''Ádahooníłígíí'' ( nv, "occurrences in the area/current events") was a Navajo-language monthly

newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports a ...

that was published in the Southwestern

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

from 1943 to 1957. After the ''

Cherokee Phoenix The ''Cherokee Phoenix'' ( chr, ᏣᎳᎩ ᏧᎴᎯᏌᏅᎯ, translit=Tsalagi Tsulehisanvhi) is the first newspaper published by Native Americans in the United States and the first published in a Native American language. The first issue was pu ...

'', operating from 1828 to 1834, it was the second regularly circulating newspaper in the

that was written in a Native American language. It was the first newspaper to be published in Navajo and the only one to have been written entirely in Navajo. In April 2019, roughly 100 issues of the newspaper were digitized as a part of the University of Arizona Library's National Digital Newspaper Program and they are currently available online.

History

''Ádahooníłígíí'' was published by the Navajo Agency of the

Bureau of Indian Affairs The Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), also known as Indian Affairs (IA), is a United States federal agency within the Department of the Interior. It is responsible for implementing federal laws and policies related to American Indians and A ...

Window Rock, Arizona Window Rock ( nv, , ) is a census-designated place that serves as the seat of government and capital of the Navajo Nation, the largest territory in North America of a sovereign Native American nation. The capital lies within the boundaries of the ...

, from 1943 to 1957 and contributed to the

standardization Standardization or standardisation is the process of implementing and developing technical standards based on the consensus of different parties that include firms, users, interest groups, standards organizations and governments. Standardization ...

of Navajo

orthography An orthography is a set of conventions for writing a language, including norms of spelling, hyphenation, capitalization, word breaks, emphasis, and punctuation. Most transnational languages in the modern period have a writing system, and mos ...

as it was widely distributed. Until that time, the only widely available texts intended for a Navajo audience had been religious publications and parts of ''Diyin God Bizaad'' (a Navajo translation of the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

). Its first issue was published in August 1943. The paper was edited by

Robert W. Young Robert W. Young (May 18, 1912 – February 20, 2007), professor emeritus of linguistics at the University of New Mexico, was an American linguist known for his work on the Navajo language. From the late 1930s, Young cooperated with the Navajo ...

and William Morgan, Sr. (Navajo), who had collaborated on ''The Navajo Language'', the standard dictionary used until the present day.Sharon Hargus, "Review: ''Analytical Lexicon of Navajo'' by Robert W. Young; William Morgan; Sally Midgette"
''Anthropological Linguistics'', Vol. 38, No. 2, Summer, 1996, JSTOR, accessed 2 October 2014 The newspaper was originally printed on a single folded sheet of newsprint; it was distributed through the chapter houses. From 1943 to 1947, it was written entirely in Navajo. After that, articles were published bilingually or with an English summary of its contents. In its early years, the paper's main editorial function was to convey the opinions of '' "Wááshindoon"'' regarding

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

to the Navajo people. In addition, it provided a connection between those Navajos who served in the United States military and those who had remained at home. As the effects of the federal government's

Indian termination policy Indian termination is a phrase describing United States policies relating to Native Americans from the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s. It was shaped by a series of laws and practices with the intent of assimilating Native Americans into mainstream ...

reached the

Navajo Nation The Navajo Nation ( nv, Naabeehó Bináhásdzo), also known as Navajoland, is a Native American reservation in the United States. It occupies portions of northeastern Arizona, northwestern New Mexico, and southeastern Utah; at roughly , the ...

in the 1950s, the paper's funding was withdrawn by the BIA. ''Ádahooníłígíí'' ceased publication in 1957. Shortly thereafter, the ''

Navajo Times The ''Navajo Times'' – known during the early 1980s as ''Navajo Times Today'' – is a newspaper created by the Navajo Tribal Council in 1959; in 1982 it was the first daily newspaper owned and published by a Native American Indian Nation. Now ...

'' – written in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

– began publication. It continues as the Navajo Nation's main print-medium to this day.

References

External links

Ádahooníłígíí
on the Arizona Memory Project {{DEFAULTSORT:Adahooniligii Defunct newspapers published in Arizona Navajo mass media Newspapers established in 1943 Publications disestablished in 1957 1943 establishments in Arizona 1957 disestablishments in Arizona Non-English-language newspapers published in Arizona Native American journalism

History

See also

References

External links