KAYENTA CHAPTER
Navajo
name: Toh' di'neesh zhee
Interpretation: Water
going in different directions (like ribbon)
Indian Population: 1980
Census: 3,999
1990
Census: 4,902
2000
Census: 5,928
Estimated land size: 504,811.30 Acres
Land Management District : 8
GOVERNMENT
**Kayenta Township Commission: 5
Commissioners
with Town Manager and Staff of 15
3,606
acres withdrawn with Archaeological Clearances & Environmental Assessments
plus FONSI.
Established
and authorized by the Navajo Nation Council in January 1996 to collect sales
taxes. Navajo Nation Code, Title 2,
Chapter 9, Subchapter 9, §4081.
Number of Chapter NNC delegate(s): 3
Delegate(s) shared with:
Chilchinbeto
Chapter
Number of police officer(s): 25
Navajo
Police district office covering Chapter :
Kayenta District
Tribal
offices that provide services within Chapter :
Division of Social Services
Women, Infants and Children
Dept of Behavioral Health
Criminal Investigations
Work Force Development
Law Enforcement
Office of the Prosecutor
District Court
Family Court
Peacemaker's Court
Probation & Parole
Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA)
Office of Special Education &
Rehabilitation
Community Health Rep
Women's Shelter Prog
Senior Citizens Center
Navajo Nation Head Start Program
4CEC
Labor Relations
TANF
MEDICAL
Hospital(s)
& clinic(s) where most Chapter people go:
Hospital Town
Kayenta
Dialysis Center Kayenta, AZ
Kayenta
Health Center Kayenta, AZ
Dahl
Chiropractic Health Facility Kayenta,
AZ
Tuba
City Indian Medical Center Tuba
City, AZ
Chinle
Health Services Chinle, AZ
EDUCATION
Total
enrollment by school
(Fall of 2003):
School Enrolled
Kayenta Community School 450
Kayenta Public Schools: 2,587
Kayenta Primary School 423
Kayenta Intermediate School 504
Kayenta Middle School 640
Monument Valley High School 1,020
Northland Pioneer College 165
Navajo Community College 102
Northern Arizona University 321
Navajo Head Start 140
COMMUNICATIONS
No. of computers available for public use at Chapter: 6
*an
additional 10 computers are located at the Boys & Girls Club.
No.
of public payphones in the community: 27
Regular
TV reception; stations received:
Call Letters Town
KNAZ Flagstaff,
AZ
KOBF Farmington,
NM
KOAT Albuquerque,
NM
KRQE Albuquerque,
NM
Direct
TV, DISH Network, NCC Systems - Cable
Clear
AM radio stations received:
Call Letters Town
KTNN Window
Rock, AZ
KTBA Tuba
City, AZ
KNDN Farmington,
NM
Clear
FM radio stations received:
Call Letters Town
KISZ; KRTZ Cortez, CO
STAR; KNDN Farmington, NM
KMGN; KAFF Flagstaff, AZ
KGLX Gallup,
NM
Newspaper
received within the Chapter :
Name of Paper Town
Kayenta Today Kayenta,
AZ
Navajo Times Window
Rock, AZ
The Independent Gallup,
NM
Arizona Republic Phoenix,
AZ
Daily Times Farmington,
NM
Navajo/Hopi Observer Flagstaff,
AZ
KAYENTA
CHAPTER (Continued)
Courier
services within the chapter:
US Postal Service
United Parcel Service
Federal Express
Airborne
RECREATIONAL
FACILITIES
Parks
Baseball
Fields
Outside
Basketball Courts
Outside
Tennis Courts
Library
Rodeo
Arena
Fairgrounds
General
Recreation Building
PUBLIC FACILITIES
Senior
Citizen Center
Multi-Purpose
Building - Boys & Girls Club
Community
Center
Child
Day Care Center
Warehouse
Kayenta
Fire Department
Kayenta
Transfer Station
EQUIPMENT
(Maintained by Chapter)
Backhoe
Bulldozer
Hauling
Truck
SCENIC
ATTRACTIONS
Navajo
National Monument @ Betatakin
Monument
Valley
Tsegi
Canyon
Narrow
Canyon
Toes -
North of Kayenta
Little
El Capitan Valley
CIVIC
Boy
& Girls Club with
5 staff and 400 youth participants
Churches:
Name
of Church
Presbyterian
Church
Latter
Day Saints
Catholic
Assembly
of God
Pentecostal
Church
Bible
Church
First
Baptist
Jehovah's
Witness
Seventh
Day Adventist Church
Potter's
House
Indigenous:
Traditional
Navajo Culture & Religion
Native
American Church
COMMERCIAL
Available
establishments in the Chapter :
Restaurants 6
Motels (Total of 346 rooms) 4
Gas Stations 5
Convenient Stores 7
Super Market 1
Banks1
Trading Posts 1
Movie Theatre 1
Other Small Businesses & Stores 11
TRANSPORTATION
Paved
roads through the chapter area:
US Route 160
US Route 163
Miles of Paved Roads:60 miles
Miles of Gravel Roads: 3 miles
Miles of Graded Roads:48 miles
Airport
located within the community
Navajo
Transit Services Available
Distances
to:
Agency:
Tuba City 80 miles
Window
Rock 145 miles
Page,
AZ 100 miles
Nearest Metropolitan Area: Phoenix,
AZ
Albuquerque, NM
MAJOR
EMPLOYERS
No. of
Name
of Employer Employees
Peabody Western 650
Indian Health Service 200
Emergency Medical Services 12
Public Health Nursing9
Kayenta Unified School District 350
Kayenta Community School 135
Kayenta Trading Post27
Anasazi Inn & Restaurant @ Tsegi 30
Hampton Inn & Restaurant 33
Holiday Inn & Restaurant 70
Wetherill Inn 17
Bashas 63
Navajo Communications Co. 3
Navajo Tribal Utility Authority 53
Navajo Nation 153
Burger King 34
McDonald's 45
Other Small Businesses218
KAYENTA
CHAPTER (Continued)
LOCAL
NATURAL RESOURCES
Coal
Sand & Gravel
Scenery
Community/COOPERATIVE FARMING
None.
Estimated
number of family farms: 48
BRIEF
OVERVIEW OF CHAPTER
At the junction of Highway 160,
extending east and west, and Highway 163, extending north into Utah, is the
Kayenta Chapter community. Kayenta is
situated in the northwestern portion of the Navajo Nation and northeastern
section of Arizona. A dominant geographic
feature is a high, dissected, southward-sloping plateau that extends from the
southwestern part of the Kayenta area southeastward for many miles. This plateau is forested with pinon pine,
juniper, and ponderosa pine. It
comprises the north end of Black Mesa and has a steep north- and
sourtheastward-facing escarpment (cliffs).
The highest point on the mesa is more than 8,000 feet above sea level.
In terms of geological features, the
Kayenta formation is sandstone interbedded with lesser amounts of clay
shale. To the northwest and northeast
are sedimentary and igneous rock formations consisting of Navajo sandstone
known as Skeleton Mesa, Tyende Mesa, Narrow Canyon, and Owl Rock with sporadic
volcanic (igneous rocks) geological features known as El Capitan, Black Rock,
and Church Rock. On the south side, the
Black Mesa consists of the Dakota Sandstone - oldest formation of the
Cretaceous age - with elements of carbonaceous shale containing coal beds,
which is considered econonmically valuable to the Kayenta Chapter and Navajo
Nation.
Kayenta accommodates a number of
business like Peabody Energy whose coal mining activities on the Black Mesa
generates a substantial share of revenue for the Navajo Nation and the State of
Arizona. It promotes the tourism
industry, an untapped and underdeveloped resource, with 3 to 5 million tourists
visiting the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley each year, respectively. The community serves other satellite
communities like Chilchinbeto, Dennehotso, Oljato, Shonto, Black Mesa, and
other outlying areas for goods and services.
Here are some statistical information on the population and area size,
which estimates about 6,315 people (total population; Native American is 5,928)
occupying 504,811 acreas of land.
The Kayenta community was settled in
1909. The first non-Navajo settlers
were Quaker families named Wetherills.
It was important to establish this settlement because a cross road was needed
to serve as a commerce center to enable travel across the isolated northern and
western parts of the Navajo Reservation.
Miners, gold prospectors, and Mormon missionaries were eager to settle
here to capitalize on the trade route.
Important elements in the early days were the availability of silver,
gold, and other minerals. When Kit
Carson rounded up the Navajos, it is said “only Navajos wearing gold and
silver” were from this part of the reservation.
The natural barriers of the Colorado
River and the San Juan River have served as military deterrents and protection
of Navajoland on the north. Kayenta is
scenically located. It is the gateway
to Monument Valley and is enroute to Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Canyon De
Chelly and Mesa Verde. These
surrounding tourist attractions make Kayenta a hub to scenic wonderlands most
visited by tourists.
Kayenta is the closest main Navajo
community to the Peabody Energy mining activities on Black Mesa. Beginning in the late 1970s, the Kayenta
Township was envisioned due to its growth potential and acknowledgement as a
regional commerce center. The Navajo Nation funded the Kayenta Township Pilot
Project until the Town was able to generate its own income. In 1996, the Navajo Nation Council
established and authorized the Kayenta Township Commision to collect sales
taxes at 2.5% and may utilize the tax revenue to fund infrastructure and public
facility projects as solid waste, airport, recreation, drainage, fire
protection, streets and management & enforcement. Thereafter in 2002, the Kayenta Township Commission increased the
sales tax collection to 5%. There is a
governement-to-goverment relationship between the Kayenta Chapter and Kayenta
Township Commission, similar to a city and county relationship. The township concept had a tremendous
influence on the Navajo Nation Local Governance Act of 1998. It has had created for a greater
understanding of a functioning “locat community autonomy”.
This
Chapter information was updated by:
Name Telephone No.
2004 Frank
Murray Donald, Jr., CSC 928/697-5520
2004 Pearl J.
Begay, OSFax: 928/697-5524
Email: Kayenta_Chapter@frontiernet.net
'96 Russell
Gould, CSC 520/697-5521
'96 Lori
Luna, Clerk Typist 520/697-5520
'92 Frank
Donald, Jr., CSC
'92 Rosita
Poorman, Clerk Typist
