Council Chamber showing its age

By John Christian Hopkins
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The historic Navajo Nation council chambers, built in 1935, has not escaped the maladies of old age.

It has been undergoing a $200,000 renovation; but, pressed into service for the summer session, the 72-year old structure still appeares to have a kink or two to work out.

Hobgoblins played havoc with the building's audio system last Halloween, with microphones going down and out quicker than a glassjawed boxer.

The renovations, funded by the Navajo Nation and a "Save America's Treasures" grant from the National Park Service, included a new computer network and an upgrade of the existing electronic voting system.

Now, two days into the council's summer session, audio and electronic difficulties have resurfaced.

"Mr. Speaker, the air conditioning is not on, and it's early. By this afternoon you're going to have 88 delegates in heat," quipped Delegate Ervin M. Keeswood Sr. on the session's opening day Monday.

Problems with the voting buttons not registering also led to the need for several voice votes to be taken.

Tuesday dawned a bright, new day; but one with old, familiar problems.

Speaker Lawrence T. Morgan's microphone blinked out and the on-again, off-again audio levels led the speaker to call for a brief recess during the morning session.

"My microphone is working again," Morgan said, after about 15 minutes.

The session continued but the audio woes soon reappeared.

"We're doing business without knowing what's going on," Delegate Elmer Milford said. "Half of the microphones aren't working, and half of us can't hear."

The council broke for lunch shortly after that.

As Little Orphan Annie sang, there's always tomorrow but whether the microphones will work is still debatable.

"That's been the problem for a long time," Delegate Ernest Yazzie Jr said.

The stone and wood council chambers is basically octagon shaped, reminiscent of a "hogan." The interior span is 72 feet, and was built using Navajo labor and local materials. The sandstone was individually cut and dressed.

The interior of the building contains frescoed murals of Navajo history, produced by Navajo artist Gerald Nailor in 1942.

The artwork depicts the Navajo lifestyle; including cattle, horses, sheep, people and cornfields. Other scenes include Coming of the Spanish, Aggression of the Anglos and Incarceration at Fort Sumner.

The chamber was designated a National Historic Landmark by the Interior Department on Sept. 9, 2005.