Navajo Nation Council Chamber: Difference between revisions

{{Infobox nrhpNRHP

| locmapin = Arizona#USA

'''Navajo Nation Council Chambers''' ({{lang-nv|Béésh bąąh dah siʼání}}) is the center of government for the [[Navajo Nation]]. The landmark building, in [[Window Rock, Arizona]], is significant for its association with the 1930s [[New Deal]], and its change in Federal policy for relations with Native Americans, as established in the [[Indian Reorganization Act]]. With its red sandstone [[façade]] and overall [[National Park Service Rustic|rustic]] architectural style, the chamber was designed to harmonize with its spectacular natural surroundings.

Built from 1934 to 1935, the chamber’s octagon shape and structural framework are meant to evoke a monumental [[hogan]], the traditional building form of the [[Navajo people]]. Additionally, the building incorporates the Navajo ceremonial features of an east-facing main entrance and a windowless north wall. The Navajo artist [[Gerald Nailor, Sr.]] was commissioned in 1942 for a mural cycle depicting ''The History and Progress of the Navajo Nation,'' which is installed in the interior.<ref name="NPS2005">[http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/feature/indian/2005/navajo.htm Navajo Nation Council Chamber], at National Park Service. This article incorporates [[public domain]] text from this [[US government]] website. </ref>

The building was declared a [[National Historic Landmark]] in 2004.<ref name="nhlsum"/><ref> [http://www.nps.gov/nhl/designations/samples/az/Navaho Nation.pdf National Historic Landmark Nomination, 2004] at [[National Park Service]] </ref> It is "the only legislative headquarters in the United States owned by an American Indian tribe which has been continuously in use by that tribe and whose design incorporates [[indigenous peoples|indigenous]] materials and architectural traditions tied to the Navajo heritage."<ref name="NPS2005"/>