Supporters of bringing a Navajo Code Talkers Museum to the Four Corners Region of New Mexico say they are still facing challenges to make it a reality.
CEO of the Museum organization Regan Hawthorn provided an update last week to the Legislative Indian Affairs Committee during a meeting in Gallup.
He told lawmakers that while they have the land, the Museum group still needs to raise enough dollars to ensure a museum has enough capital to be properly run.
Hawthorn says their capacity is still limited.
“We don’t have an administrative presence. We don’t have an office where we can sit and make phone calls to people and entertain potential donors and things like that, we’re working in that direction,” he said. “As it is now, everything that we do is out of our little corner office at home or things like that and we’re striving to make inroads into a better appreciation of the funding.”
The plan is to have the museum owned by the Navajo Nation on land either owned or leased by the tribe.
The state legislature this year approved $6.4 million for the Code Talkers Museum.
Hawthorn says it gives them a great opportunity to engage in the architectural services and land surveys that need to occur prior to construction.
He says that’s under the assumption they can reach a land agreement with the Navajo Nation regarding the property.