How do you see a contradiction? North America is not Arizona. Yes the Navajo
are native people in North America. But they have been in Alaska or Northern
Canada for almost all of their time on this continent, not in Arizona. My own
tribe, by the way, currently occupies land that belonged to another tribe
historically. We cannot claim it to be our ancestral land but we certainly now
claim rights on that land today.
I apologize for assuming Ms. Kemper came with a non-Indian agenda. However, to
convince me she should clarify some of her statements. One is simply
outrageous, in light of the rich Hopi culture:
Ms. Kemper states:
> these people [Navajo as opposed to Hopi] are the most traditional
> Indians. They are the ideal that we think of when we think "Indian".
> They live without electricity, they haul water. They wake up each
> day and thank the creator for all before them. They plant a tree for
> newborns, they bury their babies placenta (near the loom for girls
> and the corral for boys).
Yes, and every other tribe also has its own traditions. Are they less
Indian because they're not what the outside society thinks of as Indian?
If you read my statement carefully you'll see that I was careful not to take
sides in the current dispute, unlike Ms. Kemper who stereotypically and
"solidarity"ly refers to the "Navajo resisters". That IS inflammatory even if
they're right. Let the Indians there decide that.
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