Nadene Goldfoot
My very Jewish father's Y haplogroup was Q; specifically QBZ67. His Q line was first called Q-M242. We were an offshoot of a line going back about 20,000 years of the Native Americans of North and South America, who also were of the Q line. Haplogroup Q is believed to have originated in Central or North Asia, specifically in Siberia, during or shortly after the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM).
Our line branched off evidently when in the Middle East and wound up in the Jerusalem area. In thinking about how we joined with the Israelite line, it could have been in Egypt and as prisoners, freed by Moses, who then joined with all to return to Canaan; a 40 year trek. Of course, many of us lost their lives in the Holocaust, leaving less than 5-8%-my father's line included, for we certainly are a rare breed both in the world of Jews being 0.02% of the population and with that group being only 5-8% of Jews !!!
The dominant Y-chromosome haplotype among the Navajo people, and indeed most Native Americans, is haplogroup Q-M3. In the indigenous people of North America, Q-M242 is found in Na-Dené speakers at an average rate of 68%. The highest frequency is 92.3% in Navajo, followed by 78.1% in Apache, 87% in SC Apache, and about 80% in North American Eskimo (Inuit, Yupik)–Aleut populations. (Q-M3 occupies 46% among Q in North America).
Yes, uranium ore was indeed extracted from lands within the Navajo Nation and in February 2025 at 54.32 USD/lb, with nearly 30 million tons removed between 1944 and 1986, primarily for nuclear weapons and energy programs. This is why the Navajos are suffering today. By 1958, there were 7500 reports of uranium finds in the United States with over 7 000 000 tons of ore identified.1 During the peak in the mid-1950s, there were about 750 mines in operation. The Navajo Reservation, situated on one corner of the uranium-mining belt, was swept into the boom. Uranium was discovered in Cove, Ariz, and then elsewhere in the reservation.
The land of the Navajo Nation, also known as Navajoland, is held in trust by the U.S. federal government, but managed by the tribal government, and the Navajo Nation is a sovereign nation with its own government and laws. When land is held in trust for the Navajo Nation (or any Native American tribe), the federal government holds the title, but the land is held for the benefit of the Navajo people, not the government itself. Holding title to land means you own it and have the right to use, possess, and transfer it, but your rights can be limited by local regulations, liens, or easements. Here's a more detailed breakdown of what you can do with land you hold title to: Rights as a Title Holder:
- Use and Possession: You have the right to use the land as you see fit, within the bounds of local laws and regulations.
- Sell or Transfer: You can sell the property, gift it, or transfer it to others.
- Lease or Rent: You can lease or rent out the property to others.
- Develop or Build: You can develop or build on the property, subject to zoning laws and other regulations.
- Use as Collateral: You can use the property as collateral for loans.
- Transfer through a Will: You can transfer ownership of the property to your heirs through a will.
- Change the form of ownership: You can change the form of ownership, such as from sole ownership to tenancy in common.
Right now, the Navajo Native people are suffering from the actions taken by our USA government. First of all, they had been dumping waste on their land; waste made up of uranium that was radio-active. The women who washed the clothes of their men were affected and getting cancer. So were their children. This should have alerted someone in charge of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
It was as bad as the smallpox epidemic that white man introduced on purpose or not to the Indians when the contamination was on blankets they were given. The tribes were almost wiped out then.
The Navajo Nation faces a legacy of uranium mining and contamination, with over 500 abandoned mines and potential health impacts, and while the tribe banned uranium mining in 2005, they are now facing the issue of uranium transport across their lands.
From 1944 to 1986, nearly 30 million tons of uranium ore were extracted from Navajo lands under leases with the Navajo Nation. Many Navajo people worked the mines, often living and raising families in close proximity to the mines and mills. Today the mines are closed, but a legacy of uranium contamination remains, including over 500 abandoned uranium mines (AUMs) as well as homes and water sources with elevated levels of radiation. Potential health effects include lung cancer from inhalation of radioactive particles, as well as bone cancer and impaired kidney function from exposure to radionuclides in drinking water.
By February 2025, the report is that fourteen days after the Navajo Nation and Energy Fuels, Inc. signed an agreement allowing the transport of uranium ore across Navajo land, semitrucks carrying 25 tons of uranium ore from the Pinyon Plain Mine passed through Navajo land, marking the beginning of the daily truck hauls. Now they feel that they have been duped !
The Arizona Mirror traveled the 320-mile route that uranium ore will travel from the Pinyon Plain Mine near the Grand Canyon to a mill near Blanding, Utah.
The Navajo, also known as the Dine, are a Native American tribe with a rich history, originating from Northwest Canada and Alaska around the 15th century, migrating to the American Southwest and settling in areas that are now Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. Visitors from around the world are intrigued and mystified when they hear the Navajo language – so, too, were the enemy during World War II. Unknown to many, the Navajo language was used to create a secret code to battle the Japanese. Navajo men were selected to create codes and serve on the front line to overcome and deceive those on the other side of the battlefield. Today, these men are recognized as the famous Navajo Code Talkers, who exemplify the unequaled bravery and patriotism of the Navajo people.
Historically, the structure of the Navajo society is largely a matrilineal system, in which the family of the women owned livestock, dwellings, planting areas, and livestock grazing areas. Once married, a Navajo man would follow a matrilocal residence and live with his bride in her dwelling and near her mother's family. Daughters (or, if necessary, other female relatives) were traditionally the ones who received the generational property inheritance. In cases of marital separation, women would maintain the property and children. Children are "born to" and belong to the mother's clan, and are "born for" the father's clan. The mother's eldest brother has a strong role in her children's lives. As adults, men represent their mother's clan in tribal politics.
Last Word: The US government has extracted nearly 30 million tons of uranium ore from Navajo lands under leases, and has entered into settlements valued at over $1.7 billion to address radiation exposure risks, but the Navajo Nation has also sued the government over mismanagement of mineral royalties and received a $554 million settlement !!! If they are not receiving their allotment of payment,
Navahos will need help and the government needs to stop killing them! What they are doing by holding the title to their land is criminal! I hope some of our lawyers will lend a hand. I know the Osage Tribe has many lawyers within its people that are working on defending them. While Native Americans, including Navajos, are underrepresented in the legal profession compared to their representation in the general population, there are still many Navajo lawyers, and the demand for lawyers who understand Navajo law and can represent Navajo interests is growing. It seems to me that our Jewish population should have an overrepresented amount of lawyers. I hope many can check this out and beat the bandwagon for the Navahos !
This originally was Navaho land! The government just took it away!
They have had to go through all this knowing the uranium and the land was theirs to start with; but they lost it to the government!
Resource:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-29357103
https://azmirror.com/2025/02/14/we-were-duped-uranium-shipments-begin-across-navajo-land/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haplogroup_Q-M242
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_studies_of_Jews
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetic_history_of_the_Indigenous_peoples_of_the_Americas#:
