Livestock Impoundment:
I drove by the impound corral at Keams Canyon yesterday
all 3 trailers were there and I did not see any livestock except
for the same 2 horses. I was going pretty fast, so I missed seeing
one cow. The BIA took one "slick" (no brand) cow from Range Unit
551. This area is north of Sand Springs and south of Coal Mine
Mesa. There are a lot of Hopi cows there, so this may be one of
theirs. Larry Nez is asking around to see if anyone is missing a
cow. I have heard RUMORS that the BIA is planning to move into the
Teesto, but nothing that I could substantiate. The BIA IS working
on weekends, when a lot of families go shopping, etc.
Dine Bikeya Committee Meeting 12/9/93
I was at the Dine Bikeya Committee meeting yesterday. Elmer Clark
reported on his and Alvin Clinton's meeting with Ada Deer, I gave
the report from Window Rock. The main agenda item was a resolution
to support land exchange as the only possible settlement for Big
Mountain and Teesto, but recognizing that some other areas may be
able to work with a "modified lease" type of proposal. This will
be Teesto's position in the next round of resister meetings which
will be in Flagstaff Monday and Tuesday, maybe Wednesday if needed.
Dine' Bikeya is also asking the Navajo Nation to fund construction
materials for Helen Lewis, Frances Bahe, Phoebe Nez, and a bathroom
addition with cistern H2O supply for Emma Nelson.
Elmer Clark's sister Judy put together a list of HPL children for
the Dine Bikeya Xmas dinner. There were 39 children under age 10
on her list, most of them younger than six. I know all of the
support groups tend to concentrate on the elders, but it is good to
remember that a whole new generation is coming up on the HPL, and
that these are communities with a future.
People are aware of the livestock impoundment going on and are
fixing up their corrals, trying to keep livestock penned up when
necessary. Some hay would really help; the cheapest place to buy
right now is up in the Cortez, Colo. area, then truck it down. 3-
wire hay is selling for about 6-9 dollars down here.
Letters from Janet Reno
I saw copies of Janet Reno's November 11 letters to President Zah
and Chairman Masayesva. In them she stated that the U.S.
administration would not support a settlement that did not have the
consent of the Hopi Tribe. In effect she has said that she will
allow the Hopi Tribe to veto any settlement they do not like. This
puts us back where we have always been, since the Hopis have no
incentive whatever to negotiate a workable settlement. If you
write to Janet reno, you might point this out: the Hopi Tribe has
stated for the record that they do not want this mediation. They
will not move unless some pressure is brought to bear.