And now:Ish <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: From: BIGMTLIST <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >From BIGMTLIST Here is some recent information, (and some commentary)with the latest reports given first. Date: Wed, 14 Jul 1999 14:47:00 -0700 (MST) From: Bahe Yazzie Katenay <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Camp Anna Mae Sundance..... Greetings Supporters, This is just a brief flash about what I have learned about the blockade by the police agencies, and my brief comments. As of yesterday, the BIA-Hopi Agency police along with the Ariz. States' Navajo County Sheriff department has set-up a road block at the dirt road turn-off at Highway 264. This junction is the to the Dinnebito Dam which leads up into the eastern area of Big Mountain. According to individuals who've been turned back by this police blockade, they said their cars were searched, vechicle registration check, and their records were checked. After this, they were told to leave the area and return home and if they make any other attempts of re-entering the area they will be arrested. Other Sundance participants and supporters were still heading into the area of Camp Anna Mae despite the confirmed blockade. It is not confirmed yet as to if there is a blockade near the entrance into the dance site, but it is very likely there is since on Monday nearly 8 police vechicle, composing of State and BIA law enforcement personnel, were gathered near the entrance of the Sundance. These two 'check-points' has been active since last week which also monitored the first Sundance activity. Just yesterday some non-Indian supporters, at the request of the family sponsors of the Sundance, met with the BIA-Hopi Agency and were told that the road block will not allow any outside participants or supporters for the Camp Anna Mae Sundance to enter, no matter if they are Indian or not. This is the type of Human Rights violations that the BIA-Hopi Tribal Council and the United States government is guilty of, and they are getting a way with it. The northern Arizona media have stated before, "We're not interested." As Lakota Sundance Chief Leonard Crow Dog said at the first Big Mountain Sundance last week, "There is no legal precedents that supposely allows this type of restriction on the Red People's way of worship. The federal government nor any BIA-Indian tribal government has any right to regulate 'when' or 'how' we, traditional people, are to pray, sing, take our medicine, and conduct our ceremonies." Lakota Sundance Chief Joe Chasing Horse who heads the Camp Anna Mae dance, stated also while showing his solidarity with the first Sundance event last week, "We, the Red People, are in a new era of struggle in fighting the injustices that is occurring all across our reservations. This police-seige on Camp Anna Mae is just an example of the types of injustices that are attempting to eliminate or do away with the ancient knowledge that gives us ties to Mother Earth. They have taken most of our lands, and now they want to dismantled the backbone of our survival, the Indian religion." Concerning the BIA-Hopi Agency denial of this summer's permit to conduct the dance, Chief Chasing Horse said, "We will have the Sundance because it is our religious obligation set forth last summer. Like my grandfather, Chief Crazy Horse, once believed that he didn't recognized the authority of the US Calvary when they told him that the Black Hills did belong to his people anymore. I shall, too, not acknowledge the authority of the BIA laws that we are to have a simple sheet of paper that is suppose to allow us to pray and dance." Chief Crow Dog agreed, "I want to tell you my nephew, Chief Chasing Horse, that I shall be there to follow you and support you in completing this religious obligations. Aho!" On behalf of the resistance, let us first pray for a good direction as we journey together on this sacred road of Humanity. Then, let us send as many faxes or phones calls to the agencies responsible for this violations of the Geneva Convention on the freedom to conduct religious activities accordance to tribal leaders or community leaders. Responsible agencies includes the State of Arizona's county sheriffs. This response needs to be done in the next few days for that this Sundance will conclude on Sunday without many dancers and their guest/supporters. Thank you for your time. In the Spirit of Chief Barboncito, Bahe =================================================== From: "FBMSN GROUP" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Fwd: view from the hogan Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 18:48:49 PDT Hey here is July's "view from the hogan". <snip> >From: "Jake Davies" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: view from the hogan >Date: Sun, 11 Jul 1999 10:20:04 MST > >The View From The Hogan 3 July 1999 204 days till "the final >solution" > >Notes from Big Mt. > > Yaa'tee > > Once again it's been a very busy month on the land. A new set of notices >have gone out to the residents telling them their "excess" animals will be taken from them. Basically the people are being reminded that at some >undefined point in the future their livliehood will be threatened. As one supporter noted "Grandmothers are never quite sure when to be prepared to defend their homesite and livestock." This is just a part of the continued >attempt by the BIA/HTC/US Govt to harass these people into leaving this >coal-rich land. By making sure that their flocks are too small to be able >to support a family, the families need to find other sources of livliehood, >which usually means going off the Rez to find wage work. Eventually this >causes the break up of the family, or the family will tire of this >harassment and decide to "voluntarily" relocate. Not only is this economic >terrorism, it is also psychological terrorism. Part of the impoundment >notice reads "in order to achieve full compliance with all the grazing >permits the agency range staff will begin conducting random unnnaounced >inventories throughout the year. We are addressing you of this possibility >so that you are not alarmed or surprised by our presence on a weekend or at irregular hours." Imagine getting a letter that tells you that at some >point in the next year someone will enter your home and rape a member of your family! To those of you that do not know these traditional people, >this may sound like a gross over-exaggeration, but the truth is that in >ways we can little understand, the land is a part of these people, the >presence of an armed threat travelling on their land violates these people >just the same as if their hogans were being entered. The sheep are not >"economic units", any observer of the Navajo will tell you that the closest >term we have in the white-mans language to define the sheep is "relatives". >By threatening the sheep, and constantly "patrolling" the land a climate of fear is established. > The Hopi Tribal Council continues with its inept and amateurish media >campaign on the situation here. This week in the local paper is an >"article" on Kee Shays situation that is little more than a reprint of a HTC press release. Kee Shays family live alongside the fence that seperates >the so-called HPL from the So-called NPL. When the fence was constructed, >it cut right through his families customary use area, leaving the winter >camp on one side of the fence, the summer camp on the other. Because of >this the family have not been involved in the "accomodation" process, and has continued to make use of their land, The Hopi Tribal Council considers >his family trespassers. "according to the tribe, Shays actions are >considered harmful to both Navajo and Hopi families." "When outside >individuals illegally trespass and allow their animals to graze on lands >that already suffer from diminished capacity, we hurt both Navajo and Hopi families living on HPL." "Shays actions in arguing his case through the >media is clearly an effort to disrupt and use for his own benefit the >ongoing peaceful process of accomodation" "The media needs to be more >responsible in not agitating situations that could hurt the interests of Hopi and Navajo families on the HPL." What on earth are they talking >about?!!! The Shays' have always been members of the Big Mountain >community, to classify them as outsiders is absurd. And how is he >threatening the Hopi Tribe? The nearest Navajo resident on HPL is over 10 miles away, and the nearest Hopi resident well over 20 miles away. So whose grass is he "stealing". As for the media "agitating" the situation, all I can say is I sure hope the media is not "agitating" the situation in Kosovo >by reporting on what is happening. > My interpretation of this "article" is that the HTC is setting the stage >to implement their "Exclusion Law" in preparation to remove all support the resisters here have. With this insidious law the HTC will be able to define >who is an "outsider", and they will be able to define what constitutes a threat to the tribe. If they are allowed to get away with it the people >here will be living under virtual martial law. They (the HTC) certainly >don't want the media to report on that. > (sometime later)Well, it seems that my prediction that the Hopi Tribal >Council (and their masters, Peabody and the U.S. Govt.) are escalating >their moves against the peoples supporters turns out to be unfortunately >true. > Wed June 16th. At 5 this evening , Hopi Rangers arrived at the Witness >Camp to escort Arlene Hamilton (the co-ordinator of the camp) off the "Hopi Reservation". Yesterday she had been served a "proposed exclusion notice" >and given 15 days to answer in writing why she should not be "excluded. 2 days ago she was still being told on a daily basis that the permit she had being asking for was "almost ready" > Let me describe the Witness Camp to you. The first thing you notice is the 2 white tepees jutting above the trees. There is a kitchen structure and >area, a sweat lodge, an outhouse, and scattered through the Pinyon and >Junipers are the tents of the visiting students. Every day there is a >constant stream of Dineh visitors to the camp, some travelling long >distances (one 101 year old lady started to hitch hike the 20 miles to a relative to come to the camp). They come to teach classes. They come just >to visit. They come to eat. They come to ask for help with chores. They >come to bring food to the camp. The atmosphere and all interactions are of the utmost respect. Every day armed Hopi Rangers or monitors arrive to nose around. They are treated with respect, and in most cases have behaved >respectfully. One Ranger had it explained to him by one of the respected >Grandmas that she felt really unsafe with him bringing his gun into camp, >so he took it off and locked it in his vehicle before coming in to camp. >Word is he got into trouble for daring to behave like a human being!! He should be promoted. There is a palpable feeling of community at the camp. I listened as A Dineh Community Health Nurse spoke to the students. Her job is to travel around and visit the elders in their isolated homesites and >check on their health. She spoke of how whenever impoundment notices, armed Rangers prowling about, eviction notices, low level overflights, etc occur >the health of the elders suffers dramatically and noticably. She spoke of her own sense of fear as she had to travel around alone, sometimes followed >by armed rangers, and in an emotional voice she told how the first time she drove by the witness camp and saw the tepees her heart lifted that the >resisters were getting visitors, help and support. Every student I spoke >with had nothing but positive things to say about the people here , their >way of life, and the respect everybody has for each other. The harassment >of the people became something real for them. How is it possible for the >HTC to claim the camp as a threat? The people here HAVE EVERY RIGHT to have visitors, they have every right to have support in the chores of their >daily life, and they have every right to try and reclaim their sense of >community that the governement and HTC have done everything they can for 25 years to destroy. =================================================== From: "FBMSN GROUP" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Fwd: view from the hogan Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 18:01:23 PDT Here's some news from Big Mountain<snip> Que nunca tenga hambre!Que nunca tenga sed! ============================================ For Big Mountain and other activist internet resources, visit "The Activist Page" at http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/welcome.html Also, for great internet tools please visit: http://www.msw.com.au/cgi-bin/msw/entry?id=1271 ********************************************
