Indian New Deal, Tribal Termination, and Urban Relocation 1934-1967

1944-1986

Radiation exposure

Uranium mill in Shiprock, New Mexico. Image: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement
Uranium mill in Shiprock, New Mexico. Image: Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement

Mining companies blast four million tons of uranium out of Navajo land. The federal government purchases the ore to make atomic weapons. As the Cold War threat peters out, companies leave, abandoning more than 500 mines. As a result, high rates of cancer and mortality emerge.

Traumatic Event