 Front page ofÁdahooníłígíí[1] | |
| Type | monthlynewspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Navajo Agency, Bureau of Indian Affairs |
| Editor | Robert W. Young William Morgan, Sr. |
| Founded | 1943 |
| Language | Navajo (1943–1947) Navajo andEnglish (1947–1957) |
| Ceased publication | 1957 |
| OCLC number | 17364489 |
Ádahooníłígíí (Athapascan pronunciation:[átàhòːníɬíkíː]Navajo:"occurrences in the area/current events"[2]) was a Navajo-language monthlynewspaper that was published in the SouthwesternUnited States from 1943 to 1957.[3] After theCherokee Phoenix, operating from 1828 to 1834, it was the second regularly circulating newspaper in theUnited States that was written in aNative American language. It was the first newspaper to be published in Navajo[4] and the only one to have been written entirely in Navajo.[5][6] In April 2019, roughly 100 issues of the newspaper were digitized as a part of the University of Arizona Library's National Digital Newspaper Program and they are currently available online.[7]
Ádahooníłígíí was published by the Navajo Agency of theBureau of Indian Affairs inWindow Rock, Arizona, from 1943 to 1957 and contributed to thestandardization of Navajoorthography as it was widely distributed.[8] Until that time, the only widely available texts intended for a Navajo audience had been religious publications and parts ofDiyin God Bizaad (a Navajo translation of theBible).[5] Its first issue was published in August 1943. The paper was edited byRobert W. Young and William Morgan, Sr. (Navajo), who had collaborated onThe Navajo Language, the standard dictionary used until the present day.[9]
The newspaper was originally printed on a single folded sheet of newsprint; it was distributed through thechapter houses.[10] From 1943 to 1947, it was written entirely in Navajo.[11] After that, articles were published bilingually or with an English summary of its contents. In its early years, the paper's main editorial function was to convey the opinions of"Wááshindoon" regardingWorld War II to the Navajo people.[4] In addition, it provided a connection between those Navajos who served in the United States military (includingcode talkers) and those who had remained at home.[5]
As the effects of the federal government'sIndian termination policy reached theNavajo Nation in the 1950s,[8] the paper's funding was withdrawn by the BIA.Ádahooníłígíí ceased publication in 1957. Shortly thereafter, theNavajo Times – written inEnglish – began publication. It continues as the Navajo Nation's main print-medium to this day.
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