McLaughlin's (1992) research explored, from a cultural perspective, how a Navajo community used and thought about English and Navajo written languages. McLaughlin suggests that Navajo and English literacies are framed and constrained by social, historical, and cultural contexts, which must be considered in understanding oral and literate perspectives. MacBeth (1994) explores the nuances of spoken and written language during an English lesson in a Navajo classroom involving a "crises in representation" (p. 322).
Documenting the history of the impact of uranium mining on the Navajo reservation, Brugge and Benally (1998) relied on oral history accounts for its efficacy in letting those affected "speak for themselves" (p. 17). A book, videotape, exhibit, written materials in Navajo and English, and a virtual gallery on the WWW were chosen as the media for accessing the information intended for Navajo and nonNavajo audiences, on and off the reservation.
Arviso (1996) investigated the use of spoken Navajo in a user interface computer design, which demonstrated the benefit of incorporating oral Navajo over oral English. Arviso suggests that further investigation is necessary in determining "the most effective and efficient interface design for Navajo users" (p. 38). Navajo students and elders at Monument Valley High School in Utah (Ndahoo'aah, 1994) collaborated in an intergenerational math project creating original designs via computer technology which were then produced to make woven rugs, baskets and beadwork. In the process, students learned about traditional culture, the elders' stories, the particular art form and techniques. Fusing Navajo culture, traditional arts, and computer technology provided a mutual learning experience for students and elders, as well as an opportunity to share knowledge--shi'naaelye'.
Spooner and Wiley (1998) have developed The Navajo Sentence Machine, an interactive CD-ROM product, designed as an educational tool for assisting students with pronunciation, spelling, grammar, and syntax of the Navajo language. The software program features the complementarity of text and audio, intended to be playful and fun for students to read, hear, and speak Navajo (personal communication, Craig Spooner, February 17, 1998).
Within the Navajo context, computer technology is gaining more prominence. A growing number of Navajo artists promote their work via web technology. Moragn (Burke, 1996), a computer science graduate from Crownpoint Institute of Technology, believes that without undermining Navajo culture, the combination of technology and tradition may be advantageous to Diné. Instructors of Navajo students at Diné College have observed a high percentage of student engagement on chatlines, and observe with interest this communication phenomena (personal communication, Mark Bauer, October 23, 1998; Keith Anderson, November 19, 1998).
The review of the literature suggests that the issues related to connectivity in AI/AN rural communities extend beyond those of technological barriers and address the sociological impact of the new communications technology. The literature on AI/AN connectivity issues situtates Digital Diné within a complex and dynamic web. Technological barriers are not the only concern. Social-cultural impacts are neither simple or monodirectional. Closer examination of the particular case of Lake Valley Diné culture is now in order.