Kylie Jenner's luxury Utah vacation near Navajo Nation drew criticism as COVID-19 disproportionately affects Native American communities
- Social-media users that identify as Native Americans called out Kylie Jenner for taking a luxury vacation near Navajo Nation territory as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately affect their communities.
- Jenner stayed at the luxury Amingiri Hotel, located in Canyon Point, Utah, and posted many Instagram photos taken in slot canyons.
- While it's unclear which canyons Jenner took her photos in, she drew criticism for potentially drawing tourists to the area during the pandemic.
Kylie Jenner posted numerous photos from the American Southwest last week, where she was staying at the luxury Amingiri Hotel in Canyon Point, Utah, according to Travel and Leisure. But the posts weren't met entirely with likes and adoration. Jenner also faced criticism from social-media users who identified as Native Americans for vacationing near the Navajo Nation while the territory's parks are closed due to COVID-19, with numerous users saying the photos exemplified Jenner's "privilege."
The Amingiri Hotel is located just outside the border of the Navajo Nation, which includes land in Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona, and covers roughly 27,000 square miles, according to the Utah Division of Indian Affairs. The hotel is a popular vacation spot for celebrities, including recent guests Justin and Hailey Bieber, and it touts the area's "ancient Navajo traditions."
While many social-media users simply gawked at Jenner's photos of the beautiful hotel and landscape, some specific posts drew speculation and ire.
Photos on Jenner's Instagram showed her in a bikini while relaxing in slot canyons, the narrow and deep canyons that are common throughout the Navajo area and made famous by the picturesque Antelope Canyon.
Multiple widely shared tweets from social-media users and journalists identifying as Native American speculated that the photos were taken at Antelope Canyon, which along with all other Navajo Nation parks are shut down indefinitely to curb the spread of the coronavirus, which has disproportionately affected Native Americans, according to a Harvard University expert.
Arlyssa Becenti, a journalist at the Navajo Times, called for Jenner to be fined, and Nike designer Tracie Jackson, wrote "I can't go home to my land bc so many people are testing positive and getting exposed. Kylie gets to walk in and out like it's nothing while I'm sitting here praying my family is okay. This is the reality in America, celebraties get to do what they want while we deal with reality."
But a source close to Jenner told Insider on Tuesday that her photos were not taken in Antelope Canyon or any other closed park.
Some said that regardless of what canyon she was at, the photos shared to her millions of followers could encourage visitors to come to the area during the pandemic. The Daily Dot reported that the Amingiri hotel is less than 20 miles from Navajo Nation.
Representatives for Navajo Nation Parks and Navajo Nation did not immediately return Insider's requests for comment.
In May, the Navajo Nation surpassed both New York and New Jersey for the highest rate of COVID-19 infections per capita. The reservation has been under a stay-at-home order since July 5, according to a release from the Navajo Department of Health.
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