And now:LISN <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Subject: Fwd: viewfromthehogan Date: Fri, 20 Aug 1999 06:16:00 PDT From: "Janet Cavallo" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <<clipped>> >From: "Jake Davies" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: viewfromthehogan >Date: Thu, 19 Aug 1999 15:17:10 MST >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Received: from 63.11.234.3 by www.hotmail.com with HTTP;Thu, 19 Aug 1999 >15:17:10 PDT >X-Originating-IP: [63.11.234.3] > >The View from the Hogan 5 August 1999 170 Days till the "final solution" > >Notes from Big Mountain > >Ya'a'tee > I have been overwhelmed, both by the quantity of, and the sentiments >expressed in, the correspondence I have been receiving. Many times I'm >asked how come I remain so positive and hopeful in the midst of so much >suffering, and my answer is quite simple. The human beings I interact with >on a daily basis fall into two groups. The Traditional elders, and those >outsiders who come here in support. Both groups are among the finest human >beings it has been my privilege to come into contact with. To put it >crudely, I rarely meet assholes. Now, thanks to the wonders of the >Information Superhighway, I am hearing from many other fine human beings. I >pass some of your messages on to some of the Grandmas, and, like myself, >they are strengthend by your support. My thanks to you all, and to >Unclejake for letting me use his email. > Many people have enquired as to what is the best way to support Big >Mountain and the resisters, so I offer the following thoughts. > The question of how to support an issue can sometimes be complex. >Sometimes its easiest to pop a cheque in the mail to some big organization, >and let them take care of it. However, as usual, the easiest solution is >rarely the best. If you are like me, that is to say have access to less >than infinite resources, you would want to make sure your support was as >effective as it could be. Most bang for your buck, so to speak. The >question of support for Big Mountain is complicated by a couple of factors >that contribute to misunderstanding. Both of these factors are intrinsic to >what the traditional Dineh considers respectfully relating to others. The >first factor is that no-one speaks for anyone else. Each individual speaks >for themselves. Consequently there are no "organizations" that speak for >everyone. This can also give the illusion that resistance here is without >unity. The second factor is that it is considered improper to tell another >person what to do. For instance I might ask a Grandma "do you want me to >chop some wood?" and I may well get the answer "I don't know", whereas if I >were to ask "would it be good if some wood got chopped?" I would more >likely get a positive answer. This again means there is some >misunderstanding of what the elders are saying, if the question was asked >in a particular way. > Therefore it should be absolutely clear that anything I write is just me >speaking for myself. Its just my opinion, though it is opinion that is >informed by listening to the Grandmas and the rest of the people here, and >by observing how different forms of support affect their struggle. > In the following visual metaphor, the boundary between "bands" is blurred, >and energy travels in towards the center, and also outwards. > Imagine a circle with concentric circles inside it, kind of like a bulls >eye. In the outer ring I would place support activities that fall under the >heading of outreach and awareness. Such simple things as talking to your >friends and family about what is happening here. Producing material such as >video and flyers. Writing to politicians. Getting stuff in the >media.(forwarding this email?) The more attention that gets focussed here, >the safer these people will be. On the next band in I would place all >support activities that allow the resistors themselves to speak out. Such >things as providing lodging, food, and travel costs to allow resistors to >attend benefits, rug shows, court hearings, and also (gulp!) help with >lawyers. Such simple things as postage stamps, enevelopes, fotocopying >cash, etc. As we get closer to the heart of the resistance here we come to >the next band, on-land support. There are people who come here and help out >by herding the sheep, chopping wood, hauling water, driving the elders, >fixing things etc. In the main these people live so far below the poverty >line that its laughable. Many times a little sponsorship of food, tobacco, >etc means they could stay longer. Also there are organizations that help >provide on-land support and do not use any donations except to support the >people here. The presence of people here acts as a deterrence to the abuses >of certain "law enforcement agencies". As the deadline approaches, this >kind of support will be more necessary. Most people cannot come here, but >maybe you can support those who do. For myself, the strength of the >resistance here comes from daily life,... a way of life,... a way of "being >in the world". Anything that is done to aid these people simply live their >lives, contributes to the resistance. So we come to the next -to-last ring. >Helping the people live their lives. At any particular time, you could ask >a family what their pressing needs are and you would get differing answers. >For some it might be food. For others gas money. For someone else a part to >fix their truck. Maybe some building supplies for repairs. Or hay and grain >for the animals.Again, I know of organizations that bring in food and >supplies and don't spend donations on administration. The centre of the >mandala I have been constructing for you is ceremony. The people here have >resisted the multinational corporations and U.S. government for close to 30 >years. (some would say 500 years). I know of no-one else who has succeeded >in this to the extent of these people. The reason is ceremony. This is >where there strength comes from Ceremonies. can be expensive, so any >financial support given for this purpose is, as far as I'm concerned, the >most effective place to put money. > I have of course omitted the simplest, yet most inconvenient, way to >support here,.... BUY LESS STUFF! Use less water, electricity, oil, etc >That is the ultimate cause of the situation here. Our unacknowledged greed >is what fuels the need for the genocide being practised here and in too >many other spots on the planet. I do not subscribe to the commonly held >view that all of this is inevitable. We need to just say no, and the best >place to start is in our own daily lives. Examine the things you purchase, >ask yourself which part of the planet was raped to provide it, which people >have suffered to provide it to you so cheaply. Most of all ask yourself do >you really need it. Each of us is complicit in varying degrees to the >situation here at Big Mountain. We have a choice. > The preceding ramble shows, I hope, a wide array of opportunities for >people to make a difference. If I can be of any assistance in connecting >sources of support with recipients of support, then please contact me. In >offering support here I would ask you to think about what it is you would >want your support to achieve, and I would reccomend that you try to make a >personal connection, and build upon that. I must strenuously add that for >myself I am not asking for any money, got no need for the stuff. I have a >warm, dry place to sleep, and most days my belly is full. My other needs >amount to tobacco, good non-fiction books to read, and postage stamps, most >of which is met by gifts from friends. > While I was writing this piece I was pleasantly interrupted by the visit >to the office of two of the Grandmothers, Pauline Whitesinger & Roberta >Blackgoat. I asked them what I should tell you, and this is what they said. >Roberta says "Tell them to write to the Congressional leaders and tell them >that the Creator placed all the indian people in their own lands, with >their own language and ways, so if the Government wants to move us off our >land they should first of all SUE THE CREATOR." Pauline says " I need lots >of help here on the land. There are Hogans and corrals to be repaired and >built." I would add that those unwilling to work hard need not apply. >Paulines address is PO Box 1073, Hotevilla, AZ 86030. Robertas is PO Box >349, Kykotsmovi, AZ 86039. They can also be reached thru this email >address. > Roberta is I'm sure well known to many of you. There are hundreds of >articles in newspapers, magazines and books, and hundreds of hours of her >presentations on video and audio tape. At the continued expense of her >health she still travels widely to tell people about what is happening >here. Pauline is maybe not so well known, so I would like to tell you about >one of the first times I met her. > It was Thanksgiving. I had just picked up 2 other sheepherders and we were >heading towards Big Mountain. We were attired in our sunday-go-to-meeting >clothes, which to the untrained eye looked just like the clothes we herded >sheep in. I was driving War Pony, an "older model" pick-up truck. If War >Pony ran for 6 months of the year then it was a good year. For the last 2 >days it had performed admirably, driving several hundred miles delivering >food to the outlying homesites for Thanksgiving. Every year a caravan comes >to the mesa from all over the States and we deliver food and supplies to >all the families here. We were heading to Big Mountain to meet up with all >the people of the caravan to celebrate the successful conclusion of the >food run with a feast prepared by a culinary magician. For us sheepherders >the attraction was less the food, but that rarest of commodities here, >human company that spoke english. We passed Paulines home, which is the >only homesite on the road for many miles in both directions, and it began >to snow. A couple of miles down the road we came upon a figure striding >along. It was Pauline. Dressed in an indeterminate, though large, number of >layers of clothing, topped off with an apron. On her head a scarf. Her face >painted in Chee, the red clay worn to protect against sunburn, windburn, >and coldburn. Slung over her shoulder she carried about 20 pounds of heavy >link chain. She joined us in the cab of War Pony, 4 in a cab being standard >here on the rez. I am not fluent in Navajo, but I know enough to be able to >interject the appropriate exclamations at the right point to give the >impression that I understand what I'm being told. Consequently Pauline >believes I understand more than I do, so whenever we meet she chatters away >continuously. Today was no exception. It turned out that she was on her way >to her truck which had broken down. Paulines truck is also an "older model" >pick-up, and if it runs for 3 months of the year then its been a good year. >On reaching her truck we all got out, and, being guys, we had to twiddle >around under the hood for a while until we reached the conclusion that >Pauline already had, that it was broken. All the time Pauline was >animatedly explaining and pointing to places in the engine where flames had >issued. There is a twinkle in Paulines eye that ones sees quite often in >the elders here. As she spoke she smiled constantly and found the whole >situation humorous. As we came to the conclusion that nothing could be done >for the truck now, the point of the chain became clear. It was to lock up >the hood so that the Hopi rangers or BIA could not sabatoge the engine. I >asked her if I could give her a ride home. NO, NO, she said vigorously >shaking her head. She pointed out,.... her sheep were out there and some >were having babies, so she needed to go find them. She strode off into the >thickening snowstorm. Pauline is in her seventies. She lives alone, miles >from anywhere. Her knee was bad. Her truck was broken. She had no >sheepherder. ( It was a meager year for sheepherders, I knew of only half a >dozen of us spread over the whole Mesa.) And yet there was no complaint in >her voice, only laughter. It is a privilege to be around such wisdom and >strength. (As a footnote to this story I'd tell you that later that night, >on my way home from the feast, War Pony broke down. The last 10 miles I had >to walk. I chuckled) > One of the many blessings that my life as a sheepherder has ( limitations >of Hard disk space forbids me from listing them all, I only have a couple >of Gigabytes) is that I get plenty of time to read. I recently came across >a couple of snippets of information that I wish to pass on. They are from >the book "The Kit Carson Campaign. The last great navajo war." by Clifford >E. Trafzer and is about the round up of the Dineh last century and their >herding to the concentration camp at Fort Sumner. >pg 104 "Colonel Carson believed that a major reason for the failure of the >expedition was that the Hopis were acting in concert with the Navajos, who >were "continually advised of the movements of any body of troops operating >in the vicinity of the Moquies (hopis)." To correct what Carson considered >to be a problem, he told Carleton that there was a great "necessity of >removing them (the Hopis) to some more hospitable section of the >country.... where they would be out of the power and influence of the >Navajoes." He stated that "until they are removed I am satisfied that there >will always be a barrier opposed to the removal of the Navajoes." >pg 114 " Before Carson arrived at their villages, he "was credibly informed >that the people of that village (Oraibi) had formed an alliance with the >Navajoes,"..... > What!!,... how could this be? For years the U.S governement and the Hopi >Tribal Council have been insisting that the Hopis and Navajos have always >been enemies. Half a billion dollars of taxpayers money has been spent >ostensibly to "solve" this ancient dispute. Why would they lie? All along >the Dine and the traditional hopis have been saying that there was no land >dispute and that it was an attempt by HTC and feds to gain control of the >coal. Could they be right? A little later in the book some more evidence >surfaces. >pg 182 "Several ranking officials in New Mexico had wanted the Navajos >removed in 1864, believing that Navajo land was "as rich if not richer in >mineral wealth than California." Henry Connwlly, governor of the territory, >as well as the New Mexican legislature, reported to Congress that "vast >deposits of gold, silver, and other valuable minerals" could be found in >the mountains of Navajo country. The reason that these mineral deposits had >not been exploited by whites was because they were "in possession of the >savages, who are living on the flocks and herds of our people." The Indians >were not "developing" these natural resources, and many leaders and >inhabitants of New Mexico favored their removal from the mountains and >deserts as a means of stealing Navajo lands and establishing "legal" claim >for the mineral wealth they fully expected to find." > Well of course, we now know that the gold and silver wasn't there. To >America the land once again became worthless, and the Navajo were allowed >to return to it. > Fast forward some years and the situation changes. Coal, oil, and uranium >become valuable and the Navajo country is rich in all these mineral >resources, but wheres Kit Carson when he's needed? Dead of course, and his >methods are no longer politically expedient. Enter John Boyden, stage left. > Back in the real world things are relatively quiet on the mesa right now. >Just life to be getting on with. The Hopi Tribal Councils propaganda >machine appears to have ground to a halt. Probably off licking their wounds >somewhere,.. trying to figure out why no-one believes them. ( Hint, try >telling the truth guys.) The BIA/Hopi Rangers are keeping a low profile. >Probably all off on some training course in some new hi-tech toys they got >with all that coal money. For us it means more time and energy can now be >focussed on what needs doing to keep life going. Cornfields to hoe. Rugs to >weave. Ceremonies to plan. Puts me in mind of a verse from what is reputed >to be the oldest Chinese poem. > Dig your well and drink its water; > Plow your fields and eat your harvest; > What has the Emperors might to do with me? > But always we are waiting to see what game they are going to pull on us >next. Its also a time when "interest" "out there" tends to slacken. But , >dear readers, you're still paying attention, right? It continues to >rain...... just as the garden is drying out and I think I might need to >haul some water for it, it rains again. In fact it is so wet here that I >have heard some people from Seattle consider it safe enough to visit! The >sheep are out long hours. This is the time of the year that sheepherding is >at its easiest. Payback for the laborious spring. The flock are mellow. >Lots of grass so they move slowly, stay together, and are fairly >predictable. I am forced to spend many long hours sitting on a rock, >watching the clouds and sun travel the sky. Watch the grass grow. Watch the >boy sheep harass the girl sheep (Yes, its that time again, for the sheep at >least, if not for the sheepherder). An abundance of solace. Plenty of time >to ponder the wondrousness of this multiplex that is our planet. Plenty of >time to reflect upon the huge amount of stuff that doesn't make any sense >to me. Like why there are not thousands of people lining up, begging to >come here and do what I'm doing, and live with these amazing people on this >sacred land. > > But then, what the hell do I know,........ I'm just a sheepherder. > > "The limitation of tyrants is the endurance of those they oppose." > > Your prayers, support, and correspondence are invited. > > For all my relations > > Bo Peep > > reachable via [EMAIL PROTECTED] > >P.S. To all those who have written to me, please be aware that owing to the >pressing needs of the flock, the corn, and the Grandmas, the office is >sometimes left unattended for weeks at a time. It may take as much as a >moon between when you write, and when you hear back from me. Around here >the information superhighway is a jeep trail. Please be patient, you will >hear from me. > >If you have received this update as a forward, but want to sure of getting >them in the future, please let me know and I will add you to the list. Also >if there are any "back issues" you don't have, again, let me know. > >STOP PRESS > >This just in. News is flooding into the office that yesterday (July 18th) >Hopi "Law Enforcement Agencies" paid a visit to Paulines cornfield and >informed her helpers that they were going to have to leave. The background >to this story is this: Its been a very wet year. This is good for the >cornfield, but it also means that by the time the field is weeded, its time >to start again. It also means there is going to be a bumper harvest. >Pauline is an elder and needs some help with all this labor. Consequently a >few women have pitched 2 tents by the side of the cornfield to do all the >work (The cornfield is some distance from the homesite). There is a girl >approximately 7 years of age. A woman in her twenties. A woman in her >forties. A woman in her sixties. Pauline herself is in her seventies. How >the HTC can feel threatened by 5 generations of women engaging in life >sustaining activities such as hoeing and harvesting is beyond me. If you >happen to be by a phone right now, and have a couple of minutes to spare >you might like to call Wayne Taylor, The Hopi Tribal Chairman, and ask him >( politely of course) why it is necessary to threaten Paulines winter food >supply in this way. He can be reached on (520) 734 3000 . Please be polite, >the point is not to harass him, just let him know that people are watching >and are concerned. If he were to get some calls today it may cause the >harassment to stop. I am also reliably informed that his email address is: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >
