NAVAJO-HOPI "LAND DISPUTE" UPDATE: DEC. 8, 1993
A group of Navajo representatives met again at Flagstaff on
Dec. 7 to continue discussion of how to negotiate directly with the
Hopi Tribe on a land settlement. Those attending were pretty much
the same ones as attended the Dec. 1 meeting. Percy Deal gave me
this report which I am passing on.
It was decided that lee Phillips and Katherine Hazard will
report to Judge McCue on "progress to date", including the
families' determination to develop a detailed settlement offer for
presentation to the Hopi Tribe. The report is to be given to Judge
McCue by Dec. 17, so he will have some time to go over it before
the Dec. 31 deadline set by the 9th Circuit Court. It is to be
hoped that the Court will see enough evidence of progress and hope
for future negotiations to extend the mediation once more.
The families want to put together a draft proposal by Dec. 31,
and are going to have a 3-day work session starting Monday, Dec.
13, in Flagstaff. Some of the representatives have said that 3
days is too long to be away from home, but the general consensus
according to Percy was that if they met on HPL they would be mobbed
by non-HPL residents with their own agenda.
Our office is going to limit its role to providing
transportation, technical support, and probably paying for the
meeting space, etc. out of litigation accounts.
No word on livestock impoundment since the Banales' stock was
taken. We are using KTNN (AM 660) to alert people that
impoundments will probably continue, and to take care of their
livestock.
President Zah sent a letter to Assistant Secretary Ada Deer on
Dec. 6 advising her that the impoundments were taking place and
urging her, for the sake of continued negotiations, to stop them.
He will probably call her today or tomorrow.