Navajo Nation
Naabeehó Bináhásdzo (Navajo) | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
| Anthem: ("Dah Naatʼaʼí Sǫʼ bił Sinil"[1] and "Shí naashá" used for some occasions) | |
 Location of the Navajo Nation. Checkerboard-area in lighter shade (see text) | |
| Established | June 1, 1868 (Treaty) |
| Expansions | 1878–2016 |
| Chapter system | 1922 |
| Tribal Council | 1923 |
| Capital | Window Rock (Tségháhoodzání) |
| Subdivisions | |
| Government | |
| • Body | Navajo Nation Council |
| • President | Buu Nygren (D) |
| • Vice President | Richelle Montoya |
| • Speaker | Crystalyne Curley |
| • Chief Justice | JoAnn Jayne |
| Area | |
• Total | 27,413 sq mi (71,000 km2) |
| Population (2020)[2] | |
• Total | 165,158 |
| • Density | 6.0/sq mi (2.3/km2) |
| 160,552 Native American 4,606 White | |
| Time zone | MST/MDT |
| Website | www.navajo-nsn.gov |
The Navajo Nation (Navajo: Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland,[3] is an Indian 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.
At roughly 17,544,500 acres (71,000 km2; 27,413 sq mi), the Navajo Nation is the largest Indian reservation in the United States, exceeding that of ten U.S. states. It is one of the few reservations whose lands overlap the nation's traditional homelands.
In 2010, the reservation was home to 173,667 out of 332,129 Navajo tribal members; the remaining 158,462 tribal members lived outside the reservation, in urban areas (26%), border towns (10%), and elsewhere in the U.S. (17%).[4] In 2020, the number of tribal members increased to 399,494,[5] surpassing the Cherokee Nation as the largest tribal group by enrollment.[6]
The U.S. gained ownership of what is today Navajoland in 1848 following the Mexican-American War. The reservation was first established in 1868 within New Mexico Territory, initially spanning roughly 3,300,000 acres (13,000 km2); it subsequently straddled what became the Arizona–New Mexico border in 1912, when the states were admitted to the union. Unlike many reservations in the U.S., it has since expanded several times since its formation, reaching its current boundaries in 1934.
- ^ "The Star-Spangled Banner (Navajo Lyrics) (National Anthem)". Archived from the original on June 4, 2023. Retrieved April 15, 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ National Congress of American Indians 2020 census
- ^ "History". www.navajo-nsn.gov. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ "Navajo Population Profile – 2010 U.S. Census" (PDF). Navajo Nation Government. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
- ^ Lonas, Lexi (May 22, 2021). "Navajo Nation becomes largest tribe in US after pandemic saw climb in enrollment". The Hill. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved July 20, 2023.
- ^ Romero, Simon (May 21, 2021). "Navajo Nation Becomes Largest Tribe in U.S. After Pandemic Enrollment Surge". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved July 20, 2023.