$55,000.00 USD per year
Website	https://www.navajonationcouncil.org/speaker-otto-tso-biography/

The office of the speaker of the Navajo Nation Council was created in 1991 following restructuring of the Navajo Nation government. ^[1] The speaker is the head of the legislative branch and presides over sessions of the council. ^[2] The speaker of the council serve a term of two years during the administration of the incumbent president. The office of the speaker is located in Window Rock, Arizona, at the Council Chambers.

Officeholders

List of speakers of the Navajo Nation Council

#		Image	Name	Chapter	Term	Party	Elected	President
1			Nelson Gorman Jr. (born TBA)	Chinle	1995 – 1997	Unknown	1995		Albert Hale 1995–1998
2			Kelsey Begaye (1951–2021)	Kaibito	1997 – 1999	Democratic	1997
							–		Thomas Atcitty 1998
							–		Milton Bluehouse Sr. 1998–1999
3			Edward T. Begay (1935–2022)	Church Rock	January 1, 1999 – January 1, 2003	Unknown	1999		Kelsey Begaye 1999–2003
							2001
4			Lawrence T. Morgan (born TBA)	Pinedale	January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2011	Unknown	2003		Joe Shirley Jr. 2003–2011
							2005
							2007
							2009
5			Johnny Naize (born TBA)	Tselani/Cottonwood	January 2011 – September 2014 [a]	Unknown	2011		Ben Shelly 2011–2015
							2013
6			Lorenzo Bates (born TBA)	Burnham	September 2014 – January 15, 2015	Unknown	–
7			Kee Allen Begay Jr. (born TBA)	TBA	January 15, 2015 – January 26, 2015	Unknown	–
8			Lorenzo Bates (born TBA)	Burnham	January 26, 2015 – January 28, 2019	Unknown	2015
							2017		Russell Begaye 2015–2019
9			Seth Damon (born TBA)	TBA	January 28, 2019 – November 4, 2022	Unknown	2019		Jonathan Nez 2019–2023
							2021
10			Otto Tso (born TBA)	Tuba City	November 16, 2022 – January 10, 2023	Unknown	–
11			Crystalyne Curley (born TBA)	TBA	January 23, 2023 – present	Unknown	2023		Buu Nygren 2023–present

Notes

1. Resigned from office.

See also

• President of the Navajo Nation
• Vice President of the Navajo Nation
• Navajo Nation Council
• 2006 Navajo Nation presidential election
• 2010 Navajo Nation presidential election
• 2015 Navajo Nation presidential election
• 2018 Navajo Nation presidential election
• 2022 Navajo Nation presidential election

References

1. Wilkins, David E. (2013-10-25). The Navajo Political Experience. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 125–128. ISBN   978-1-4422-2669-2.
2. Austin, Raymond Darrel (2009). Navajo Courts and Navajo Common Law: A Tradition of Tribal Self-governance. U of Minnesota Press. p. 17. ISBN   978-0-8166-6535-8.