Crystalyne Curley is set to become the first woman president of the Navajo Nation, the largest reservation by land mass in the country.
Curley, who also held the distinction of being the first woman to serve as the Nation’s council speaker — the head of its legislative branch —when she was voted by council members to fill that role in 2023, has worked on issues related to water rights, uranium contamination and voter rights.
In another first for tribal governments, the Seneca Nation of Indians in New York also elected its first woman president, Tina Abrams. She previously served two terms on the Nation’s council.
While Native women made history for their tribes in this election, it is not uncommon for women to hold top positions in tribal nations. Other women before them, like activist Wilma Mankiller, were appointed as principal chief of the Cherokee Nation in 1985, the largest tribe in the country by tribal enrollment numbers. Though there is no official data on women’s representation in tribal governments, the nonprofit RepresentWomen found that in 2020 at least 78 tribal nations had reached or exceeded gender parity in their legislatures.
Curley’s campaign website lays out her vision as president, including prioritizing behavioral health services, affordable housing programs, workforce development and protecting Diné culture and sovereignty, among other initiatives.
Leading up to the election, Curley told Indian Country Today, a nonprofit news outlet, that she brings her perspective as a mom to the position. “I want to make sure that our children have a safe future, a safe home where they feel they’re proud of who they are,” she said.
By Navajo Nation election law, the results are considered unofficial for ten days after November 3rd. With an 1115 vote count difference between them, Curley’s opponent Justin Jones has not conceded and says he’ll launch a legal challenge over the results, according to the Navajo-Hopi Observer.
The Nation, which has the second largest number of enrolled tribal members nationwide, spans northeastern Arizona and parts of New Mexico and Utah.
crystalyne-curley-set-to-be-first-woman-elected-president-of-navajo-nation
