Wednesday, November 26, 2025

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The Navajo Nation Council is considering a motion to remove the tribe’s president, Buu Nygren, and Vice President Richelle Montoya after a special prosecutor accused President Nygren of misusing government funds.

As KJZZ’s Gabriel Pietrorazio reports, the council could have taken action as early as Thursday – until a judge in Window Rock, Ariz. stepped in.

Council Speaker Crystalyne Curley sponsored the bill to oust the pair.

Nygren has accused Speaker Curley of seeking his removal so she can take his place.

“All I can say, this is not a political move on my part. This is a necessary step to protect our Nation’s financial stability.”

Two-thirds of the 24-member council must approve and it’s unclear whether Curley has the votes.

On Friday, she released 465 pages detailing allegations and hoped for a swift vote while acknowledging the delegates needed time to examine the evidence.

“Given the complexity of the issue, the number of alleged violations, and the volume of documents involved, I’m pretty sure that a vote before Thanksgiving is very unlikely. A more realistic timeline would be after the holiday.”

That timeline changed Tuesday when a judge granted a motion from Nygren’s attorneys to block the bill pending a hearing next month.

As for Vice President Montoya, who was elected independently from Nygren, she denies involvement with any of his alleged violations and says he stripped her of duties, resources, and budget.

One invoice documented a $3,000 loan for travel expenses Nygren said he needed because of an argument with his wife, Apache County Attorney Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren.

He also spent $3,000 renovating his Apache County home and borrowed nearly $12,000 renting tables and chairs for his daughter’s birthday party.

Another $6,000 went directly to his then-Chief of Staff Patrick Sandoval to cover car repairs. Sandoval also got a loan to gift Nygren a $1,500 birthday present.

It’s unclear, according to the receipts, whether anything has been paid back.

When asked, Nygren’s staff reiterated he would not comment on any specifics.

This year, five Native Americans were among 29 people named Bush Fellows.

The Bush Foundation provides up to $150,000 over two years for their fellows to build on their leadership skills.

In the third of five profiles, Brian Bull of Buffalo’s Fire highlights an Oglala Lakota advocate for the arts and boosting financial support for creative Natives.

Lori Pourier has been active in the arts for decades, but beyond making art, she also wanted to find ways to make it sustainable within tribal communities.

When Pourier became active with the First Peoples Fund in 1999, she coordinated research into the arts in Native communities, particularly the Pine Ridge Reservation.

“And through that research we found that 71% of the households were engaged in some sort of tradition-based, home-based business. But 52% of that household was tradition forms of art. So that’s how the Rolling Rez Arts Bus was born, because we were seeing the needs for artists. And then being in a community the size of Pine Ridge, it was hard for artists to get to our training workshops, and we partnered with Lakota Funds which is a loan fund. And it was really our artists’ idea.”

The Rolling Rez Arts Bus has traveled 8,000 miles across the Pine Ridge and Cheyenne River reservations, and even visited the Sacred Stone Camp at Standing Rock. It also doubles as a mobile bank, and teaches Native artists about running a business and accessing credit and capital.

Pourier says she will use her Bush Fellowship to explore socially responsible ways to invest in Native artists that align with cultural values.

 

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Wednesday, November 26, 2025 – Native in the Spotlight: Mel Tonasket