Native American Baha'i Institute

The Native American Bahá'í Institute (NABI), located on the Navajo Nation Reservation in Arizona, is one of five permanent Bahá'í schools in the United States of America. These permanent schools, located across the country, have been established as centers of learning and service to the Bahá'ís and the greater communities surrounding them. In 1978 some 60 Native Bahá'ís and their pioneer friends (40 of whom were from Navajo-Hopiland) attended the U.S. Bahá'í National Convention at the invitation of the U.S. National Spiritual Assembly to honor the achievement of winning the first goal of the 5-Year-Plan — the establishment of 25 Local Spiritual Assemblies on Indian Reservations.One of the speakers at National Convention that year was Auxiliary Board Member Nancy Phillips. She spoke to the Convention as all of the Native friends were honored on stage to standing ovation, “To the Indian people, the drum represents the heartbeat. Here before you is the heartbeat of the body of the Faith in this country.”  The friends were touched by the honor of this praise. At that time the friends’ greetings were also conveyed to the Convention, along with their news: they wanted to build a “Bahá'í place” on the Navajo Reservation, and they wanted the Convention to show their support. With the assent of the Convention, the National Spiritual Assembly members hurriedly met and announced their approval of this new institution. Two years later, the Burntwater, Arizona property was secured and the institute became manifest. Named the Native American Bahá'í Institute (NABI) by the National Spiritual Assembly, NABI was designated an agency of the National Spiritual Assembly thereby becoming one of the five permanent school and institutes. Over the years it has been focused upon various goals. Since 1998, it has been designated a Regional Training Institute by the National Spiritual Assembly, and has been immersed in ad