Losses incurred by the Navajo, or Diné, people as a result of COVID-19 go deeper than losing loved ones. The pandemic highlights the ongoing struggle to preserve a Navajo way of life.
 
Navajo traditional medicines have been used for generations and are still in use today. The deaths of at least five traditional practitioners due to the virus has reignited fears that this knowledge is being lost. Different medicine people specialize in different ceremonies and when they die, knowledge of those practices can be lost if their knowledge is not passed on. Over the last decade the number of Diné medicine people has decreased from 1,000 to 300. Centuries of colonization, acculturation, assimilation, and domination have contributed to the erosion of certain aspects of the Navajo way of life. Navajo leaders today are more likely to turn to Christianity than to Diné values or medicine. Some believe that Diné religion has been replaced, posing an emotional struggle for many Navajo at the erosion of their cultural heritage.
 
Fears that the knowledge, culture, language, and history of the Navajo people will be forgotten have been exacerbated as the Navajo nation battles disproportionately high numbers of coronavirus infections. High levels of poverty, poor access to health care, and limited access to clean water are some of the reasons why coronavirus infections are so high among the Navajo people. With a fraction of the population and density of other states, Navajo Nation has the fifth-highest death rate in the United States from COVD-19. Navajo officials have worked hard to respond to the outbreak, which some trace to a large rally at the Chilchinbeto Church of the Nazarene on March 7, by imposing curfews and checkpoints. However, officials complain that people visiting from neighboring cities do not adhere to physical distancing and thus undermine their efforts.
 
There are ongoing attempts to reverse the trajectory of forgetting  Diné practices. One medicine man is taking on apprentices to transmit his knowledge to younger generations. Attempts to use technology to transmit this cultural knowledge include online videos. However, the struggle doesn’t end there. Even these attempts at preservation present a dilemma for many Navajo people, raising important questions about what can be shared publicly, and what is too sacred to be made public.  

(Based on: May 4, 2020, NYT article; May 6, 2020, Independent article; May 31, 2020, NPR and WPRL articles.)