Dr. Karletta Chief: “Our Identity and Spiritual and Cultural Beliefs Are Centered on the Environment”

By Dr. Karletta Chief, director of the Indigenous Resilience Center and Professor and Extension Specialist in the Department of Environmental Science at the University of Arizona.

I am Diné (Navajo People), and I was raised in the Navajo Nation in a community called Black Mesa in northeastern Arizona. This region has been home to Native peoples since time immemorial. Coal mining operations in this sacred land began in the 1960s, and I grew up witnessing a lot of the degradation of natural resources, such as water, around my community. 

Seeing first-hand the impact of coal mining on our homeland, our water, and the health of our people motivated me to go to college and pursue a career in Environmental Science.

Indigenous peoples are deeply connected to their land. Their identity and their spiritual and cultural beliefs are centered on the environment. Many clans are environmentally based, each associated with a place as their ancestral homeland.

Native peoples practice livelihoods based on the land, such as agriculture, growing different types of food, including corn, squash, and melons, and raising various animals like sheep, horses, and cattle. For the Diné, corn is a sacred plant. It is used for food but also spiritual purposes. Corn plays a central role in many of the beliefs, the seasons, and the life stages of the Diné.

Indigenous Peoples are traditional stewards of the land. Unfortunately, our people, the Navajo Nation, face challenges in terms of the environment, including the lack of access to water and equitable access to food and electricity. This inequity prevents people from having a healthy life and a fair chance in pursuing their jobs and education.  About 30% of the Navajo people do not have access to running water, and these individuals have to haul water, sometimes from places where the water is not suitable for drinking, creating health problems.

There is a history of uranium mining in the Navajo Nation, and as a result, there are over 500 abandoned mines across our land. These mines must be cleaned up, but it's a massive challenge because there are so many of them. The mines that are not cleaned out pose a hazard to the health and well-being of the Navajo people. Radiation exposure can cause different types of health issues, including cancer.

Uranium mining on the Grand Canyon is concerning. It poses a considerable risk to water resources along the river. Mining can destroy the natural geology of that area. The Grand Canyon has a complex web of groundwater and surface water intermixing. Uranium mining in this natural wonder threatens the environment and the millions of people, including Tribes, who depend on the watershed of the Grand Canyon.

For this Native American Heritage Month, I encourage everyone to be an ally for Indigenous peoples by learning about the diversities among different tribes. By expanding your knowledge, you can help eliminate particularly a lot of the misconceptions and stereotypes that happen around Indigenous peoples.