NAVAJO-HOPI "LAND DISPUTE" UPDATE: JAN. 7, 1994
MORE LIVESTOCK IMPOUNDMENT
I got a call today from Irene Claw, a relative of Mr. Teddy
Begay, she was calling from the Peabody Pipeline shack near the
Begay home in Cactus Valley. The BIA took seven head of cattle
belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Begay yesterday. Mrs. Begay went to
Keams Canyon and saw the livestock in the corral but did not
contact the BIA. We called over there and talked to Beverly, the
secretary there. Mr. Secakuku and all the other men have left
already, so there is no way to get the cattle out today. Ms. Claw
said the family had ben trying to round up the cattle and bring
them in when the BIA came by and took the seven cows.
FIREWOOD CONFISCATION AGAIN
Mrs. Louise Begay is the person who generally speaks for the
resisters in Jeddito and the Low Mountain-Whippoorwill area. She
called today to tell me that her sons had been stopped while
cutting wood and had two truckloads of firewood, both of her axes
an her chainsaw taken away by the HOPI (not BIA) rangers. Mrs.
Bahe's son Larry was issued a citation for cutting green wood and
ordered to appear in Hopi Tribal Court. Larry said the Hopi Ranger
told him that the Bahes' woodcutting tools will be returned to them
if they make their court appearance.
Mrs. Bahe said she was just about out of wood, and even if she
had some, the Hopis had both of her axes. She has a little coal
left, but not much. Anyway you need both wood and coal for heat,
and you wouldn't want to eat anything that had been roasted over a
fire fueled by Peabody's best!
Betty Tso is going to investigate on Monday, and will try to
get a look at the wood. She told me that the Hopi Rangers have
been all over the place looking at people's loads of wood.
According to Betty the Hopi Tribe has decided on a new definition
of what green wood is, so that even dead or near-dead wood with
bark still on is considered "green". Larry Bahe said there was
bark and a few green leaves on some of the wood that was taken from
him.
There is room for disagreement here, obviously, but I really
question the assertion that Dine' people are destroying green,
living trees. I remember Pita Wood responding to a similar
assertion a few years ago, "If we cut down green trees, what will
our children use to burn?"
Betty said she feels that the wood seizures are directed
against the strongest resisters, that these people are being
targeted because they are outspoken or firm about not relocating.
It's cold up here. People have been prevented from repairing
their homes and hogans for many years because of the relocation
Act, so most houses are drafty or have leaky roofs and windows. A
truckload of wood takes a long time to get because you have to find
dead, dry wood if it's going to burn right, and there is not a lot
of it in any one place.
LOOKS LIKE MEDIATION WILL CONTINUE
Lee Phillips told me today that Judge McCue and the 9th
Circuit Court are pleased with the "people's report" on religious
and cultural needs which must be/have not been addressed in the
Agreement in Principle and proposed Hopi lease. They apparently
see a need for mediation to continue, with direct talks between the
Hopi Tribe and the Dine' families.
There will be a big meeting in Flagstaff on Tuesday, January
11. We will be there, also the Hopi Tribe representatives, U.S.
negotiating team members, and the Dine' family representatives.
The meeting will be to set the directions for the next few months.
It should be a good one, we will report on it as soon as possible.
Wednesday the wind was blowing hard, the flag at the veterans'
office was stretched out straight and square. In the late
afternoon the wind died down so we had a sweat across the street
from my house. Len Foster ran it, with his brother Orrin, Joe i-
didn't-get-his-last-name, he's a chief gourd dancer, Archie
Tsinijinnie the school bus driver, Phil Crazy Bull, and me. Four
sun dancers, Joe brought in his whistle. Joe set the fire, I ran
the rocks, we were in till about 9 I guess. It was a good one, we
were really singing hard. It was our New Years sweat so we had a
lot to pray about, a lot to be thankful for. We're all alive,
another year!
Jon Norstog