WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. (AP) — A proposal that called for changing the name of the Navajo Nation to Dine Nation has failed to win enough support from the tribal council.
Legislation proposing the official name change went before the council Tuesday, with only nine delegates voting in favor. The measure was previously tabled in January in an effort to gather more perspective from elders and study the costs of making such a change.
Had it been approved, Council Delegate Jonathan Hale said the change would have only applied to tribal departments, divisions, agencies and other Navajo government enterprises.
Opponents argued that it would create confusion among Navajos and others.
Dine is the Navajo word meaning "the people" and is commonly how tribal members refer to themselves.