The office of the Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council was created in 1991 following restructuring of the Navajo Nation government.[1] The Speaker is the head of the legislative branch and presides over sessions of the council.[2] The Speaker of the council serve a term of two years during the administration of the incumbent President. The Office of the speaker is located in Window Rock, AZ at the Council Chambers.
| Speaker of the Navajo Nation Council | |
|---|---|
 Great Seal of the Navajo Nation | |
 | |
.jpg) | |
| Style | Madam Speaker (informal) Honorable Speaker (formal) |
| Status | Presiding Member of the Navajo Nation Council |
| Residence | Window Rock, AZ |
| Seat | Navajo Nation Council Chamber |
| Appointer | The Navajo Nation Council |
| Term length | Two years |
| Constituting instrument | Navajo Nation Code & Treaty of 1868 |
| Inaugural holder | Chee Dodge |
| Salary | ~$55,000.00 USD per year |
| Website | https://www.navajonationcouncil.org/speaker-otto-tso-biography/ |
Officeholders
edit| # | Image | Name | Chapter | Term | Party | Elected | President | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
|
Nelson Gorman Jr. (born TBA) |
Chinle | 1995 – 1997 |
Unknown | 1995 | Albert Hale 1995–1998 | ||
| 2 |
|
Kelsey Begaye (1951–2021) |
Kaibito | 1997 – 1999 |
Democratic | 1997 | |||
| – | Thomas Atcitty 1998 | ||||||||
| – | Milton Bluehouse Sr. 1998–1999 | ||||||||
| 3 |
|
Edward T. Begay (1935–2022) |
Church Rock | January 1, 1999 – January 1, 2003 |
Unknown | 1999 | Kelsey Begaye 1999–2003 | ||
| 2001 | |||||||||
| 4 |
|
Lawrence T. Morgan (born TBA) |
Pinedale | January 1, 2003 – January 1, 2011 |
Unknown | 2003 | Joe Shirley Jr. 2003–2011 | ||
| 2005 | |||||||||
| 2007 | |||||||||
| 2009 | |||||||||
| 5 |
|
Johnny Naize (born TBA) |
Tselani/Cottonwood | January 2011 – September 2014[a] |
Unknown | 2011 | Ben Shelly 2011–2015 | ||
| 2013 | |||||||||
| 6 |
|
Lorenzo Bates (born TBA) |
Burnham | September 2014 – January 15, 2015 |
Unknown | – | |||
| 7 |
|
Kee Allen Begay Jr. (born TBA) |
TBA | January 15, 2015 – January 26, 2015 |
Unknown | – | |||
| 8 |
|
Lorenzo Bates (born TBA) |
Burnham | January 26, 2015 – January 28, 2019 |
Unknown | 2015 | |||
| 2017 | Russell Begaye 2015–2019 | ||||||||
| 9 |
|
Seth Damon (born TBA) |
TBA | January 28, 2019 – November 4, 2022 |
Unknown | 2019 | Jonathan Nez 2019–2023 | ||
| 2021 | |||||||||
| 10 |
|
Otto Tso (born TBA) |
Tuba City | November 16, 2022 – January 10, 2023 |
Unknown | – | |||
| 11 | |
Crystalyne Curley (born TBA) |
TBA | January 23, 2023 – present |
Unknown | 2023 | Buu Nygren 2023–present | ||
Notes
edit- ^ Resigned from office.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Wilkins, David E. (2013-10-25). The Navajo Political Experience. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 125–128. ISBN 978-1-4422-2669-2.
- ^ Austin, Raymond Darrel (2009). Navajo Courts and Navajo Common Law: A Tradition of Tribal Self-governance. U of Minnesota Press. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-8166-6535-8.