'What You Know You Hold onto It … That Is Being Navajo': A Critical Analysis of Diné (Indigenous) Youth's Perspectives about Race, Culture, Language, and Identity

This article addresses critical issues of how Indigenous (Diné/Navajo) youth construct meaning of their racial, cultural, and linguistic identities within the historical, political, and socio-cultural contexts of the United States of America as a racialized, settler/colonial society. Using Tribal Crit theory, the author, a member of the Diné (Navajo) Nation, shares insights about Diné youth's perspectives that reaffirm Indigenous-centered understandings of identity in resistance to dominant racialized discourse and white supremacy. In discussing the different ways Diné youth make meaning of multiple identities, the author postulates the need for Diné communities to articulate Diné-centered counter narratives about what it means to be Diné for the benefit of the youth. Key implications include the need for Diné communities to engage in critical dialogue about race, race relations, nationhood, language, and identity using Indigenous-centered perspectives.