SOVEREIGNTY IS NOT A TREND: A DINÉ PERSPECTIVE ON GOVERNMENT’S ATTEMPTS TO REDEFINE INDIGENOUS IDENTITY
As Diné, we are no strangers to the government’s repeated attempts to undermine our sovereignty. From broken treaties to bureaucrats red tape, these efforts are as relentless as they are absurd. The latest example? The Trump administration’s proposal to redefine who qualifies as “Indian” for federal healthcare benefits through the Indian Health Service (IHS).
To put it plainly, this is more than an attack on policy—it’s an attack on identity. For the Diné, and all Indigenous peoples, our identity is not something handed down by a government agency. It is born from our clans, our land, and our ancestors. To have a government that has historically displace, assimilated, and oppressed us now try to dictate who we are feels like yet another chapter in a long history of colonial arrogance.
The IHS is not a luxury. It is a treaty obligation—a promise made in exchange for the vast lands taken from us. Healthcare through the IHS is part of the U.S. Government’s responsibility, not a privilege to be doled outpaced on arbitrary definitions of “Indianness.” Yet this proposal attempts to rewrite that responsibility, narrowing access and excluding some of our most vulnerable relatives.
In Diné (Navajo) culture, we are taught about hózhó—balance and harmony This concept extends to our communities and our relationships with one another. But this proposal is not about balance. It is about erasure. It is a blatant attempt to shrink the number of those who qualify for government obligations, ignoring the realities of our interconnectedness as Indigenous peoples.
For Diné and other tribes, sovereignty is not negotiable. We determine who we are, not the federal government. Our identity is rooted in traditions, languages, and the teachings of our ancestors—none of which can be understood, let alone defined, by those outside our communities.
This proposal is not just ridiculous; it is dangerous. It perpetuates a longstanding pattern of the government trying to reduce its obligations to Indigenous Nations while continuing to profit from the lands and resources it has taken from us. It’s as if the government is saying, “We want everything you have, but we don’t want to give you anything in return.”
But let this be clear: we are still here. Despite centuries of policies designed to erase us, we continue to thrive, speak our languages, and uphold our traditions. We are defined by our connection to our land, our people, and our ancestors.
As Diné, we stand firm in our sovereignty. We will not allow the government to dictate who we are. We’ve survived every attempt to erasure so far, and we will survive this too. Hózhó guides us, and as long as we walk in beauty, balance, and strength, no bureaucratic redefinition can take that away from us.
