Developing Policy around Uranium Contamination on the Navajo Nation Using Traditional Ecological Knowledg

The basis for this research is adopting a holistic risk assessment approach from the Navajo worldview to develop culturally appropriate policies. This approach involves collaborating among elders, grassroots organizations, and researchers working together to address environmental contamination. This approach will create policies that are reflective of the Navajo culture and sensitive to cultural differences between western and Indigenous practices. The fact that there are over 500 abandoned uranium mines on the Navajo Nation, the need for investigation of different uranium exposures to the Navajo People is clear.;The work described here includes research accomplished by an Environmental Justice grant from the United State Environmental Protection Agency for the community of Sanders, Arizona. In this project community-based participatory research (CBPR) method was utilized to address the public water contamination can resulted in solutions for the environmental exposure off the reservation to a predominantly Navajo community.;Another study focused on the contamination of sheep addresses Indigenous food contamination. The study involved working with community members from Cameron, Leupp, and Eager, Arizona. Two of the communities are from within the southwest region of the Navajo Nation. Eager, is off the reservation and the sheep from this community serve as a baseline for the study. The studies described in this dissertation were presented to the communities involved about the analysis results of the samples taken for the community. The best results for the most impact of dissemination was working with grassroots organization to gain the most attendance in report backs.;The policy development for this research integrates Navajo Fundamental Laws. Navajo Fundamental Laws are a set of laws that were passed down through oral traditional teaching. The integration of these laws is accomplished by collaborating with traditional knowledge holders and elders from the community. This policy is culturally appropriate to the values of the Navajo Nation, so it can be applicable and address public health.