Buu Nygren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Buu Not ten
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| 10th President of the Navajo Nation | |
| Assumed office January 10, 2023 |
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| Vice President | Richelle Montoya |
| Preceded by | Jonathan Nez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 25, 1986 Blanding, Utah, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Jasmine Blackwater |
| Education | Arizona State University (BS, MBA) University of Southern California (EdD) |
Buu Nygren (born December 25, 1986) is a Navajo politician currently serving as the 10th President of the Navajo Nation.
Early life
Nygren was born on December 25, 1986, in Blanding, Utah. His mother is Navajo and his father is of Vietnamese descent. His mother gave birth to him at 15 and he never knew his father. When giving him a last name his mother misspelled the Vietnamese last name Nguyen as Nygren.
Nygren is Táchiiʼnii (Red Running into Water clan). As his father is not Navajo, he has no paternal clan and is therefore said to be born for Vietnamese when his clans are named. He attended Red Mesa High School.
Nygren was the running mate of Joe Shirley Jr. in the 2018 Navajo Nation presidential election, losing to Jonathan Nez and Myron Lizer. In the 2022 election, Nygren and running mate Richelle Montoya received 34,890 votes, defeating the Nez-Abeyta campaign who received 31,339 votes. He was sworn in on January 10, 2023. At 35 years of age, Nygren is the youngest person to have been elected President of the Navajo Nation.
Nygren received international media attention when he protested human remains being sent to the Moon as part of Peregrine Mission One. Nygren claimed that the moon is the "heritage" of the Navajo and other Indian nations and that sending human remains would desecrate Indian spiritual property. Nygren also stated that NASA had coordinated with the Navajo on the 1998 Lunar Prospector mission, however, NASA has no jurisdiction over Peregrine as it is both launched and operated by private companies.
In August 2024, a petition was launched to recall Nygren from office. The recall organizers accused Nygren of reneging and inaction on his campaign promises, misusing tribal funds, and creating a culture of workplace harassment.
Despite having previously endorsed and campaigned for Kamala Harris, Nygren was among the first elected Democrats to congratulate Donald Trump following the 2024 election.
Personal life
Nygren has worked in construction management. He is married to former Arizona state representative Jasmine Blackwater-Nygren.
