The pandemic made Navajo Nation’s radio stations even more vital - The Verge

During the pandemic, two radio stations broadcast vital information about COVID-19 to remote stretches of the country’s largest Indigenous territory?

Michaels, Arizona is less than ten minutes away from the Navajo Nation capital of Window Rock, but its reach encompasses all 27,000 square miles of the Nation across four different states.

The station has been broadcasting bilingual content in both the Navajo language, Diné Bizaad, and English for over 35 years.

During the day, KTNN covers the majority of the Navajo Nation across New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, and Utah.

But none of these mediums produce stories primarily in Diné Bizaad: radio is the only way to hear the language in local media.

When the COVID-19 pandemic bore down on Navajo Nation in early 2020, Dixon noticed a distinct divide between her regular listeners at home on the reservation and those outside of it.

As Dixon worked on translating public health announcements and taking calls on the air, she noticed an uptick in listeners tuning in from Florida, Maine, Alaska, Louisiana, and Montana.

But Dixon realized as her local listeners, specifically elders, called in that they wanted something different from her: they did not want to hear about the virus whatsoever, no matter how high the rates of infection in Navajo Nation were.

“According to Navajo tradition, you’re not supposed to give a name to anything that is not good for the reservation,” Dixon says.

Stations that broadcast in Diné Bizaad are the bedrock of everyday Navajo life.

And for the 7,600 people whose sole language is Diné Bizaad, there is no other option beyond radio to receive news, public health notices, and entertainment — that is the only link to the outside world.

Before the pandemic, KYAT focused on providing information to listeners in Diné Bizaad that included weather, rodeo commentary, and notices for the 110 chapters, or designated communities, within Navajo Nation.

As the pandemic wore on, survivors called into Dixon’s show wanting to share tips on what common Navajo herbs they believed cured them of the virus.

Common herbal remedies in Navajo culture have been used for hundreds of years and are often made of local plants.

When Chioda reflects on the whirlwind effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on local radio, he responds swiftly.

“Imagine the pandemic here without radio.

For Dixon, the pandemic was personal.

The opportunity to broadcast in Diné Bizaad throughout the pandemic, even with the criticism from elders and the ethical dilemma of promoting remedies, came down to reconnecting with her own culture.

But if you turn the dial to 94.5, KYAT is clear even within the canyon walls: slow-dance country songs play and, in between ballads, a DJ gives updates in Diné Bizaad, for those who need to hear it