Dr. Karletta Chief

After the 2015 Gold King Mine Spill released 3 million gallons of acid mine drainage into the San Juan River, researchers worked with Diné communities to study impacts. The project developed and evaluated individualized household results materials, moving beyond one-way communication from researcher to participant. This Diné-centered approach emphasized dialogue, cultural sensitivity, and community involvement in reporting environmental exposure results.

This collaborative project reframed the impacts of the 2015 Gold King Mine Spill by centering Indigenous worldviews and methodologies. Led by Diné scholars and community leaders, researchers conducted focus groups in Navajo communities to explore social, spiritual, and relational dimensions of the disaster. The findings broadened understandings of environmental harm, emphasizing connections across time, space, and spirituality, and pointing to Indigenous-informed pathways of environmental justice.