Here at Inauguration of 23rd Navajo Nation Council, Navajo Board of Election Supervisors, and Navajo Board of Education at the Window Rock High School Fighting Scouts Events Center in Fort Defiance, Ariz.

After the oaths of office are taken by the Council, Navajo Board of Election Supervisors and Navajo Board of Education, The Horses, a drum group sing an Honor Song.

Drum group leader Kenny Brown says that there a lot of different Honoring Songs but his drum group, The Horses, will sing the Chief Song.

After the Honor Song, Dr. Jennifer Denetdale. associate professor at University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, will give the Inaugural Address. Denetdale is also a Navajo Nation Human Rights commissioner.

Denetdale says she is very honored to address elected officials and citizens. “We all have investment in our Navajo Nation,” she says before introducing herself in her Navajo language. and

i have dedicated for indigenous rights. we are fully capable of nation that includes all citizens. as newly elected leaders deliberate on special presidential elections, i hope that they deliberate for all people.

although we claim strides in nation building, we still need to be all treated as citizens. we are not a minority in the US; we are citizens in our own sovereign nation.

75 cents of every Navajo dollar goes to border towns.

easy access to water for the southwest urban spaces has been made by Navajo coal and oil and gas. our leaders have promised to have a prosper economy but it has not come about.

we are also dealing with sense of crisis and rights of Dine’ voters. Do we have the right to choose our leaders with out votes.

as a commissioner on Human Rights Commission, the commission continues as a model for sovereignty and that the Navajo Nation will have its sovereignty recognized and respected.

we ask our leaders to act in the best interest of the Navajo Nation. this is a time to reaffirm sovereignty and trust in our elected leaders. Assure us that our votes count.

Cultural sovereignty is a daily issue and what it means to be Dine’. I’m proud to see how each of us work to make Navajo Nation sovereign.

Remember our teachings of when our children will return to help us. we must not turn away from our children and granchildren and acknowledge differences created by colonization. our young people call for compassionate link to home.