The Dineh residents on Hopi Partition Land (HPL) in Big Mountain
were asked last June to ratify a 75-year lease agreement,
"Agreement in Principle", that would tear them from the land where
their families have lived for thousands of years. Instead, the
community rejected this agreement by a vote of 250-1.
Officials from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and the U.S.
Department of Justice would like them to change their votes. The
officials are presently visiting many of the Dineh elders and are
threatening that they will confiscate their sheep unless they sign
this document.
The Navajo Nation Zah directed a letter the the Honorable Ada Deer,
Asst. Secretary for Indian Affairs, dated Oct. 20, 1993, stating:
"Because the raising of sheep and other livestock is an important
element of the traditional Navajo way of life, the continued
threats and actual impoundments represent a powerful form of
harassment and control for Hopi rangers and the Bureau of Indian
Affairs (BIA). As you may be aware, the BIA has adopted a more
flexible approach on the enforcement of this regulation [against
Dineh sheep trespassing on HPL] in order to help establish a in order to
foundation of trust and confidence between the parties to the
mediation of the Navajo-Hopi-United States land dispute. I now
understand that BIA officials intend to reverse this policy and
aggressively enforce the impoundment regulation despite the
objections of the Navajo Nation officials and Magistrate Harry R.
McCue, the court-appointed mediator." ..."In addition to impounding
more livestock, the BIA intended to increase its fees for releasing
impounded livestock to approximately ten times the amount
previously assessed." President Zah continues, "I am deeply
concerned that Mr. Jackson [Dept of Interior] and the Department of
Justice representatives have sought to reinitiate an aggressive
impoundment policy to either punish the Navajo families living on
the HPL for having rejected the 75-year lease concept, (Agreement
in Principle), or in order to coerce the families to reconsider
their decision. I am also concerned that the proposed increase in
fees is an instance of selective enforcement, and that such a
policy is not being adopted by other BIA offices around the
country, and that this would have a negative impact on the
mediation."
We are aware that the relationship between the Dineh and their
sheep is very deep. The herds are the descendants of sheep which
have been in their families for hundreds of years. The threat of
confiscation is like saying they will take and kill part of their
families. The officials know what these herds mean to the people
and are using this threat to force these people to sign an
agreement they have already rejected.
The 75-year lease, "Agreement in Principle", arose form lawsuits
protesting U.S. PL93-531, which ordered the relocation of 10,000
Dineh from land their families have lived on for thousands of
years. Most of these people have relocated with disastrous results
consequences that have been documented in books and films.
This cruel relocation program, at the cost of billion of dollars,
is the largest forced relocation of people since the Japanese
internment camps. It has left thousands of traditional people
homeless, and in desperate poverty, with significant increases in
alcoholism, suicide and emotional abuse.
A few hundred resisters have held out, and a recent court decision
(Manybeads vs. United States) requested that the remaining people
be involved in a process to resolve this dispute. Hence, the
government needed their signatures, which was similar to asking
people to sign their own death warrants.
The U.S. government should not be using extortion tactics to force
people to sign this agreement.
A full investigation into this matter as soon as possible is
essential.
Please support the Dineh struggle against extortion by sending
faxes/letters to the people listed below. Please call for further
information and SEND COPIES OF ALL FAXES/LETTERS TO: Marsha
Monestersky, Dineh Hopi Alliance, fax/phone # 602-289-2707
2045 W. 3rd #34, Winslow, AZ 86047. Its very important to send
copies of your faxes and letters to the Dineh Hopi Alliance so
that we can document the number. Thank you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Attorney General Janet Reno
10th and Constitution Ave., Rm 4400
Washington DC 20530
Ph: 202-514-2000
Fax: 202-415-4371
Rep. Bill Richardson, Native American Affairs Sub Committee
House of Representatives
2349 Reyburn House Office Bldg.
Washington DC 20515
Ph: 202-225-6190
Fax: 202-225-5143
Senator Joseph Biden, Chairman of the Judiciary Committee
Senate Office Bldg., 221 Russell
Washington DC 20510
Ph: 202-224-5042
Fax: 202-224-0139
Senator Daniel Inouye, Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs
Hart Senate Office Bldg., Ste. 722
Washington DC 20510
Ph: 202-224-3934
Fax: 202-224-6747
Representative George Miller
Chairman, House Natural Resources Committee
House of Representatives
Longworth Bldg., Rm 1324
Washington DC 20515
Ph: 202-225-2761
Fax: 202-225-1931
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
[I have copies of the letter from the Dept. of Interior to the BIA
Hopi Agency, Keams Canyon (10/13/93) and the letter from Peterson
Zah to Ada Deer (10/20/93). E-mail if you want them. -Michele]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Michele Lord + If you have come here to help me,
+ you are wasting your time.....
+ But if you have come because
+ your liberation is bound up with mine,
milo@scicom.alphacdc.com + then let us work together.
Aboriginal Woman
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~