WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. – One day after the Navajo Nation commemorated the 158th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of 1868, Navajo and tribal leaders noted the 102nd anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924.
Also known as the Snyder Act, the Indian Citizenship Act granted U.S. citizenship to all Native people born within the territorial limits of the U.S. It was signed into law by President Calvin Coolidge.
The law marked the culmination of decades of advocacy by Native leaders and reformers seeking recognition of Indigenous peoples within the American legal system.
Navajo Treaty Day honors the signing of the Treaty of 1868, the foundational document of the Navajo people. It released them from imprisonment at Fort Sumner, or Bosque Redondo in New Mexico, known to the people as Hwéeldi, the place of place of suffering, hardship, and sickness.
One of the original signed Treaty of Bosque Redondo is held in U.S. National Archives in Washington, D.C. Another copy was presented to Samuel F. Tappan, a member of the U.S. Peace Commission.
For decades its location was unknown. It was found by Tappan’s niece Clare “Kitty” Weaver after it surfaced in the family papers. She insisted it be returned to the Navajo people, and it was donated to the Navajo Nation Museum in 2018/2019.
A final copy was given to Navajo headman Hastiin Hoskinini at the signing. For safekeeping, Hoskinini hid it and its whereabouts aren’t recorded.
The treaty allowed the Navajo people to return to their homeland following the Long Walk. They were able to reestablish their lives on their ancestral lands. The treaty now represents the strength of Diné ancestors who endured that hardship, defended their identity, and insisted on returning to their familiar land to secure a future for the generations that followed.
The Navajo Treaty of 1868 established a government-to-government relationship between the Navajo Nation and the United States, and made guarantees to the Navajos. The Indian Citizenship Act recognized Native people as citizens without diminishing their tribal citizenship or sovereignty.
The Indian Citizenship Act anniversary recognizes the granting of citizenship to all Native Americans born in the United States, despite their long history on the land that became the U.S.
The law was enacted in part to honor the service of Native veterans, including the 12,000 who served during World War I even though they weren’t American citizens. In spite of the new law, Native people continued to face barriers to voting and civic participation for decades longer.
The Navajo Nation continues to encourage voter participation, civic engagement, and the protection and exercise of tribal sovereignty.
These anniversaries serve as a celebration of progress and a reminder that the work of strengthening democracy and ensuring equal access for Native communities continues for future generations.
