Navajo Nation Archives

How the Navajo Nation Is Reclaiming Food Sovereignty

Mobile cooking classes, educational farms, and social media are transforming the food deserts that have long affected the Navajo Nation. For generations, residents of the Navajo Nation have struggled with food insecurity and limited access to fresh, unprocessed foods. This issue traces back to colonial history, when Indigenous communities were denied their food rights and forcibly displaced from their lands. The situation worsened after the Navajo people were returned to their lands following their imprisonment at the Fort Sumner prison camp in the late 1800s, where they became dependent on food rations provided by the US government. The impacts of systemic discrimination and slow violence have shaped food infrastructures within the Navajo Nation ever since. As a result, processed foods have become embedded in daily life, and health advocates are concerned about their negative effects. The prevalence of processed foods, compounded by poverty and the erosion of traditional knowledge around growing and foraging local foods, has contributed to rising rates of diabetes and other health issues. Women like Denisa Livingston, elected as the Slow Food International Indigenous Councilor, are leading efforts to combat these challenges. Livingston advocates for a junk food tax specific to the Navajo Nation and promotes increased nutritional diversity through traditional food practices. Rather than shaming individuals for consuming processed foods, especially in the context of poverty and limited access to whole foods or kitchen appliances, Livingston and other advocates emphasize the need to resist the colonial mindset that has left many feeling powerless. The goal is to empower communities to reclaim their food sovereignty and health through education and cultural revitalization.

After Generations in the Dark, This Group Is Bringing Solar Power to Tribal Lands

Aparna Packer2025-07-09T23:37:40-04:00Tags: United States of America, Navajo Nation, Turtle Island|

35% of households in the Hopi Reservation do not have access to electricity, this issue is not unique to the Hopi Nation. Historically Indigenous Nations in North America have been subjugated to energy insecurity because of these communities being overlooked when it comes to improving energy infrastructure and promoting the energy sector within these communities. Yessenia Funes highlights the work of Native Renewables, an Indigenous and women-founded organization bringing solar power to Indigenous communities in the Southwestern United States to address the years of systemic neglect from the U.S. government. On the Hopi reservation in Arizona, 35% of residents, and over 13,000 households across the Hopi and Navajo Nations, lack reliable electricity. Native Renewables is working to change that. Suzanne Singer, one of the founder's motivations, stems from her childhood summers spent with her grandparents in the Navajo Nation. Despite power lines running overhead, her family never had access to electricity. Today, Native Renewables is not only lighting homes but also creating jobs, generating around 19 new positions in the renewable energy sector within these communities. This initiative has been led by tribes amid the continued absence of government support and failed promises that have not only led to energy poverty, but have exacerbated public health crises. Parvannah Lee, a Diné healthcare worker from the Sleep Rock People Clan and Old Zuni Clan, joined Native Renewables after realizing the energy crisis contributes to interconnected systemic health gaps in her communities. Working with Native Renewables, she and other energy leaders have been cultivating economic stability for themselves, while working to build brighter futures for their communities.