Abstract
Over 500 abandoned uranium mines are located on the Navajo Reservation. Different pathways of environmental uranium exposure have been studied with respect to the Navajo people including water, soil, and plants; however, uranium exposure from traditional Navajo food, specifically mutton (sheep), has not been reported. This study focuses on mutton consumption in the small community of Cameron, Arizona, located in the southwestern region of the Navajo Nation and initiated after community members expressed concern with the uranium exposure of their sheep. Preliminary investigation into the presence of uranium in sheep raised near Cameron showed elevated uranium levels in the kidneys the sheep tested. The goal of this study is to investigate mutton consumption among the Navajo living in Cameron. Mutton is a traditional food of the Navajo, but consumption practices are not well documented. An important aspect of determining the extent of exposure through food consumption is to assess the frequency of consumption. The results of this study indicate the Cameron participants consume mutton most commonly at family gatherings or celebrations. The survey suggests that less mutton is consumed now compared to the past, and there is concern that contaminated mutton may change traditional ceremonies.
Highlights
The Navajo Nation is the largest contiguous Native American reservation in the continental United States
The results of the mutton survey administered in this study suggest Navajo ceremonies may be altered or threatened due to contamination of mutton, a traditional staple food of the Navajo people
The request by the community of Cameron to investigate sheep contamination illustrates the concern for mutton consumption in uranium mining communities on the Navajo Nation
Summary
The Navajo Nation is the largest contiguous Native American reservation in the continental United States. Located within the Four Corners region of the American Southwest, its borders span. 71,000 square kilometers across Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The Navajo Nation is recognized by the United States’ government as a sovereign nation, though the United States retains plenary power, and is separated into 110 tribal Chapters governed through five management Agencies. The Cameron chapter is located on the Navajo Reservation in northern Arizona, approximately 50 miles north of Flagstaff, AZ and 35 miles east of the Grand Canyon (Figure 1). According to the 2010 United States census, the Cameron Chapter had a population of 885 with a land area of 238,523 acres [1].
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