Henry Chee Dodge
Henry Chee Dodge was a prominent figure in Navajo history, who emerged from a challenging upbringing shaped by the impacts of conflict and displacement. Born to a mother of Jemez and Navajo descent, Dodge’s early life was marked by the struggles faced by his family during the Navajo Wars, which led to significant hardship, including hunger and abandonment. Despite these difficulties, he demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability, eventually mastering English through his experiences with soldiers and his adoptive family.
Dodge’s bilingual abilities opened doors for him, leading to a position at the Fort Defiance Indian Agency as an interpreter for the U.S. government, where he worked for a decade. His leadership skills were recognized when he was appointed "head chief" of the Navajos and had the honor of escorting medicine men to meet President Chester A. Arthur. Throughout his life, Dodge remained committed to education and community building, establishing a trading post and advocating for the welfare of his people.
In addition to his business endeavors, Dodge played a vital role in tribal governance, serving on the Tribal Business Council and becoming its first chairman. His legacy continued through his sons, who also took on leadership roles within the tribe. Dodge's contributions to Navajo society illustrate a life dedicated to bridging cultural divides and fostering resilience within his community.
Henry Chee Dodge
- Born: February 22, 1860
- Birthplace: Fort Defiance, Arizona
- Died: January 7, 1947
- Place of death: Ganado, Arizona
Category: Interpreter and tribal chairman
Tribal affiliation: Navajo
Significance: Dodge played a central role as an interpreter, businessman, and tribal chairman in more than half a century of dealings between the U.S. government and the Navajos
Henry Chee Dodge’s father was a captured Mexican who was killed in the conflict between the Navajos and New Mexicans shortly after Henry’s birth. His mother was Jemez (an Eastern Pueblo tribe) and Navajo, and since Navajos trace family lineage through the mother, he was considered a member of the Navajo Maii’deshgizhnii (Coyote Pass People) Clan. His family hid during the Navajo Wars, but they nevertheless went hungry—victims of the U.S. Army’s scorched-earth policy. His mother left him with a family that had more food, but he was subsequently abandoned by them. An aunt then took charge of him at about the age of five, moving him first to Fort Sumner and then to Fort Defiance. She married a white man who adopted the child, and his contact with his stepfather as well as the soldiers helped him to develop a masterful command of English. This ability served him well throughout his life, despite his having had only a few months of formal schooling.
With the rare skill of speaking both Navajo and English, Dodge was employed as a teenager at the Fort Defiance Indian Agency. At twenty, he was promoted from clerk to official interpreter for the U.S. government, and he continued in that position for ten years. During this time he assisted Washington Matthews in collecting Navajo legends and chants. In 1884, Indian Agent Dennis Riordan appointed him “head chief” of the Navajos, and he escorted three medicine men to meet President Chester A. Arthur in Washington, D.C.
Dodge saved his wages, and at age thirty he entered into a partnership to operate the Round Rock Trading Post. He married Asdzaan Tsinnijinnie and settled at what is now Crystal, New Mexico, on the Arizona-New Mexico border, where he opened a store in his house. Dodge divorced his first wife because she was a gambler and then married two sisters with whom he had a total of four children. He stressed education, and sent his children to school in Salt Lake City.
In 1892, Dodge helped save an Indian agent from angry Navajos who objected to having their children sent to boarding schools. Dodge’s trading post was attacked for three days as the agent barricaded himself inside.
In 1922, Dodge became a member of the Tribal Business Council and the tribe’s first chairman the following year, serving until 1928. His son, Tom, became tribal chairman in 1932, and Ben—another son—served on the Tribal Council. Dodge went on to direct the tribal police force and was re-elected tribal chairman in 1942.