I agree that Peabody Western Coal Company is probably the biggest threat to
the wellness of the people on Black Mesa, both Hopi and Navajo (short of a
continuation of the "dispute"). The depletion of the "N-Aquifer" will soon
be permanent. The damage to the aquifer system in the area of Black Mesa
has reached the point where it may not be able to recover. There is seepage
of upper level polluted water supplies into the deep "N-Aquifer" and the
water has been so depleted that the system could collapse. The "N-Aquifer"
damage is out of sight and, therefore, difficult to demonstrate. But the
permanent damage to the land's surface is real and photographable. This
land will never be the same. Peabody reclamation efforts are superficial
and even involve non-indigenous plants and a totally new contour to the land.
But to refer to an opportunity to settle this more than a century-old
dispute that has affected the wellness of thousands of Navajo as well as
Hopi people as a Hopi "land grab" is an unfair extremely biased perspective
that ignores the historical facts of just how and where the Navajos expanded
their territory since their release from the attrocity of Bosque Redondo.
Most of the territory acquired by the Navajos since Bosque Redondo has been
land that can be shown to have been long time traditional use areas of the
Hopis. Some small areas were also Paiute, Southern Ute, and Apache. Most
of what is now the Navajo Reservation was traditional Hopi territory before
the Navajos came to the region. All of the Navajos' current land holdings
have been acquired in the last 150 years.
Prior to Bosque Redondo, the Navajos were a thinly spread group of bands
with a very loose connection to their core affiliation. Many had been
forced out of New Mexico into Hopi territory by, first, the pressures by the
Spaniards for more control over the Rio Grande area, and, second, by the
aggressive demands of American western expansion and consumption of the
fertile Rio Grande and Western New Mexico areas for farming and cattle
ranching. This is only the surface of what could be turned into a life-long
study. But, it is the picture in a nutshell.
I understand that even the issue of "land ownership" is one that has been
imposed on Indian people. But at this time in history, it is an unfortunate
but irreversible fact. Had some effort not been made to set aside some
territory as exclusively Hopi (owned), the Hopi may not have survived the
Navajo encroachment. At least, they would have been left without any of
their homeland. If they did retain anything, it would not have sustained
any crops; sheep tend to destroy the ability of land to support vegetation.
The Big Mountain people refer to their habitation on the land as having been
for "time immemorial." In reality, they have only been there for a few
generations. The Hopis had been there for centuries before the Navajos
began their slow migration into the area.
The Big Mountain Update also refers to desecration of sacred sites. It
should also be mentioned that centuries old Hopi shrines and sacred sites
have been desecrated both on Navajo Partitioned Land (where Navajos have
harrassed Hopis attempting access to sacred sites) as well as on Hopi
Partitioned Land still occupied by Navajos. This desecration was not the
result of mining operations; it was vandalism.
There are many layers to this dispute. It may be true that without
government and mineral company intervention there wouldn't be a dispute.
There also would be no Hopi-land. The Navajos would have encroached on
every inch of Hopi territory. As it is, it is difficult to dispute the fact
that the Navajos have been successful, through whatever means, in comsuming
most of the traditional Hopi territory that used to spread West to the
Colorado River, East to the Rio Grande, North to the San Juan, and South to
the Springerville, AZ area.
It is a convenient misrepresentation (convenient for Navajos, energy
companies, ranchers, and others interested in taking Hopi lands) that the
Hopis didn't use their traditional areas and that they limited their
activities to the immediate vicinity of the mesas. Any restriction of Hopis
to the mesas was a result of encroachment into their territory by more
aggressive groups (ie: Navajos, Spaniards, Anglos, etc.)
Granted, the efforts of the Relocation Commission were bungled, corrupted
with conspiracy to defraud both the Government and the Navajo and Hopi
relocatees, and was an incredible tragedy. But, claiming "genocide" in this
case is not realistic. The cry of "genocide" has been an effective tool in
inspiring the support of outsiders (and Europeans) who don't understand the
whole picture.
I guess the bottom line is that the Hopis have already lost most of their
territory to the Navajos; they should not have to give up another acre to
squatters.
Now, if you've read this far, you at least have a perspective from the other
end of the spectrum from which to consider this complex issue.
I may have angered some of my Navajo friends, but I felt there needed to be
a balance of what was being presented.
Bill Havens