An understanding of the formation of gangs in the Navajo Nation must be placed within the historical and social context of the Navajo Nation itself and, given the limited research in this area, must draw heavily upon impressions and estimates arising from the criminal justice system. Both adult and juvenile Native Americans are greatly overrepresented in the criminal justice system, because of the marginalization that results from colonialism. The growing number of Native American young people adopting gang lifestyles has led to community and criminal justice system concerns that arrest and incarceration rates will be even higher for Native Americans in the future. One approach to Navajo gangs is to turn them into forces for good in their communities by encouraging them to bring into the present traditional Navajo values and practices, ceremonies, songs, and other expressions of their culture. However, Navajo gangs share characteristics with other ethnic and racial minority gangs, so intervention must be equally diverse and innovative in order to be effective. Tables, references, notes