Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department

Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department Protecting, Maintaining, and Balancing Navajo Cultural Heritage in a Changing World

CRYSTAL, N.M. - Over the weekend, the Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department (NNHHPD) gathered in the...
07/28/2026

CRYSTAL, N.M. - Over the weekend, the Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department (NNHHPD) gathered in the Chuska Mountains for a special community event hosted at the sheep camp of our Department Manager, Richard Begay. We extend our sincere appreciation to him and the Begay family for generously welcoming us into their homestead and for donating two sheep, which were respectfully butchered and prepared as part of the weekend’s activities.

The gathering brought together staff, scholars, and long-time partners in cultural resource management - individuals whose work continues to strengthen the protection of Diné history, places, and lifeways. Our NNHHPD staff played an essential role throughout the event, from preparing the space to cooking, coordinating, and ensuring everything ran smoothly. Their dedication reflects the heart of our department’s mission.

We were honored to recognize the inaugural recipients of the Heritage Legacy Awards, a new program celebrating exemplary contributions to safeguarding and advancing Diné heritage. This year’s honorees include:

• Dr. Klara B. Kelley - Lifetime Achievement Award
• Roy Kady - Diné Bí ‘Iiná Násyóóleeł Award
• Dr. Anthony Klesert - “Friend of the Navajo” Award

Each has shaped cultural preservation in profound ways and their work reminds us that cultural resource management is multi-dimensional, carried forward not only through research and documentation but through living practice and mentorship. Bringing these awardees together with emerging scholars and long-time collaborators created a meaningful space of reflection and shared purpose.

We extend our gratitude to all who attended. Ahéhee’ to the cultural practitioners, community leaders, traditional knowledge holders, researchers, and professionals whose contributions continue to strengthen preservation efforts across the Southwest and the Navajo Nation. Your commitment ensures that Diné stories, places, and knowledge systems endure with strength for generations to come.

Photo Credit: B. Yazzie, NNHHPD
Write-up Credit: C. Morgan, NNHHPD

Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department developed a monthly newsletter to provide consistent public ed...
07/09/2026

Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department developed a monthly newsletter to provide consistent public education about Bears Ears National Monument's (BENM) cultural, historical, and present-day significance to Diné.

Read this special edition to learn a bit about Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument and Navajo connections to the region.

"Why do I need archaeological clearance for a Navajo Nation homesite lease?" This is one of the most common questions th...
07/08/2026

"Why do I need archaeological clearance for a Navajo Nation homesite lease?" This is one of the most common questions that Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department (NNHHPD) receives from the public.

Archaeological clearance for a homesite lease is required by Navajo Nation law. It ensures that homesite development does not disturb cultural, historical, or sacred areas.

The clearance also prevents "inadvertent discoveries," and unexpected encounters. NNHHPD receives multiple calls each year from residents who uncover bones, artifacts, or structural remains near their homesite. This is especially common when residents start building beyond their 1-acre homesite boundary. Situations like these can trigger legal consequences, cause stress for the family, create ceremonial imbalance, and permanently damage sites.

Respect the past and be a responsible steward.

Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department's (NNHHPD) Bears Ears Inter-Governmental Cooperative Agreement...
07/07/2026

Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department's (NNHHPD) Bears Ears Inter-Governmental Cooperative Agreement section developed a monthly newsletter to provide consistent public education about Bears Ears National Monument's (BENM) cultural, historical, and present-day significance to Diné.

Check out this edition to learn about Navajo place names beyond the monument

Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department's (NNHHPD) Bears Ears Inter-Governmental Cooperative Agreement...
05/01/2026

Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department's (NNHHPD) Bears Ears Inter-Governmental Cooperative Agreement section developed a monthly newsletter to provide consistent public education about Bears Ears National Monument's (BENM) cultural, historical, and present-day significance to Diné.

Check out this edition to learn about Navajo place names throughout the monument.

Submit your application for the Bears Ears Conservation Corps. Enjoy camping, cultural demonstrations and more. Particip...
04/09/2026

Submit your application for the Bears Ears Conservation Corps. Enjoy camping, cultural demonstrations and more. Participants will earn a stipend of $600. This opportunity is open to applicants 18+

The Bears Ears region is historically and culturally important to Navajo people. Clans historically tied to the area include Tábąąhá (Water’s Edge People), Hashk’ąąn Hadzohí (Yucca Fruit Strung Out People), Bit’ahnii (Folded Arms Clan), Tł’ááshchí’í (Red Bottom People), and others.

Apply/share

ESCALANTE, UT - Representatives from the Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department (NNHHPD) recently par...
04/01/2026

ESCALANTE, UT - Representatives from the Navajo Nation Heritage & Historic Preservation Department (NNHHPD) recently participated in a flyover of Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (GSENM) along with other tribal leaders from the Grand Staircase-Escalante Inter-Tribal Coalition. The aerial view provided a chance to see the monument as an interconnected whole with its tributaries, canyons, mesas, and plateaus coming together in ways that are difficult to grasp from the ground.

GSENM is home to a wide range of plant and animal species, including 600+ native bee species that serve as important pollinators for the entire ecosystem. The Escalante River, Paria River, and many smaller drainages run through the monument and eventually feed into the Colorado River (Bits’íís Ninéézi).

For Diné, this region holds deep historical and cultural importance. During the Fearing Time (Ndahonidzóód) and forced displacement leading up to the Long Walk, some Navajos fled into this terrain seeking safety. Long before that, the landscape served as a traditional-use area for plant gathering, hunting, trade, and more.

Many of its features carry Navajo place names that reflect their physical character and cultural meaning. The Kaiparowits Plateau is known as Tsé Ndoolzhah, meaning “Rocks Descending Jagged,” and also as Dził Binii’ Łigaii, or “White-Faced Mountains.” The Henry Mountains to the north of GSENM are called Dził Bizhi’ ‘Adiní, the “Nameless Mountains,” and the waters of nearby Lake Powell are known as Tólá Dah Siyíní, “Large Body of Water at an Elevation.” Navajo Mountain or Naatsis’áán can be seen from many points within the monument.

Grand Staircase-Escalante remains a living cultural landscape: one that connects watersheds, ecosystems, and histories. NNHHPD’s continued involvement in monitoring and stewardship reflects our commitment to protecting these lands for future generations.

Photo Credit: C.Morgan, NNHHPD

Address

Navajo Boulevard, W008-247, Building 4
Window Rock, AZ

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Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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+19288717198

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