{"id":7597,"date":"2021-02-15T23:27:44","date_gmt":"2021-02-16T04:27:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/News\/?p=7597"},"modified":"2023-08-30T14:39:04","modified_gmt":"2023-08-30T18:39:04","slug":"navajo-nation-set-to-plant-tribes-flag-with-embassy-near-u-s-capitol","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/News\/2021\/02\/15\/navajo-nation-set-to-plant-tribes-flag-with-embassy-near-u-s-capitol\/","title":{"rendered":"Navajo Nation set to plant tribe’s flag with embassy near U.S. Capitol"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\t\n\t\t\t2021 Winter Session – Day 5\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t
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Navajo Nation Council: 2021 Winter Session – Debate on Legislation 0220-20 – January 30, 2021<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n
Navajo Nation set to plant tribe’s flag with embassy near U.S. Capitol<\/div>\r\n
Monday, February 15, 2021<\/div>\r\n
By Acee Agoyo<\/div>\r\n
Indianz.Com<\/div>\r\n

<\/p>\r\nW\u00c1SHINDOON — Amid concerns about COVID-19<\/a> and public safety, leaders of the Navajo Nation<\/a> are establishing a permanent home here to advocate for their tribe’s needs.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe acquisition of a property next to the U.S. Capitol will strengthen the tribe’s lobbying efforts, President Jonathan Nez<\/a> said on Sunday. He signed a bill, which was approved by the Navajo Nation Council<\/a> after heated debate, to acquire land and buildings at 11 D Street SE<\/a> in W\u00e1shindoon, also known as the District of Columbia.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s a historic investment that will establish the Navajo Nation\u2019s presence near Congress and build equity for many years to come,\u201d Nez said<\/a> of the purchase. \u201cWe will be the only tribal nation to own land and property near Capitol Hill and it will allow us greater access to meet with members of Congress and other federal partners to advocate for the Navajo people.\u201d\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe investment is costing the tribe about $5 million. The price tag has raised alarms back home, where the coronavirus continues to impact the Navajo people at disproportionate rates, and where many citizens often lack access to water, adequate housing and other basic services on the largest reservation in the U.S.\r\n

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Amid concerns about #COVID19 and public safety, the Navajo Nation Council just approved the purchase of 11 D Street SE in Washington DC for $5 million. The site, adjacent to the US Capitol complex, will serve as new home for the Navajo Nation Washington Office. @NNPrezNez #DC<\/p>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/div>\n\t

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<\/P>\r\n\u201cHow can the president assist me to response to constituents that are currently living in tents during COVID, currently living in a shack house with cardboard around their home?\u201d Navajo Nation Council Delegate Vince James said in questioning the need for the acquisition.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cHow do I respond to those kinds of families?\u201d James said during debate on the issue<\/a> on January 30.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nOther lawmakers voiced concerns about the proximity of 11 D Street SE to the U.S. Capitol complex, where a deadly attack<\/a> took place on January 6 at the hands of Donald Trump’s supporters<\/a>. The building in fact sits right outside a huge security perimeter that has been erected in the wake of the violence<\/a>.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n\u201cI would rather put this money toward people who need electricity at this moment,\u201d said Charlaine Tso, another council delegate.\r\n

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The Navajo Nation Embassy will be located at 11 D Street SE, across from the U.S. Capitol complex in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Photo by Indianz.Com (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n<\/figure>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nBut Santee Lewis, a tribal citizen who serves as executive director of the Navajo Nation Washington Office<\/a>, insisted that the location will benefit from the presence of U.S. Capitol police, the National Guard and other security personnel. She said she recently took a walk around the perimeter to ensure it was safe for tribal employees.\r\n

<\/P>\r\n \u201cIt is important that this acquisition is recognized as a home for the Navajo people in Washington, D.C.,\u201d Lewis told lawmakers during consideration of the measure. \u201cThe Navajo Nation would be making way for other tribal nations and Indian Country to move advocacy efforts forward in Washington.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe Navajo Nation Council took two votes on Legislation 0220-20<\/a>, which authorized the Navajo Nation Washington Office to purchase the property, using proceeds from the tribe’s land acquisition trust fund. The first was a procedural vote, which barely cleared by the two-thirds majority required. \r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cI just cannot justify how purchasing land in Washington, D.C. achieves any of the goals or purposes” of the land acquisition trust fund, asserted Eugenia Charles-Newton, a council delegate.\r\n

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Navajo Nation Council Delegate Eugenia Charles-Newton: Acquisition of 11 D Street SE<\/a>\r\n<\/figcaption>\r\n

<\/P>\r\nThe second was on the bill itself, which passed with the same vote of 16 to 7, though only a plurality was required. The roll calls came on the last day of the council’s winter session.\r\n

<\/p>\r\n\u201cWith the purchase of property in Washington, D.C., in close proximity to the US Capitol building, the Navajo Nation looks now to build our position from a permanent place alongside Congressional and federal leadership,\u201d Council Speaker Seth Damon said on Sunday after the bill was signed into law. \u201cWe look ahead to our future generations and we pray this action will create a better place for them to lead our nation.\u201d\r\n

<\/p>\r\nThe Navajo Nation Washington Office<\/a> (NNWO) currently rents space in a commercial office building at 750 First Street NE, which is north of the U.S. Capitol, not far from Union Station<\/a>, a major transportation hub. The property at 11 D Street SE is located close to Capitol South<\/a>, another transit station on the Washington subway.\r\n

<\/p>\r\nAccording to tribal officials, the NNWO pays about $25,000 per month in rent, plus utilities, at the commercial building<\/a>. Since November 2003, the tribe has spent more than $3.5 million on rental space. \r\n

<\/p>\r\n \u201cThat money will never come back to the Navajo Nation,\u201d said Council Delegate Pernell Halona, who voted for the acquisition. \u201cWe need to look past it and see this is an investment.\u201d\r\n

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