Yá'át'ééh/hello,

I am an enrolled tribal member of the Navajo Nation. My clans are Nihoobáanii (Gray-Streak-Ends) clan, born for the Tsé Nahabiłnii (Sleeping-Rock People) clan, my maternal grandfathers Naakaii dine'é (Mexican clan) and my paternal grandfathers are the Hashk'ąąhadzohί (Yucca Fruit in a Line clan), originally from the community of Counselor, NM.

As Diné people, we trace our lineage through a clan system known as Ké, which is based on our mother’s clan, father’s clan, maternal grandfather’s clan, and paternal grandfather’s clan.

In 1924, the United States government passed the Indian Citizenship Act. During this time, my Nalí (paternal grandfather) was questioned by a U.S. Indian Agent while filling out essential documentation. He informed the agent that his name was Kii Tsó, a nickname derived from Ashkii Tsó, which translates to "big boy" in English. Since the Diné people do not use the same surname system as Americans, we did not have last names. The Indian agent recorded my grandfather's last name as Keetso and assigned him the first name Bert. As a result, my grandfather’s American name became Bert Keetso.

You might wonder why this story is significant. I was fortunate to grow up in a household where Diné was spoken fluently by my parents, who enriched my life with stories about our family and community. When I pursued higher education at the University of New Mexico, I focused on Native American studies, American history, and political science. I learned about the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924 and often recalled my father's stories about my Nalí. Unfortunately, the federal policies and laws that surround our tribal communities usually fail to convey our stories or illustrate their deeper impacts on our present lives. The forced imposition of the surname system has affected how our people identify with their community, as many no longer use the Ké system, leading to isolation from their families and communities.

When academia, researchers, and governmental entities come to Indian Country, their narratives about our communities often stem from a deficit perspective. I aim to challenge that narrative by highlighting our community’s strengths. My vision and goals for my consulting services are to assist Native communities in sharing their stories, defining their objectives, and developing strategies to achieve those goals. I want to provide support where the community or organization may need it.

Ahehee/Thank you

Community Engagement Methods and Facilitation

• • Development of Tribal/Indigenous engagement strategies

• • • Tribal sovereignty

    • Trust building

    • Integration of Indigenous knowledge

      • Seven Generations Modeling

    • Local Capacity Building

  • Development of Tribal/Indigenous cultural sensitivity training

Capital Improvement Planning (CIP)

• • Project Development

    • Scoping

• • •  Budget

    • Phasing

• • Project forecasting

  • CIP Training  

NM Tribal Capital Outlay & Tribal Infrastructure Fund Projects (TIF) Technical Assistance

• • NM Tribal Capital Outlay Projects Development Training

  • Development of the NM ICIP submission packet

    • process and reporting

• • Development of the NM Capital Outlay submission

    • process and reporting

• • NM TIF submission process and reporting

Partnering with others, like-minded organizations, on proposals

• • Comprehensive Planning

  • Strategic Planning

  • Land Use Planning

  • Recreation Planning

Specialties

• • Diné/Navajo language engagement and translation service

  • Graphic design and visioning

  • Logistical knowledge of the Tribal, State, and Federal Government.