Navajo Sovereignty Day

"To Navajos, the concept of sovereignty is simple. It means being independent and standing on one's own two feet. Whether an individual, a family, a community, or a nation, one wants to stand on one's own. To build an independent nation, its individual members need to stand on their own feet, dependent on no one to survive and thrive. As a people, Navajos were once proud, fierce and independent. With more of our students graduating from college each year, and with our economic initiatives in place, we can see the day in the not-too-distant future when we will become independent again, and our sovereignty will flourish every day."  (President Joe Shirley, April 28, 2010 statement on Navajo Sovereignty)

This super cute little girl was scarfing up candy at the Fourth of July Parade last July

Hilltop Christian School was closed this morning and I was wondering why. When I finally  wandered down there I saw a note on the door saying it was Navajo Sovereignty Day. I've heard about this holiday before--a holiday celebrated no where else but here , but didn't know much about it. 

I found out that Sovereignty Day was instituted to celebrate the Navajo Nation's basic right to do on their own land what most governments do on their own land, specifically collect and institute taxes. It's a big deal for a people who were told for many years that they did not have any (or very little) rights on their own land.  To illustrate, it wasn't too many years ago that the government forcibly removed what they believed were excess livestock to prevent overgrazing. At that time the main way Navajo people had wealth was to have livestock, so having them forcibly removed effectively pushed most people back into abject poverty.  Too it wasn't too many years before that, that the Navajo people were forced to walk across much of Arizona and New Mexico and be confined to a reservation that had no food, little water, and no hope. Many of them died on the trip, or on the reservation, before finally being allowed to come back to their native lands a defeated people. 

Today, and every fourth Monday of April then, the Navajo people celebrate a renewal of their rights, a victory, and a regaining of what they lost so many years ago.

Steve is heading home today from the Phoenix area where he got to meet with many of you--Ahéhee' as they say in Navajo (thank you)! Please continue to pray for us. As I mentioned in our last letter, our support is very low. We need to do some planning, praying, thinking, and more to figure out how to raise more funds for our ministries. A lower mileage, car that uses less gas is also on our list of prayer items! Thanks so much for all you do! 

Katrina for the Marti family!

Nihilism?

     Recently I read a poem, placed by its author on a Facebook page called, You Know You're a Navajo When. . .. The author is a young Navajo woman who obviously has a gift for writing. The poem deeply touched me, not because of it's beauty, although it was well written, but because of its sense of utter hopelessness, and helplessness on the part of its author. I won't repeat the whole poem here because it's littered with obscenities but here are a few lines:

. . . Why I was shamed to be labeled an "Indian," a savage beast, . . .. 

sharing a one-room hogan wasn't my problem where my next meal came from was,

grandma feeding us government hand-outs, malnutrition slop. . . 

labeled a "horse thief," doomed for failure, branded alcoholics

under-educated statistic, shoved on a reserve

I'm not a savage, I'm a human being

War paralyzed, haunted, grandpa's mind and soul, PTSD

depression, alcoholism, no Veteran's benefits

living from check to mouth, . . . 

See my people suffer from substance abuse, addictions,

sickness of every kind, stewing in devastation . ..

No progressing, no jobs, no order, controlled resources,

I'm but a number to my government, . .. . 

hell yes, I'm furious, abuse-ridden homes,

age-old problems untouched, families in denial. . .

don't tell me to get over myself, over my internal pain,

live in my conditions and see why I still have to cry. . . 

     In Bible School we learned about nihilism which according to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary is, "a viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded and that existence is senseless and useless." That's the term that came to mind as I read this ladies poem. Honestly her rant encapsulates many of the problems that some of the ladies I minister to face.  Recently I made up a prayer card about the Navajo Nation. It's got many of the facts this lady referred to without the emotions attached. The bottom line is that the problems here are HUGE!

     For the past three years I, Katrina, have been blessed to work in a ministry called "Set Free." This ministry is aimed at ladies who have been, or are being, set free from harmful lifestyles and relationships. What a blessing it has been to see ladies who have lived in bondage such as the lady above describes, set free into a life with Jesus Christ. 

     God has given Steve another vision, which also aims to heal hurts like this poet describes. He's opening a pottery which will be not only a working pottery (providing jobs, artistic outlet, and creativity) but also a discipleship center where people grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ. 

     Both of us see our ministries expanding and growing while providing healing, needed jobs, job skills, and life skills to help overcome some of the issues that are so prevalent here. 

     We can't, however, do it without YOU! We need your prayer and financial support to be able to continue on in these ministries that God has given us. Right now Steve is out there, talking with people just like you about supporting our ministry financially. Right now our support is at about 20% of what we need to live on, and continue ministering in this area. Please pray with us that God will lead Steve to individuals and organizations that have the funds to help in this work. Please also pray about how you can help--and let us know if you can partner with us---in whatever way God is leading you! (Keep in mind that even small amounts given monthly add up to what we need, ultimately--for example: a gift of $20 a month can pay my gas to town one time so I can minister to the ladies--this will be especially important this coming year as I'm planning on going to town three times a week to minister to the ladies in a woman's shelter --also pray for a lower-mileage vehicle and a more reliable vehicle since next year the kids and I will be traveling to Gallup--60 miles round trip--daily for ministry and school.)

     Lastly, if you'd like to meet with Steve he'll be down in the Phoenix area for the next couple weeks--drop us a line if you can get together with him, encourage him, and hear more about the work God's doing here in Navajoland. 

Katrina, for both of us.