DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
Douglas McKay, Secretary

UNITED STATES INDIAN SERVICE
Glenn L. Emmons, Commissioner

BRANCH OF EDUCATION
Hildegard Thompson, Chief

Single Copy Price 15 cents

Printing Department Phoenix Indian School
Phoenix, Arizona

Second edition 5,000 copies—February 1956

NAVAJO NEW WORLD READERS · 1

AWAY TO SCHOOL
’ÓLTA’GÓÓ

by CECIL S. KING

Navajo Text by
RAMONA M. SMITH

Illustrated by
FRANKLIN KAHN

UNITED STATES INDIAN SERVICE

NAVAJO NEW WORLD READERS

At this writing (1951) there are approximately 26,000 children of school age on the Navajo reservation. About 40 percent of these are between the ages of 12 and 18. The great majority have never been inside a school, and do not speak English. Recently the government has provided space for more than 4,000 of these non-English-speaking adolescents in ten of its off-reservation boarding schools. A five-year intensive educational program is provided designed to teach these children to speak, read, write, and think in English; to do simple arithmetic, to know the facts of American history, world geography, civics and health; and to provide the basic skills which will enable them to obtain and hold a permanent job away from the reservation. The reservation resources will support only about half the present population.

We have learned how to teach these non-English-speaking Navajos to speak and read English very rapidly. However, there isn’t much material for them to read. They are maturing adolescents with adolescent interests. Primers and first readers prepared for use by six-year-old public school children don’t have much interest for them. Because most non-Indians learn to read when they are young, very few books are published in which the ideas are mature, but the vocabularies simple enough for beginning readers. The Indian Service, therefore, has undertaken the preparation and printing of a series of readers, written by the leaders who are working directly with these children. Because the children are entering a new culture, and their success will depend upon the degree to which they make the basic ideas of this culture their own, these new books will rely on the material of this new culture for their content. They are therefore being grouped under the general title “Navajo New World Readers,” for they will present to these young people a new and different world from that through which they have grown during their early years on the reservation.

[1]

I am a Navajo boy.

Shí Naabeehó ’ashkii nishłį́.

[2]

This is my home.

Díidi shí shighan.

[3]

I go to school.

I go to my school on a bus.

Shí ’ííníshta’.

Shí ’ólta’góó chidíłgaaí bee ’ałnánáshdááh.

[4]

I go to my school in the fall.

My school is far from my home.

Shí ’aak’eego ’ólta’góó ’ałnánáshdááh.

Shighan dóó doo deighánígóó ’ííníshta’.

[5]

I live at my school.

I open my window when I sleep.

Shi ’ólta’di shighan.

Shi tsésǫ’ dei ’át’éego ná’iishwosh.

[6]

This is my room.

I clean my room.

Kónéé shighan.

Shighan góne’ hasht’e hwíínísin.

[7]

This is my locker.

I put my clean clothes in my locker.

Díidí shi’éé’ biyi’ sinilí ’át’é.

Shi’éé’ chin bąąh ’ádaadínígíí kóne’ síłnił.

[8]

This is the shower.

Díí kwii tó náálį́įgo biyaa tá’ádazdigis.

[9]

I take a bath in the shower.

I am clean.

Tó shik’ijį’ náálį́įgo tá’ánídísgis.

Chin shąąh ’ádin.

[10]

I wash my hair.

My hair is clean.

Shitsii’ tánínásgis.

Shitsii’ chin bąąh ’ádin.

[11]

I comb my hair.

Shitsii’ náshoh.

[12]

I wash my clothes.

My clothes are clean.

Shi’éé’ nídeisgis.

Shi’éé’ chin bąąh ’ádin.

[13]

I can iron.

I iron my clean clothes.

’Éé’ nídadiilkǫǫh bééhasin.

Shi’éé’ chin bąąh ’ádaadinígíí nínádadiishkǫǫh.

[14]

These are my shoes.

I clean my shoes.

Díidí shikee’ ’át’é.

Shikee’ baa ’áháshyą́.

[15]

I go to the dining room.

’Áłchíní da’ayánígóó ’ałnánáshdááh.

[16]

I eat breakfast.

I eat dinner.

I eat supper.

’Ahbínígo ná’áshdį́į́h.

’Ałné’é’áahgo ná’áshdį́į́h.

’E’e’áahgo ná’áshdį́į́h.

[17]

I eat bread and butter.

I eat cereal.

I like cereal.

Shí bááh doo mandagíiya náshdííh.

Shí ch’il bílástsii’ dahólónígíí náshdį́į́h.

Ch’il bílástsii’ dahólónígíí shił łikan.

[18]

I eat eggs.

I eat meat.

I like eggs and meat.

Shí ’ayęęzhii náshdį́į́h.

Shí ’atsį’ náshdį́į́h.

’Ayęęzhii dóó ’atsį shił łikan.

[19]

Apples are good.

I like apples.

Bilasáana náshdį́į́h.

Bilasáana shił łikan.

[20]

This is fruit.

I like fruit.

Díidí tsin bineest’ą’ ’át’é.

Tsin bineest’ą’ shił łikan.

[21]

These are carrots.

I eat carrots.

Díidí chąąsht’ezhiitsoh ’át’é.

Shí chąąsht’ezhiitsoh náshdį́į́h.

[22]

These are vegetables.

I like vegetables.

Díidí ch’il daadánígíí ’át’é.

Shí ch’il daadánígíí shił łikan.

[23]

I drink orange juice.

Orange juice is good.

Shí ch’il łitsooí bitoo’ náshdlį́į́h.

Ch’il łitsooí bitoo’ shił łikan.

[24]

I drink milk every day.

I like milk.

T’áá ’ákwííjį́ ’abe’ yishdlą́.

’Abe’ ’ayóogo shił łikan.

[25]

I brush my teeth every day.

My teeth are clean.

T’áá ’ákwííjį́ shiwoo’ tánínásgis.

Shiwoo’ chin bąąh ’ádin.

[26]

I play outdoors.

I am happy.

Shí tł’óo’di naashnée łeh.

Shí shił hózhǫ́.

[27]

This is the nurse.

The nurse is my friend.

She helps me keep well.

Díidí ’asdzání ázee’ ’ííł’íní ’át’é.

Asdzáán ’azee’ ’ííłíní sik’is.

Asdzáán ’azee ’ííłini shitah yá’áhoot’ééh áhósín.

[28]

I weigh one hundred pounds.

I grow.

Neeznádíín dah hidíníshdlo’.

Neesééł.

[29]

I study my lessons.

I learn many things.

Bilagáanaa bizaad bíhoosh’aah.

T’óó ’ahayóí ’ałtah ’ádaat’éego bíhoosh’aah.

[30]

I will go home in the spring.

I will tell my people about my school.

Ch’éénídaango shighangóó nikéédeeshdááł.

Shighandi nánísdzáago shidine’é shi’ólta’ bee bił hashné doo.