Navajo Uranium Miners Oral History and Photography Project

The purpose of this project was to document the lives of Navajo uranium miners. The ultimate goals were educating people, both Navajo and the general public, of injustices the miners faced and to hopefully promote further compensation for these miners and their families. The project coordinator was Douglas Brugge, Ph.D., with the assistance of Timothy Benally, a former uranium miner and Navajo College administrator. Interviews were conducted in the Shiprock area of the Navajo Reservation. By interviewing widows and children of miners, the project encompassed the broader health and social effects of uranium mining on the community.

In order to further document the miners and their families, photographs were taken of each informant. The experiences and recollections gathered during the project were then disseminated through a traveling exhibit and a published volume.

Funding for the project was provided by the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Ruth Mott Fund, the Ford Foundation, and other private donations.

From the guide to the Navajo Uranium Miners Oral History and Photography Project, 1996-1998, (University of New Mexico. Center for Southwest Research.)