Navajo woman sworn in as Arizona Senate member

Less than two hours before the 2022 legislative session began, the Senate welcomed Theresa Hatathlie as its newest member.

The Coconino County Board of Supervisors appointed Hatathlie, 52, to fill the District 7 Senate seat vacated last month by Sen. Jamescita Peshlakai, who resigned to take a job with the Biden administration at the U.S. Department of the Interior. Like Peshlakai, Hatathlie is Diné, a citizen of the Navajo Nation.

Arizona Supreme Court Chief Justice Robert Brutinel swore in Hatathlie at the Senate on Monday morning. Flanked by her older brother, Freddie Hatathlie, a retired master sergeant with the U.S. Army, Hatathlie took her oath on a collection of spiritually important items, including an eagle feather, a small arrowhead, corn pollen, a Navajo rug and a weaving tool.

https://indiancountrytoday.com/news/navajo-woman-sworn-in-as-arizona-senate-member