August 14, 2020 is Navajo Code Talkers Day. In honor of our Diné heroes who used Navajo messaging to help save the free world, we are launching  a new series about the next generation of Diné warriors who are using their own brand of messaging in the Wáshindoon DC area to help save Indian Country. This is our first installment in a series about Diné in DC, folks for whom work is not a job. It is a duty, a service, a responsibility-- bee bóhólniih.

Kraynal Alfred, Tódích’íí’nii nishłį́ dóó Tó'áhaní bashishchiin-- Bitterwater clan born, for Near to Water clan-- is a force to be reckoned with, and she comes by that naturally. She is the grand daughter of Navajo Code Talker,  Johnnie Alfred.

Kraynal carries on his legacy of expertly translating messages to help protect the nation. "I enjoy taking a very complex issue and boiling it down to something someone who may only spend thirty seconds on it can understand,"  she says.

Born in Tuba City, raised in Oakland, CA, Kraynal was a political prodigy. She remembers when the political bug first bit her. "It was the 1992 election," she says. "I was a kid watching the national convention on t.v.. When I saw the balloons drop, my ears pricked up. I thought, 'this is amazing!'" Then she learned about American Indian activism in middle school. "I thought 'Wow! I want to do this for the rest of my life.'"

Kraynal blazed her trail through Yale, Princeton and Harvard enroute to Washington DC, where she wasted no time championing the needs of Native People.

"One of my greatest joys was working at the National Indian Health Board on the Indian Health Care Improvement Act. Working with the grassroots to deliver very complex ideas, to translate them for an audience who could not otherwise understand them (Congress). That's like what the Code Talkers did. They were doing translation, unpacking code and presenting it to a completely different audience."

Today, Kraynal is the Senior Communications Specialist- Tribal Liaison- for the Universal Service Administration, where she similarly breaks down a very complex program into understandable pieces. "At the end of the day," she says, "it is all about translation."

"I am “Rock Gap Clan”, Born for “Tangle People Clan.”  My maternal grandfather is “Towering House Clan,” and my paternal grandfather is “Red Running into Water Clan,” says Derrick Beetso, General Counsel for the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI).

Born in Tuba City Hospital, Derrick spent the first eleven years of his life in the Coalmine Canyon Chapter on Hopi Partioned Land. "In '88, I was 11 when relocation happened," he says. "I remember feeling powerless and seeing the adults around me feel powerless too. That was the first time I ever thought about the law and becoming a lawyer." Derrick attended the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law to, "do something bigger than myself and help people."

The Tribal Supreme Court Project (Project) is near and dear to Derrick's heart. Founded in 2001 after a string of Supreme Court decisions that hurt tribes, the Project drafted a platoon of attorneys from NCAI and the Native American Rights Fund to work together to strengthen tribal advocacy before the U.S. Supreme Court, and get judges nominated to the federal bench and Supreme Court who actually understand Federal Indian Law.

"When we talk about Supreme Court decisions, a lot of the cases are anchored to common terms that we understand but need to translate so non-tribal folks get their nuance," Derrick says. Helping decision makers understand the meaning of "sovereignty," "self-governance," and "self-determination" is a constant battle.

On July 9, 2020, the Project's efforts paid off big when Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the Majority opinion for the landmark Native-treaty-rights case, McGirt v. Oklahoma, saying, "On the far end of the Trail of Tears was a promise.Today we are asked whether the land these treaties promised remains an Indian reservation for purposes of federal criminal law. Because Congress has not said otherwise, we hold the government to its word.”

DesiRae A. Deschine, Esquire, Government and Legislative Affairs Associate for the Navajo Nation Washington Office (NNWO), grew up on the Navajo Nation in Window Rock, Arizona. Her mother is Húŋkpapȟa Lakota from Cannon Ball, North Dakota of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. Her father’s clan is Deeshchii’nii, Start of the Red Streak People and is from Dennehotso, Arizona. Her maternal grandfather, Húŋkpapȟa Lakota, is known as Shoots-At-Close. Her paternal grandfather is Táchii’nii, Red Running Into the Water People.

Before becoming a lawyer, DesiRae spent a decade working in the trenches of social work, providing behavioral health crisis counseling and ongoing case management, working with court dependent children and informatics management for the State of Arizona. "I went to law school to find a way to help the situations I saw," she says.

As a law student, DesiRae was a Udall Foundation intern at the Department of Interior Office of Solicitor and a U.S Dept. of Justice intern at the Office of Tribal Justice. Upon graduation, DesiRae worked as a criminal prosecutor in the Cochise County Prosecutor's Office. 

Her experience working across the legal spectrum, from federal to local levels, combined with translation skills she developed teaching English in Northern Japan, inform her work today at NNWO. DesiRae advocates for the needs of the Navajo People within a broad portfolio that includes broadband, economic development, education, social services, transportation, and water.

"I can use all the skills I gained throughout my career to help the Navajo Nation," she says." DesiRae joined the NNWO team this Spring. "I want to give back," she says. "I just did not think I would be doing during a pandemic."

"My clan is Tódik'ǫzhi nishłí,̜ Tódich'ii'nii bá shíshchíín, Tsi'naajinii dashicheii, Tł'ógi dashinálí (I am from the “salt water” clan, born from the “bitter water” clan, my maternal grandfather is from the “black streak people” clan, and my paternal grandfather is from the “weaver-zia” clan.)," says Orson John III, a NASA reliability engineer at Goddard Space Flight Center. 

Orson conducts fault and risk analyses for NASA spacecraft and instruments. He has worked on several NASA projects throughout his career including ICESat-2/ATLAS, MAVEN, OSIRIS-Rex/OTES, and GEDI. He is currently supporting two NASA missions, the NASA- NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) system, and the LEMNOS mission: a laser communication project for the International Space Station and Orion.

Orson says, "I was very fortunate to be able to listen to the teachings of my elders and to see the importance of education. In the history of the Navajo people, after our 1868 treaty with the U.S. government that provided the Navajo reservation, one of our prominent leaders encouraged future generations to pursue education by telling us, “Education is the ladder.”

Orson's ladder includes a NASA bookmark he found at a book fair while attending Twin Lakes Elementary School. "It was for the Cassini Mission and said this satellite was going all the way to Saturn and was going to get there in 2004. I thought it was amazing that it would take seven years."  

Cassini started sending images back to earth when Orson was in high school. On a physics class field trip to Los Alamos National Laboratory, Orson met Dr. Fred Begay, renowned Diné and Ute nuclear physicist who researched controlled thermonuclear fusion and the parallels between modern scientific concepts and traditional Navajo belief. "He is the one who inspired me," Orson said."Meeting him was pivotal."

Orson credits being able to do work that reaches outer space to those whose feet still touch Navajoland. He says, "I grew up part of my life without electricity and the rest without running water (until I went to college). Situations like that shape and mold you not to take certain things for granted. My family struggled and I am here today only because of the struggle they endured. You are not here on your own, you stand on the shoulders of those who came before you." Including the Navajo Code Talkers.

"What our Code Talkers faced is an incredible story of their heroism and courage. In the face of uncertainty they rose to the challenge and made an impact providing us the liberty and freedom of our way of life. It is that very courage in the midst of uncertainty that offers us the opportunity to continue our journey in life. There are times we face challenges, struggles, and hardships however the Code Talkers showed us and paved the way to set an example of courage that we can make it and we can make a difference."

Orson now reaches out to Native Youth to lift them up on his own shoulders through Goddard’s Native American Advisory Committee (NAAC) that works to promote programs and events that encourage Native students to pursue learning opportunities and careers at NASA.

"I am Kinyaa’ánii Born for Naakai, my Cheiis are Deeshchii'nii and from To’Halstoii (Sheep Springs, NM)," says Gem Shandiin LaBarta, Cultural Interpreter for the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI). "My family, all of us, have warrior middle names, so we are determined from birth to make a change."

Gem was raised in Southern California but spent every summer with her grandmother and aunties in Sheep Springs. Before heading to DC with her MA in Education from the University of New Mexico, Gem taught on the Navajo Nation. "That is what prepared me for working at the Smithsonian," she says, where she engages non-native visitors in difficult conversations about who Native people really are, as opposed to stereotypes ."We use a methodology called facilitated dialogue to engage visitors to think critically about Natives," she says.

The vision of NMAI is to achieve equity and social justice for Native peoples of the Western Hemisphere through education, inspiration and empowerment. Cracking the code of racial stereotypes is part of that process.

"Our mission and vision got revamped this year," she says. "It was important to our entire staff, from the Director on down, to be very intentional about our messaging. We can't make sweeping statements about anyone."

What does that have to do with Navajo Code Talkers? "The idea of sending messages is something we are reinventing, especially during this time of COVID," she says. "Now we are going virtual to reach a much larger audience." 

Gem and her team have developed a free webinar series called, "Youth in Action: Conversations about our Future" for middle and high school students interested in hearing from other young Native change makers. For example, next Thursday, August 20, 2020 at 4 pm EST, Shandiin Herrera (Diné) and Isabel Coronado (Mvskoke Creek) will discuss the fight for reform to ensure the right to vote is accessible to everyone. Where can the next generation of Diné warriors send and receive messages to help protect the Navajo Nation? On Youtube, of course.

Navajo (Ta’neeszahnii) and bilagáana, Serena is our Eye in the Sky at NNWO who keeps our gears turning and our engines burning. while manning her station behind the scenes of our public facing office. Serena's steady hands are on every switch of our organization, steering our needs toward actions and problems toward solutions. 

"I like a challenge," she says.

Raised equally in Washington DC and Arizona, Serena earned her Art History degree at Towson University in Maryland. Trained to discern the intention behind expression, Serena may soon be cracking the code behind federal Indian politics, law and policy. She hopes one day to attend law school.

"Being here, at NNWO, is a great introduction to the political realm," she says. "There is a lot I have learned in this first year and I know there is a lot more learning to be done." Her big surprise working in DC's tribal advocacy community? 

"I went from not knowing any Native people in DC at all to being part of this amazing network. The reception I got was amazing.This is such a warm, welcoming place for anyone working for Indigenous people."

Heidi Todacheene, Legal Counsel to Representative Deb Haaland, (D, NM)  is  Bilagáana (Anglo), born for Táchii’nii (Red-Running-Into-The-Water) and her maternal grandfathers are Bilagáana and her paternal grandfathers are Honágháahnii (One-walks-around clan).

Seeing the inequities that are apparent in any tribal border town inspired Heidi to pursue a law degree and work to help tribes. Earning a J.D. and Law of Indigenous People Certificate from the University of New Mexico School of Law, she worked on developing legislative initiatives affecting the State’s Tribal and Pueblo communities at the New Mexico Indian Affairs Department during the 2016 Legislative Session.

In Washington DC, Heidi first worked on government and legislative affairs for the Navajo Nation in Washington, D.C before becoming the Legislative Counsel for Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01) where she focuses on Indian Country, agriculture, small business, tax, and arts/humanities issues. 

"The three most important issues we are working on now are 1) The Missing and Murdered Indian Women Crisis, trying to find solutions for data collection and jurisdiction; 2) Honoring Promises to Native Nations, an initiative Congresswoman Haaland is working on with Senator Warren (D, MA) to address chronic underfunding across the board for Natives, including housing, law enforcement, health, education and economic development; and 3) the Digital Reservations Act to help get tribes spectrum access over their own lands."

Heidi credits her opportunity to work for the Navajo Nation at NNWO for setting her up for success on the Hill, where she is helping advance tribal issues in a Congress facing unprecedented challenges.

She says, "It has been extremely rewarding to work for Congresswoman Deb Haaland (NM-01), especially on her Indian Country issues and managing the Congressional Native American Caucus with Co-Chair, Rep. Tom Cole’s office. I am very fortunate to have the opportunity to learn about the inner workings of Congress to help get important policies implemented. However, working for a member of congress who is so deeply committed to lifting our communities up, and who is also compassionate has been an irreplaceable experience. I am very fortunate that I have the opportunity to work with such strong leadership that empowers our whole office to be better people, and fight for what we believe in."

The problems that Native People face are not generally difficult to understand because they are so essential to the human experience, but their solutions can be very complex and technical. Translating concepts between folks in DC who may have no tribal experience and folks in tribal communities who may have no experience with the federal legislative process can be tricky. Heidi's own experiences, and those of her family before her, make her ideally suited for this challenge.

"Translating concepts and going between two different worlds has been something that is in my family, and something many of us have to learn just by growing up Native in the United States. My grandfather’s brother, Carl Todacheene, was a Navajo Code Talker so I feel like that’s what I’m here to do— to help translate for our community like past generations have done for us. Part of my responsibility to translate concepts is why I went to law school because, growing up in Farmington, my family experienced inequities that stayed with me and no one else should have to go through just because of where we’re from. My translation skills come from being forced to live in two difference worlds, and getting the professional experience that you need to make informed decisions. The key to this is the willingness to actively listen, and hard work."

Concetta Tsosie de Haro, Democratic Counsel to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs (SCIA), is Tábąąhá (Water’s Edge), born for Táchii'nii (Red Running Into the Water), her maternal grandfather is Honágháahnii (One Who Walks Around You), and her paternal grandfather is Tábąąhá (Water’s Edge).

"Connie" was born and raised in Fort Defiance, near Black Rock. As a young woman, Connie lived with her grandma and helped with her great grandmother who survived the Long Walk. Facing injustice with courage runs in the family.

"I remember when I was 12 or 13 being in the passenger seat with my mom," she says. "There was one of those Gallup community police vans picking up intoxicated people. I remember seeing the Gallup Police pointing and yelling at an elderly Navajo man sitting on the side of the road, picking him up and roughly tossing him inside the van. That is the moment that made me want to go to law school."

After graduating from the University of New Mexico School of Law, Connie worked at the U.S. Department of Interior and became a Wilma Mankiller Fellow at NCAI before making her way to the Committee in 2016. "My role at the Committee, not just as a Navajo woman but as a Native person, is to make sure our voices are always heard, our community's needs are always heard, and incorporate that into everything we work on."