KEYAHK’I HOZHOONI K’EHJI
The Way of the Beautiful Land
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What is Kéyahk’i Hózhóoni K’ehji: The Way of Beautiful Land?

Illegal dumping, also known as open dumping, household trash on the sacred lands of the Navajo Nation is a significant issue. Illegal dumping contaminates the environment, putting people, animals and plants at risk. Unlike the biodegradable waste of our ancestors, most of today’s trash does not break down easily and includes harmful chemicals, such as microplastics, that pollute the land, air, water, plants, animals, and people. The Kéyahk’i Hózhóoni K’ehji: The Way of Beautiful Land is the RCRP’s campaign to inspire the Navajo people to take action- protecting the land, air, water, and all life by properly disposing of waste and addressing the critical issue of illegally dumping trash. We all share the responsibility of caring for our land and ensuring its beauty for future generations.

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Our Land

The Navajo Nation, spanning over 27,000 square miles across Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, is home to about 140,848 people as of 2022. Our homelands are known for having stunning red mesas and rich cultural heritage. Today, our beautiful environment faces the challenge of illegal open dumping that threatens the safety and balance of all life.

Guided by the philosophy of Hózhǫ́, which emphasizes balance, beauty, harmony, and well-being, the Navajo people have a sacred duty to care for our land. Unlike biodegradable waste of the past, modern trash contains plastics and chemicals that harm our land, water and wildlife.

The Kéyahk’i Hózhóoni K’ehji: The Way of Beautiful Land campaign aims to improve trash management practices and restore the balance and harmony taught by Hózhǫ́. The campaign encourages us all to take our garbage to the nearest transfer station so that we all do our part to keep the Navajo Nation clean and beautiful. By taking action, we can protect our sacred land for future generations and honor our ancestors.

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Be a Good Relative & Protect the Land

A Hózhǫ́ lifestyle motivates us, as Navajo people, to live in harmony and balance with our land and environment. Proper trash disposal is one way we honor our ancestors and future generations and keep the Navajo Nation clean and beautiful.

Our Trash Tells a Story—What Will Yours Say?

Hózhǫ́ living includes:

  • Balance: Treating an issue as whole. When something bad or wrong is happening, something is out of balance (for example, physical, mental, spiritual).
  • Beauty: To carry oneself in a good way and being a good caretaker of whatever is entrusted to you.
  • Harmony: A balance of nature and needs. Respecting the land and not overusing, wasting, or destroying.
  • Well-being: Taking care of oneself and the space, you are in, doing things in a good way.
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