Duane "Chili" Yazzie







C

ompared to the rest of the 16 candidates running for Navajo Nation president, Duane “Chili” Yazzie, 68, was vetted through the traditional process of being selected by his community.

The four-month process, he says, began with community members gathering inside his hogan, a ceremonial Navajo home, to ask his mother, wife and close kinfolk for his service as the next tribal president.

The intimate gathering eventually led to a large one with extended family and the greater Shiprock community, where they officially endorsed Yazzie on April 12 as their presidential candidate.

“It was a joint decision between the community and my extended family,” said Yazzie, who is from Shiprock.

The third-term Shiprock Chapter president, who also previously served as a Council delegate from 1986 to 1994, is “humbled, encouraged and empowered” by the opportunity, particularly the blessings of his family and community.

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