Tom B.K. Goldtooth: Navajo Climate Justice Leader Championing Reciprocity, Rights, and Environmental Sovereignty

By: Owen Jenkins

An inspiring leader in the Indigenous community that embodies the values that I have learned more about in this class is Tom B.K. Goldtooth. Tom is a climate justice activist, film producer, Indigenous rights activist, and the Executive Director of the Indigenous Environmental Network.

Born in the Navajo nation, he was raised by his grandparents while his mom attended college at San Diego. When Tom was a kid, he was active in the Boy Scouts of America, earning his life scout award and other awards. With hunting trips as well, these aspects of experience uplifted his relationship with the Earth, teaching him to protect the environment.

​Tom’s advocacy for the land was very similar (if not identical) to the things we were taught during this unit. He mentions the importance and belief that food isn't something that's sold and marketed, it's a gift from the Earth that contains the seeds to give back to the earth, allowing us to be able to strengthen our relationship with Mother Earth. This reciprocity is something you don't see as much here in America, with capitalist greed and overconsumption being seen as a normality, when in reality, it's destroying our relationship with the Earth and its land. In the early 90s, Indigenous communities were being affected by waste dumping and pollution. A year later, he spoke on behalf of Indigenous people at the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in Washington DC, speaking about the importance of shifting our western ways of agriculture to a more reciprocal way of economics, showing the importance of treating our earth as something to be cared for. At that point, he became an outstanding voice for Indigenous communities regarding climate activism.

Something that inspired me about Tom is that during his time in the Army after the Vietnam War, he encouraged the Indigenous people serving alongside him to stand up against the stigma and racism they experienced while serving in the Army. In this way, he was instrumental in cultivating unity for the Indigenous people serving in the Army. After his time in the military, he went on to work in social services in the Navajo Nation and in urban Indigenous communities in Minnesota. Today, he is the director of the Indigenous Environmental Network. To this day, he continues to be an influential leader in the world of environmental justice, championing for Indigenous communities around the world.

References 

• ​Seeds of Wisdom. (2017, February 12). Tom Goldtooth - Seeds of Wisdom. Seeds of Wisdom - Indigenous Wisdom Empowers the Future. https://www.seedsofwisdom.earth/elder/tom-goldtooth/Links to an external site.
• Tom Goldtooth: Defending the Sacred. (2016, March 2). Cultural Survival. https://www.culturalsurvival.org/publications/cultural-survival-quarterly/tom-goldtooth-defending-sacredLinks to an external site.
• Tom Goldtooth: The Spiritual Warrior of Climate Justice - Rachel Carson Council. (n.d.). Rachel Carson Council. https://rachelcarsoncouncil.org/tom-goldtooth-spiritual-warrior-climate-justice/#:~:text=Tom%20B.K.,means%20to%20protect%20the%20EarthLinks to an external site..
• Interview with Tom Goldtooth of the Indigenous Environmental Network / “We Cannot Continue To Live Like This” / Global Eyes / In Motion Magazine. (n.d.). http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/global/tg_int_2011.htmlLinks to an external site.