16.10.08

Senate bill against Navajo

Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Slick McCain's genocide plan for Navajos
Sen. John McCain supports ongoing genocide against the Navajo Nation

Submitted by dcu on Sat, 07/08/2006

My wife and I have just returned from visiting Navajo friends in New Mexico and Arizona. Upon returning home I received an email from a friend in Colorado about what John McCain is doing to the Navajo people. Read about it below the fold:
S. 1003 Passes Through the Senate
Sen. John McCain paints on a counterfeit grin as he waves to the crowds that have come to support him. If people knew the clandestine actions taking place behind his practiced pose, they would be throwing eggs at him instead of admiring glances..
McCain, chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs is campaigning to put an end to Navajo relocation costs via the S. 1003 bill. This would mean that the government is no longer accountable ethically or financially for the chaos it has inflicted on innocent Navajo people. S. 1003 has now passed the Senate. It is moving fast to the House for approval.
Traditionally nomadic in the Arizona area, the Navajo were coupled with their friends the Hopi and both were forced upon this reservation, located around Big Mt./Black Mesa in the NE corner of Arizona. In 1882 the powers that be at the time knew there were fossil fuels underground. They also calculated that the Native Americans were easier to manipulate then white settlers and thus placed the vulnerable Navajo and Hopi there, knowing that someday the fossil fuels would be harvested from the land. In the 1950’s the push came to get rid of just the Navajo.
The forced exodus of over 12,000 Navajo people ensued which shattered them physically, spiritually, mentally and emotionally. Death by grief is a grim reality in this community. Through this forced relocation the federal government has destroyed the subsistence lifestyle of thousands of Navajos, uprooted whole communities, and left the Navajo Nation and Navajo people to bear much of the burden of addressing the extraordinary economic, social and psychological consequences of relocation. Congress never understood the situation of the people living on the land, and refused to see the costs or the heartbreak.
Genocide is sometimes fought against by our government in other countries but is deliberate on this Navajo reservation. How dare we preach to other countries when we are doing this to our own people here at home! None of which would be tolerated in mainstream society. These crimes are perpetuated by the corporate media who refuses to highlight this story of Homeland Terrorism.
The Navajo “resistors” who refused to relocate have been harassed to leave by armed police through physical abuse and intimidation. Also being classified as trespassers on their own land, they are denied their basic=2 0human rights to practice their religious ceremonies, to fix or build homes through a law named the Bennett Freeze and forbidden to collect wood for their fires. In addition their sheep, cattle and horses are impounded to strip them of their sustenance.
The place that the Dine’ people are relocated to was named the “New Lands.” The name conjures up a rosy image. But in reality the New Lands are lethal to inhabitants because it is downstream from the largest uranium spill in US history. There are former EPA officials who are willing to testify that the New Lands should be made a superfund site and all inhabitants removed. The displaced Navajo just want to go home and live traditionally in peace.
In blind pursuit of the coal, ancient ceremonial sites, petroglyphs, artifacts and burial grounds have been destroyed along with people’s homes, air, land, medicinal plants and water supplies. The harvesting and usage of coal fired power plants is deadly to humans and the earth. As illustrated in Al Gore’s movie “An Inconvenient Truth” America is the biggest polluter globally and much of the pollution is caused by fossil fuel usage.
In sanctioning relocation, our government ignored more humane alternatives for resolving this conflict. A cash settlement to the people affected is the norm when land is taken. If McCain’s bill S. 1003 is made into law, the Navajo will be forcibly removed from the land without compensation and n o safe place to go. This is outrageous and in opposition to the United States Constitution. Our government is the bully in this arena and conceals its policy of thrashing its poorest but most sacred residents. Native people are a unique and treasured natural resource. Ancient wisdom and culture is endangered as the cadence of the government spin picks up it’s pace. It is time to unify to rectify these injustices. The time is now.
There are actions that all citizens can take to help the Navajo win this agonizing battle. Mobilize your circles to create a massive flood of faxes then phone calls to your local senators and representatives. In addition to your local congresswomen & men a deluge of communications is needed to be sent to Congressman Rick Renzi who represents the Big Mt./Black Mesa area. Contact Renzi by phone: 202-225-2315 or fax: 202-226-9739. DEMAND a one year study to examine and assess the impacts and effects relocation has had on Navajo people. This assessment will then serve as a policy and fact based tool for developing a humane closure plan. Also demand that the Navajo be allowed to return from the New Lands to their reservation in Big Mt./Black Mesa and to allow all Navajo there to live in peace and harmony.
See this website for more details:
www.blackmesais.org.
Each voice makes a difference-please act today

26.6.08

Casino Plan




Protecting Mount Taylor


P.O. BOX 7440 WINDOW ROCK, AZ 86515 ! (928) 871-7000 ! FAX: (928) 871-4025
CONTACT: GEORGE HARDEEN
COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
OFFICE – 928-871-7917
CELL – 928-309-8532
pressoffice@opvp.org

Navajo Nation Vice President Ben Shelly (second from right) joined tribal leaders joined to commend the New Mexico Cultural Properties Review Committee’s June 14 decision to place Mount Taylor on the Emergency Listing of the New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties. From left to right is Hopi Tribal Chairman Benjamin Nuvamsa, Laguna First Lt. Governor Richard Luarkie, Zuni Governor Norman Cooeyate,
and Acoma First Lt. Governor Mark Thompson.

Navajo Nation Vice President Ben Shelly joins tribal leaders
to commend cultural property protection for Mount Taylor

ACOMA, N.M. – Navajo Nation Vice
President Ben Shelly joined four other tribal
leaders during to commend the June 14
decision of the New Mexico Cultural
Properties Review Committee to place Mount
Taylor on the Emergency Listing of the New
Mexico Register of Cultural Properties.
“The Navajo people are tied to the land and
sky through prayers and songs that were
sung by the Holy People during the creation
of the mountains and the world,” the Vice
President said. “Our sacred mountains give
the Navajo people strength, and through the
role of Nahat’รก – leadership and planning,”
said Vice President Shelly.
Joining the Vice President was Zuni Governor
Norman Cooeyate, Hopi Chairman Benjamin
Nuvamsa, Acoma First Lt. Governor Mark
Thompson, and Laguna First Lt. Governor
Richard Luarkie.
“Traditional Navajo people have always looked
to these mountains for guidance and leadership for the
Navajo people and the Navajo Nation Government,” Vice
President Shelly said. “Each mountain is honored and
respected by Navajo people daily through offering song
and prayer.”
The five nominating tribes, including the Pueblos of
Acoma, Zuni, and Laguna, the Hopi Tribe and the Navajo
Nation, pushed for the designation of areas above 8,000
feet on Mount Taylor and the top of Horace Mesa as a
traditional cultural property, or TCP, which is an area
deemed important to maintain the cultural identity of a
community.
“Sacred shrines, trails and offering places maintain great
cultural and religious significance,” Zuni Governor
Cooeyate said. “These properties are imbued with life
and spiritual forces that have been blessed by our creator
since time immemorial before their use, and once
blessed, they are blessed in perpetuity.”
The temporary one-year listing of Mount Taylor to the
New Mexico Register of Cultural Properties provides a
layer of protection by requiring adverse development
within the TCP area be reviewed by the New Mexico
Historic Preservation Office.
“Mount Taylor is known and remembered in our songs,
ceremonies, and shrines,” Hopi Chairman Nuvamsa said.

THE NAVAJO NATION
OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT & VICE PRESIDENT
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 24, 2008
P.O. BOX 7440 WINDOW ROCK, AZ 86515 ! (928) 871-7000 ! FAX: (928) 871-4025

“The Hopi Tribe provided documentation to the committee
in our petition establishing cultural associations with
Mount Taylor, and demonstrating that 28 Hopi deities and
other religious personages, 36 Hopi clans, and a number
of Hopi religious societies have close cultural connections
with Mount Taylor.”
Within one year, the nominating tribes must prepare a
permanent designation application and must go before
the committee to seek a permanent designation.
“We believe in sustaining life on the mountain,” Laguna
First Lieutenant Governor Luarkie said. “This means
protecting the water resources. We have great concerns
that unimpeded development could affect the water
resources.”
He said the headwaters for several of Laguna
communities are located within the TCP area for which
the tribes seek designation. Without healthy water, many
forms of life will cease to live, he said.
Arvin Trujillo, executive director of the Navajo Nation
Division of Natural Resources, Alan Downer, director of
the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department, and
deputy director Steven Begay assisted with Navajo
Nation testimony.
The Historic Preservation Department will collaborate
with area tribes to responsibly and respectfully manage
our Navajo cultural resources, especially Mount Taylor,
Mr. Begay said.
# # #

4.6.08

The American Academy Helps Navajo Nation Preserve Language, History

http://www.centredaily.com/news/education/v-print/story/633066.html

Centre Daily Times Tue, 03 Jun 2008 8:06 AM PDT

Tuesday, Jun. 03, 2008
The American Academy Helps Navajo Nation Preserve Language, History
SALT LAKE CITY — Navajo students can now learn their tribe's customs and language while becoming eligible for scholarships, thanks to two Navajo courses now being offered by leading online high school The American Academy.


The American Academy offers courses in Navajo Government and Navajo Language. Both courses are intended to enrich the cultural knowledge of students within and outside of the Navajo Nation. The Navajo Government course covers the evolution of Navajo government from its beginnings to the present time. In the Navajo Language course students learn to speak, write, and read numerals, anatomy, conversational phrases and other common terms.

"It's very important to the Navajo people to pass their traditions and language down from generation to generation," said Rebekah Richards, senior vice president of academic affairs and principal of The American Academy. "Teachers who are qualified to educate students about Dine culture are rare, particularly outside the reservation. We help members of the Navajo Nation preserve their cultural heritage by offering these online courses -- students anywhere in the country can access the courses and master the content with the help of a Navajo teacher."

High school credit for both courses is required to be eligible for the Chief Manuelito Scholarship, a four-year, $7000 per year scholarship awarded annually by the Navajo Nation to high-achieving Navajo students entering their first year of college. Several American Academy students are currently eligible for the award; recipients of the scholarship will be announced in July. Previously students outside traditional Navajo regions had little or no access to cultural courses from accredited institutions, but having the courses available online expands the potential scholarship applicant pool significantly.

"We sought availability of online Navajo courses because many schools that serve Navajo children do not offer such courses at the high school," said Rose Graham, director of the Navajo Nation Office of Scholarship and Financial Assistance. "Also, there are Navajo families in just about every state of the union where Navajo Language and History are definitely not taught in schools."

The American Academy is accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools, which means that credits earned at The American Academy will transfer to public and accredited private high schools across the country. The American Academy serves students throughout the U.S. and in several countries. Every student has access to licensed instructors and to tutoring available on-demand, 24/7.


Enrollment is now open at The American Academy, and 233 different classes begin every Monday. For more information, please visit http://www.TheAmericanAcademy.com.

About The American Academy
The American Academy is an accredited online high school built on a system that has served more than 80,000 students since 1994. It serves students worldwide who want to supplement their high school program or earn their high school diploma. The American Academy offers a flexible educational experience along with a high quality, engaging curriculum that aligns with state standards. Through its relationships with long-standing education institutions, including the Utah State Board of Education, The American Academy provides leading-edge resources and access to licensed, experienced instructors. For more information, please visit http://www.TheAmericanAcademy.com

Sprout Marketing for The American Academy Alex Koritz, 801-641-3808 alex@sproutmarketing.com

15.5.08

Navajo Council Delegate Maxx testifies in Washington

May 15, 2008
Navajo Council Delegate Maxx testifies in Washington
Senate hearing on S.B. 531 prevents reinstatement of Bennett Freeze
WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. — Navajo Nation Council Delegate Raymond Maxx provided testimony on S.B. 531 on behalf of the 21st Navajo Nation Council today, March 15 in Washington, D.C.
Maxx explained that, “this legislation — when passed — will forever remove or prevent the reinstatement of the Bennett Freeze.”
The position paper on this legislation was reviewed and authorized by the Intergovernmental Relations Committee of the 21st Navajo Nation Council recently. This legislation is very important for the Navajo people living in the Bennett Freeze area of the Navajo Nation.
Maxx is the Council Delegate that represents the far western chapters of Coalmine Canyon and Toh Nanees Dizi (Tuba City), both of these chapters have been negatively impacted by the Bennett Freeze.
U.S. Sen. Byron L. Dorgan, D-N.D, Chairman of the U.S. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs invited the Navajo Nation’s participation in this hearing.
The senate hearing also involved legislation S.B. 1080, which is the Crow Tribe Land Restoration Act; H.R. 2120, which is legislation to direct the Secretary of the Interior to proclaim as reservation for the benefit of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians a parcel of land now held by the U.S. for that tribe; S.B. 2494, which involves the Spokane Tribe of Indians of the Spokane Reservation Grand Coulee Dam Equitable Compensation Settlement Act; H.R. 2963, which involves the Pechanga Band of Luiseno Mission Indians Land Transfer Act of 2007; and S.B. 531, which is the bill to repeal section 10(f) of Public Law 93-531 known as the “Bennett Freeze.”

30.4.08

Arid Land, Urgent Need for Water

As a child I listened to my father stand before his community and tribal leaders expressing his visions about the Colorado River. He shared the importance of acquiring usage of the Colorado River by the Navajo Tribe. He also spoke of environmental issues, stating the selling of sacred source of coal and water would deminish the "Navajo way" and the price for them would be destrimental to the People.
Today I am witnessing the urgency to find water source in most of the Navajo reservation land. My family-land-use is split by the former Bennett Freeze Act---BIA fence running right through the land. This is now one of the factors in the longated hardship for the People of the Western Navajo reservation. The access to clean water and watering holes for the animals are numberless. The People go beyond their community to buy barreled water for their households, for their livestocks----just to live another drought driven season.
Many People know the Peabody Coal Mines (located 10 miles away from my family's land) has been a major source of environmental degradation to the Navajo land. For over 30 years, with our Tribal Government's permission, they have slurred the coal to Nevada with our fresh water. The sole water source that is much needed has gone away from the People to another part of the country. The company continues to slur coal but from another region of the State of Arizona. The environment impact of digging for coal, acquiring coal, transporting coal, using coal and disposing coal all adds up to the price of water and air.
Solutions are a few, give the inherited water rights back to the People of the community and we as Navajo citizens must be willing to accept it and protect it. Our Tribal Government has not done well in protecting the People's interest, they seem to not be able to restrain from instant gratification (imagine the unreported information we will not know of, chilling).

Some solutions....

Drill for more wells and wind mills.

Channel the run off water appropriately and fix the animal watering holes.

Send a voice to the Navajo tribal government, to Congress....to your family and friends.

Mount Taylor (update)

Cibola County opposes Mount Taylor cultural listing
By HEATHER CLARK Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 04/30/2008 04:16:32 PM MDT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—The Cibola County Commission has come out against an emergency listing of Mount Taylor in the State Register of Cultural Properties, a designation requested by five American Indian communities that consider the mountain sacred.
Commissioners voted 4-1 Tuesday to oppose the listing in what was described by attendees as a "very heated" and sometimes racially charged meeting attended by hundreds of people. The Cultural Properties Review Committee had approved the designation for Mount Taylor in February.
The commission's resolution, obtained by The Associated Press, states that commissioners are concerned that Mount Taylor's listing may restrict the rights of private landowners whose ownership dates back to the 1700s. It also said the county has benefited from multiple uses of the land, which include farming, ranching, logging, mining and other activities.
Katherine Slick, director of the State Historic Preservation Office, said the designation does not affect private property and landowners' ability to make improvements or sell their property.
County Manager David Ulibarri, who is also a state senator, said the commission decided to look into the issue because county residents felt they did not have a voice in the decision to place Mount Taylor on the state register.
The resolution called on the state attorney general's office to determine whether the Cultural Properties Review Committee violated the state Open Meetings Act by not properly giving notice of the February meeting at which Mount Taylor was temporarily listed on the register.
Slick said she's not aware that the office violated the Open Meetings Act.
"We followed the normal process, which is that we send notice of the meeting to the press boxes at the Capitol building, and that happened," she said.
A spokesman for the attorney general's office said the matter is under review.
The emergency designation will protect Mount Taylor for a year while the Cultural Properties Review Committee investigates whether the area should be permanently listed.
Mount Taylor, near Grants, rises to 11,301 feet and can be seen from many parts of the state. The protected 422,840-acre area includes the summit and mesa tops above 8,000 feet, except on the southwest boundary where the protected area drops to 7,300 feet.
Commissioner Jane Pitts, who supported the resolution, said private landowners are being given different answers about what the designation means.
Pitts said her position is "not anti-Native American. I want to preserve their sacred sites and I want them to have a say, but I want to have a say, too, and that's all this is about. I believe in freedom and this squashed ours."
The designation would make it more difficult for companies hoping to explore for uranium in the area to get necessary state exploration permits.
Ulibarri said Cibola County already has passed a resolution supporting uranium mining's return to the area. The industry could bring in billions of dollars to the state.
"We have that resource. That is economic development for this area," he said.
But Anna Rondon, a community-based land use planning consultant and an anti-uranium activist, said she and others hope the designation for Mount Taylor will end renewed interest in uranium mining in the area. The price of uranium has increased from $7 per pound in 2003 to a current level of $65 per pound, renewing interest in such mining in New Mexico.
Rondon, who attended Tuesday's meeting, described it as "very heated" with racial tension between tribal members and other residents.
"I was there because the mountain's sacred to me and I'm Navajo," Rondon said. "This is all about stopping uranium."
Acoma Pueblo led the effort to place the mountain on the state register. Zuni and Laguna pueblos, the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe in Arizona joined Acoma. The tribes have said the mountain has spiritual significance and is considered life sustaining. They ascribe human qualities and personalities to the mountain by conducting prayers and pilgrimages.
Keith Tenorio, Acoma tribal secretary, said the pueblo was not ready Wednesday to make a statement about the commission's opposition to the designation.
The tribes have one year to persuade the committee to place the mountain on the Register of Cultural Properties permanently. If they fail, the mountain will become ineligible to be listed for five years.
Slick, who attended the commission meeting, said speakers showed their concern for Mount Taylor.
"Almost to a person, those who spoke showed that the community at large values Mount Taylor as a community cultural site," she said.

29.4.08

Dried Corn Stew


Dried Corn Stew
Recipe by Elaya K Tsosie

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

3 cups water
1 cup dried corn (can substitute 1 cup dry garbanzo beans)
1 pound beef stew meat
1 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
In saucepan, combine water and corn (or garbanzo beans); bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Cover; let stand several hours. Return to boiling; simmer, covered, 1/2 more than an hour if using corn or 1 hour if using garbanzo beans for this recipe. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer, covered, until tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Season to taste. Makes 4 servings.

Navajo president pushes reduction of tribal lawmakers

Navajo president pushes reduction of tribal lawmakers
By FELICIA FONSECA Associated Press Writer
Article Launched: 04/29/2008 05:06:42 PM MDT


WINDOW ROCK, Ariz.—Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. is moving forward with a plan to reform the tribal government and first on his wish list is reducing the Tribal Council from 88 delegates to 24. Shirley's staff filed paperwork Tuesday with the tribe's election office that will start the process in gathering signatures to put the question before voters. The petitioners will have six months to collect about 16,000 signatures, but Shirley said the goal is to get at least 25,000 in 90 days so that the matter could go before voters in the November elections.

"The sentiment of the people, I feel, is that they want to reform government," he said in a recent interview. "I don't think a lot of them like the way our government is run."

J.R. Thompson of the Navajo Nation Election Administration said his office received the documents late Tuesday. The names of petitioners need to be checked against voter registration rolls before signatures can be gathered, and Thompson said that could take a couple of days.

"Until we see that everything is proper and in order, then they can proceed with it," he said.

Shirley announced the formation of a government reform task force last week during the council's spring session. He also wants voters to approve a line item veto that would give him the authority to approve or reject certain budget items or supplemental appropriations.
Former Arizona state Rep. Sylvia Laughter, acting executive director of the Office of Navajo Government Development, said while she supports a move to reduce the council, she sees Shirley's push for a line item veto as a power play.

"The line item veto tells me that he's not willing to work with the legislative body," she said. "At the same time, the legislative body is just as much at fault. ... There just seems to be a lot of difficulty in moving forward with anything."

The executive and legislative branches have been at odds recently over a proposed $36 million legislative complex, discretionary funds and the draining of a capital improvement fund.

While Shirley has exercised his veto power on a number of bills he said included unnecessary appropriations, the council hasn't hesitated to override those vetoes.

One of Shirley's biggest challenges in reducing the council likely will come from the delegates.

More than half of the 88 tribal lawmakers represent two or more communities, and downsizing the council would cheat communities out of representation in the tribal capital of Window Rock, said council Speaker Lawrence Morgan.

"The Navajo people should be worried about the president's move," he said.

Navajos voted in a 2000 referendum to reduce the council to 24 delegates, but the measure failed because its language required a majority vote in each of the tribe's 110 chapters.

Delegate Leonard Tsosie said he believes Navajo voters would be receptive to reducing the council and having delegates work harder to get elected.

"It will be harder, more competition, but in a way I don't mind," he said. "I think the Navajo people should be afforded the competition of ideas on how to make better their own lives, their community and the Navajo Nation."

If a reduction is approved, only 24 delegates would be elected in 2010. The Navajo Board of Election Supervisors would reapportion the delegates with approval of the current council by August 15, 2009. If the council rejects the plan, the Navajo president would have the authority to develop and approve a plan.

The line item veto would go into effect immediately if approved.

Delegate Leslie Dele said Shirley should have a plan before the issues are voted on.

The council created a reform office shortly after the tribal government was reorganized in 1989 under three branches—the executive, legislative and judicial—though Navajo voters never ratified the change. Previously, a chairman served as both the head of the tribal government and the speaker of the council.

The council voted late last year to place the office under the administrative control of Morgan. Shirley vetoed the measure, but the council overturned it.

Laughter's main focus has been looking at the feasibility of establishing a Navajo constitution. The Navajo Nation is one of a few tribes that rejected a constitution under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934.

Shirley suggested that a constitution could be part of government reform, but said "It's not my initiative."

Dale Mason, a political science professor at the University of New Mexico's Gallup branch, said there is widespread support for reducing the council—partly to save money—but doesn't believe Shirley has the clout to pull it off.

"I think there are a lot of Navajos that would like the Navajo government changed, but I don't think there's a consensus on what it should be," he said.