A MATCHING GAME
Who holds the power?
≈ 4 min read · or listen, or skim the bold lines
Who does what — four ways in: the registry · the untangler · the matching game · count the powers
A · Primary source Every answer comes from a section of the Navajo Nation Code or a court decision. How we verify →
Sixteen powers. Match each one to whoever holds it. Nothing is scored, nothing is sent anywhere — and when you finish, count.
Now count
| Who | Powers on this list | |
|---|---|---|
| The Navajo Nation Council | 5 | |
| The People | 3 | |
| The federal government | 2 | |
| The Auditor General | 1 | |
| The Controller | 1 | |
| The President | 1 | |
| Nobody, on the Nation | 1 | |
| The Navajo Department of Health | 1 | |
| Office of Management and Budget | 1 |
Read the first row again
Of the sixteen powers above, the Council holds five — more than anyone else.
And one of them is this: 12 N.N.C. § 3(B) — “The Auditor General may be removed at any time by majority vote of the Navajo Nation Council.”
The body that spends the money can dismiss the person who audits the spending.
And read the last two rows
The People hold three — see any contract, propose a law, recall an official. None requires permission.
“Nobody, on the Nation” holds one. No one licenses a physician who practices here. Under Montana v. United States, the Nation may have the power to. It never granted it.
Related: Whose Job Is It? · Which Jurisdiction? · The Seams · Audit 101