LATEST UPDATE: On April 1, 2026, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals threw out the Arizona Legislature’s challenge to Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni-Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument. The decision leaves the monument in place and fully protected.
“We welcome the court’s decision to keep Baaj Nwaavjo fully intact and protected. The Native American Rights Fund is committed to defending Tribal homelands from shortsighted attacks that undermine Tribal authority and threaten sacred places.” – NARF Deputy Director Matthew Campbell.
The Ninth Circuit found the challengers’ claimed injuries from the monument were based on mere speculation. The court further found the challengers lacked the authority to claim injuries on behalf of the State of Arizona. Rather, it is the Arizona Governor and Attorney General who represent the state’s interests in lawsuits against the federal government. However, the Governor and Attorney General have supported Baaj Nwaavjo from the beginning.
In September of 2024, the District Court denied, without prejudice, the Hopi and Havasupai Tribes’ motion to intervene in this case, finding the United States adequately represented the Tribes’ interests at that time. However, the Tribes will continue to defend the Monument, which was established because of the deep, ongoing cultural and spiritual connections of Tribal Nations to these lands. The Monument’s protection and management going forward is inseparable from the rights and sovereignty of Tribal Nations.
On January 27, 2025, the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona dismissed two consolidated cases filed against the 2023 Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument designation. Tribal Nations in the region, including NARF’s clients, the Havasupai and Hopi, celebrated the court’s decision, which maintains protections for a culturally significant region that was taken from Tribal Nations.
“The designation of Baaj Nwaavjo as a national monument was the result of tireless advocacy by the Havasupai Tribe and our members. We fought for decades to protect these lands, and we are grateful that the court has dismissed the challenge to those hard-won protections,” said Havasupai Tribe Chairwoman Bernadine Jones.
“The protection of our homelands within Ancestral Footprints represents our people’s resilience. These lands preserve our history, our life, and our future. We have lived in this region since time immemorial and our commitment to protect these lands will extend forward just as long,” said Hopi Tribe Vice Chairman Craig Andrews.
“The Tribal Nations in the Grand Canyon region have had to fight incredibly hard for protections in the Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni region. Again and again, Tribal cultural needs and even the health of Native American people in the region have been sidelined in order to maximize corporate profits. Today’s decision cannot undo the damage that already has been done, but it leaves in place some long-sought protections going forward,” said NARF Deputy Director Matthew Campbell.
The National Monument protects thousands of historic and scientific objects, sacred places, vital water sources, and the ancestral homelands of many Indigenous Peoples. Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni lands include cultural and sacred places of the Havasupai Tribe, Hopi Tribe, Hualapai Tribe, Kaibab Band of Paiute Indians, Las Vegas Paiute Tribe, Moapa Band of Paiutes, Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah, Navajo Nation, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe, Yavapai-Apache Nation, Pueblo of Zuni, and the Colorado River Indian Tribes. The Monument receives its name from the Indigenous names given to the area by the Havasupai and Hopi. Baaj nwaavjo (BAAHJ – NUH-WAAHV-JOH) means “where Indigenous peoples roam” in the Havasupai language, and i’tah kukveni (EE-TAH – KOOK-VENNY) means “our ancestral footprints” in the Hopi language.
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