Diné People’s Press Conference on Navajo Government Concerns

 

Diné People’s Press Conference on Navajo Government Concerns 

Duane 'Chili' Yazzie, Dine', Shiprock, N.M., Navajo Nation

By Chili Yazzie, Censored News, Jan. 21, 2026

Contact: chili_yazzie@hotmail.com

A group of grassroots organizations convened in Dec 2025 to discuss concerns related to the Navajo Nation, these concerns have been formulated into position statements to be presented to the Navajo Nation leadership including the Navajo Nation Council and the Office of the President and Vice President. These positions will be presented at the Press Conference to be held in front of the Navajo Nation Council Chambers on January 27, 2026, at 9 am. 

• The proposal to reform the Navajo government drafted by the Office of Navajo Government Development has been analyzed and is found to be replete with foundational issues, we are recommending that the proposal not be presented to the Navajo people as a referendum initiative as proposed by the ONGD

• The proposal by the Trump administration to expedite natural resources extraction with little or no environmental review is a critical concern

• The depletion of the waters of Navajo lands and the continued lost of water rights must be consciously and deliberately addressed by our Navajo Nation leadership

• The uninhibited incursion by the federal Immigration and Custom Enforcement agency on Indian lands and arrest and abuse of Native American citizens is greatly concerning  

Diné Grassroots Coalition is a coalition comprised of Diné community members concerned about the state of the Navajo Nation. 

Mohawk Nation News 'Get On The Bus'

Read at Mohawk Nation News 

https://mohawknationnews.com/blog/2026/01/21/get-on-the-bus/ 

Live from Minneapolis American Indian Center

Live from Minneapolis American Indian Center

Drum Dance

https://www.facebook.com/mpls.americanindiancenter/videos/2412718449190598

Virtual Drum Dance, Jan. 21, 2026 at 3 to 4 p.m.

Court Support Needed -- Defend Lakota Elder Joe Lafferty, in Pierre, South Dakota

This case will set a precedence across Oceti Sakowin on Tribal Councils ability to prosecute dissent in federal court to avoid transparency. Joe is being unjustly prosecuted for speaking up about long-term corruption happening within the Cheyenne River Sioux/Lakota Tribe. These charges are being pursued in federal court before ever being mediated in Tribal Court. Many elders and tribal members across Oceti Sakowin nation/reservations and beyond have been advocating for these charges against Lafferty to be dropped.

By Grassroots Lakota Oyate, Censored News, Jan. 12, 2026

Joe Lafferty is a Traditional Lakota elder who has advocated for the people and Indigenous Rights for many decades, including at the United Nations Worlds General Assembly in 1977. He is a Culture bearer, a whistle carrier, a traditional Lakota 'whipman' and a OG Grassdancer. Joe was a co-founder of the Black Hills Powwow started in 1986 and has been attending every year since. Uplifting and educating the youth on traditional values & culture.

Joe Lafferty has been attending Cheyenne River Sioux Tribal monthly council sessions for many years pleading with them to stop neglecting tribal members and depriving them of their basic survival needs. Many elders have voiced to Council their homes are in unlivable conditions citing leaks and basement sewer problems for months with no help.

Navajo President Claims No Money for Tribal IDs, while ICE Terrorizes Native People and the Nation

Navajo President Claims No Money for Tribal IDs, while ICE Terrorizes Native People and the Nation

'No ICE on Native Lands" Standing in solidarity with families separated, and with those who have lost their lives. Ponca, Oklahoma.

The Navajo President plays politics -- while ICE grabs Navajos. Meanwhile, Native people are calling out their tribal governments for making money from misery from hotels and contracts, and sharing intelligence with ICE. The secretive ICE deportation flights are in this tangled web of heartbreak and misery.

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Jan. 20, 2026

While ICE is terrorizing the nation, Navajo President Buu Nygren, playing politics, says there are no funds for tribal IDs. At the same time, ICE is out-of-control and making violent arrests in Minneapolis. Several Native American governments are profiteering from this misery and being exposed by tribal members. Meanwhile, the secretive deportation flights continue, and Guantanamo is one of the destinations.