Łeetso – Working and Living Within the Monster: A Cultural Resources Study of Navajo Habitations Within Former Uranium Mines in the Cove and Monument Valley Regions

Abstract

More than 900 abandoned uranium mines litter the Navajo Nation, the poisonous legacy of the mid- to late-twentieth century uranium boom in the American West. This article discusses findings from recent archaeological work related to reclamation activities at a series of abandoned uranium mines in the Cove and Monument Valley regions of northeastern Arizona. The projects sought to identify archaeological resources within the mine boundaries and gather ethnographic information regarding past mining activities at these sites. The results of this ethnoarchaeological work provide insight into the daily activities and family life of Navajo uranium mine workers, as well as historic data useful for Navajo Nation land managers planning remediation activities at the abandoned mine sites. The article concludes with a series of reflections about the nature of conducting archaeological work at uranium industry sites that might be of interest to others engaged in similar work.

Más de 900 minas abandonadas de uranio ensucian la Nación Navajo, es el legado venenoso del auge de la industria del uranio el cual se suscitó desde mediados del siglo XX hasta finales del mismo siglo en el oeste estadounidense. Este artículo analiza los hallazgos recientes del trabajo arqueológico asociado a actividades de recuperación en una serie de minas de uranio abandonadas en las regiones de Cove y Monument Valley en el noreste de Arizona. Los proyectos buscaron identificar fuentes arqueológicas dentro de los límites de la mina y recopilar información etnográfica sobre las pasadas actividades mineras en estos sitios. Los resultados deestos trabajos etnoarqueológicos brindan información sobre las actividades diarias y la vida familiar de los trabajadores de la mina de uranio Navajo, así como datos históricos útiles para los administradores de las tierras de la Nación Navajo que actualmente planean actividades de remediación en los sitios mineros abandonados. El artículo concluye con una serie de reflexiones sobre la naturaleza de realizar trabajos arqueológicos en sitios de la industria del uranio que podrían ser de interés para otras personas que realizan trabajos similares.

KEYWORDS:

• Diné
• Navajo
• historical archaeology
• ethnoarchaeology
• uranium mining
• abandoned mine reclamation
• environmental justice
• social impact

Acknowledgments

DCRM’s 2017 and 2018 fieldwork presented here was conducted under contract with the Jacobs and Gilbane companies, respectively. The authors would like to thank the wonderful staff at Dinétahdóó CRM including Florence Martin, Arlo Werito, Matthew Martin, Alexandria Jim, Clarina Clark, and Gilbert Brown, as well as former staff members Jeremy Begay, Jeff Begay, Dustin Salazar, Lisa Zohnnie, Byrickson Henderson, Mattea Veith, Jessica Coolidge, and Marino Vigil for their adventurous survey and ethnographic fieldwork. We also thank Klara Kelley for her ethnographic research in support of the overall project, plus the staff at the Navajo Nation Heritage and Historic Preservation Department, especially Tamara Billie. A special thank you goes to June-el Piper and Richard Begay for their insightful reviews, as well as to Wade Campbell and Tom Rocek for their inspiration and editorial assistance. Finally, a resounding ahéhee’ to the communities of Cove, Lukachukai, Dennehotso, and Round Rock Chapters.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 U.S. federal guidelines are detailed in the NHPA, the American Archaeological Resource Protection Act of 1979 (ARPA), the American Indian Freedom of Religion Act of 1978 (AIFRA) and the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990 (NAGPRA). Navajo tribal guidelines are codified in the Navajo Nation Cultural Resources Protection Act, 19 N.N.C. 1001 et seq., and include culturally-specific directives like the “Policy for the Care, Management, and Conservation of Jish (Navajo Sacred Items)” and the “Policy for the Protection of Jischaa’: Gravesites, Human Remains, and Funerary Items.”

2 A number of oral history projects have documented other aspects of Navajo uranium mining since the 1980s. See Brugge et al. 2006, “The Navajo People and Uranium Mining” and Benally and Harrison 2000, “Memories Come to Us in the Rain and Wind” for more information.