AUNTIE: Wa’tkwanonhweráton Sewakwé:kon. On this episode of The Aunties Dandelion we visit with Dr. Karletta Chief of Navajo Nation -- who was born and raised in a richness of Diné tradition and language -- and made her way to become a revered hydrologist after navigating the halls of Stanford University and University of Arizona. Dr. Chief credits her vast journey as a scientist, inventor, and that time she became Miss Navajo - to the groundedness and skill she gathered from her upbringing in Black Mesa, AZ. KARLETTA: Even when I was five-years-old I remember herding sheep way out you know miles away and I remember one time during the winter when the sheep started having their lambs. And then having to carry that lamb all the way back home and let the mother sheep follow the newborn. AUNTIE: Dr. Chief made water her life’s focus after seeing the devastation mining had on her family and nation. In 2015, when 3 million gallons of toxic waste spilled from the Gold King mine into the Animas River watershed.. she brought the full force of her scientific knowledge and cultural understanding to affected communities. KARLETTA – Devastating. It was traumatic to the people because that river the river is a male deity. So it wasn’t just about agricultural use it was this whole system that was disrupted that included the spirituality, the culture, their connection to the river in addition to the livelihood of farming. AUNTIE: Out of that experience, Dr. Chief created the Indigenous Resilience Center in 2021 - which flips the model of scientific experts swooping in to save the day – to a more empowering path that supports communities as they determine their own futures. We are Yéthi Nihsténha ne Tekarónyakénare. The Aunties Dandelion. We’re focused on revitalizing our communities through stories of land, language, and relationships. And we want to say Nyá:wenkò:wa – or big thanks – to Canada’s Indigenous Screen Office – teyonhkiwihstekénha – for making this podcast possible through their New Media fund. We make space here for real conversations to unfold like we’re visiting in our communities. So take a breath, make some tea – and listen to your Aunties. And when you are done – please follow us, provide some feedback, and share these visits with others. It helps us continue these visits together.
Dr. Chief's Indigenous Resilience Center - “The Indigenous Resilience Center is the University of Arizona’s commitment to giving back to local tribes who have stewarded this land for millennia. Tribes have endured and sacrificed so much in terms of land loss and social and environmental impacts, much at the hand of the United States. Universities have benefited from this through their physical infrastructure and have a responsibility to be a bridge — to ethically address the challenges those communities face in ways that build trust and transparency.” - Dr. Karletta Chief
Native FEWS Alliance (Food, Water, Energy Systems) - "The dual vision of the Native FEWS Alliance (the Alliance) is to build a highly skilled Native American (NA) STEM workforce at the nexus of Food, Energy and Water and to co-innovate and deploy Indigenous place-based FEWS education and community partnerships."
Dr. Karletta Chief Bio