FOR
OUR NATIVE PEOPLE:
Diné Letters, Speeches & Petitions 1900-1960
About
the Author
Peter Iverson, Regents' Professor of History at Arizona State
University, is the author of twelve books in American Indian
history. Monty Roessel (Navajo), Executive Director of Rough
Rock Community School, has written and provided photographs
for award-winning books for young people. --This text refers
to the Hardcover edition.
Book
Description
One hundred documents written by Diné men, women, and
children speaking for themselves and on behalf of their communities
are collected in this book. Discovered during Iverson's research
for Diné: A History of the Navajos, these letters,
speeches, and petitions, almost all previously unpublished,
provide a uniquely moving portrait of the Diné during
an era in which they were fighting to defend their lands and
to build the Navajo Nation.
Six crucial, overlapping subjects are addressed here: land,
community, education, rights, government, and identity. Brief
introductions to each chapter and each document provide the
necessary context, and historic photographs supplement the
words of the people.
Most
of the vast literature about American Indians emphasizes the
actions and words of non-Indians. Indians become the victims,
the people to whom things happen. This volume furnishes a
different view of the native past. It shows Navajos making
their own history. It demonstrates how the Diné worked
to keep their lands, develop their economy, build their communities,
educate their young people, affirm their rights, govern themselves,
and maintain their heritage while forging a brighter future.
Included
are the words of such prominent leaders as Chee Dodge, Jacob
Morgan, Tom Dodge, Annie Wauneka, Sam Ahkeah, and Paul Jones,
and less widely known but significant spokespersons like Howard
Gorman, Scott Preston, Roger Davis, and Lilly Neill. It also
presents the words of students at boarding schools, soldiers
fighting in World War II, and members of the Native American
Church speaking out for religious freedom. This book celebrates
the resilience of the Diné and salutes their resolve.
It honors the men, women, and children who built the Navajo
Nation.
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