letter2 | Poem

View From The Hogan #16 Changing season month ( October 2000)

Notes from Big Mountain

Ya'a'tee
        First off, regarding the article A TRUST BROKEN, A HERITAGE BETRAYED: Battle for Native American Rights, which I urged you to read. Last time I checked, the magazine still hadn't put it on their website, but the editor (editor@freedommag.com) will send you a copy of the magazine if you ask him. Those people here who can read english have given the article an enthusiastic two thumb up.
        This issue of VFH is going to consist primarily of the words of others. I have three statements from divergent sources to distribute. This first one is from Leonard Benally, a non-signer here. Many of you have heard Leornard
speak at events around the west.
ACTION ALERT FROM BIG MOUNTAIN
PHONE MOBILIZATION 2000
THE RESISTANCE CONTINUES AT BIG MOUNTAIN
Current statement from Leonard B. Oct 4th 2000
in South East Foothills, Big Mountain AZ
Oct 4 2000
        Greetings to the National and International concerned people.
At this time I'd like to respond to Department of Interior BIA Assistant
Kevin Gouer's recent apology to the Indian People for 124 years of Genocide.
        Now the US Goverment may be touched by the misery of the Indigenous people of Big Mountian and through-out the whole Western Hemisphere. Once again they are filling our souls with empty promises. And everyone
should know that US Department of Interior BIA harrassments and
intimidations continue against our Traditional Dine Tribal Native American Matriarchs within United States borders.
        Yes Senator McCain himself has participated in silencing the war that has gone on for 32 years. Today the BIA still uses starvation tactics on the
"Little People" by taking our livestock and water and the BIA and Hopi
Tribal Rangers continue to use armed paramilitary strategic gorce against
We have no phones, no running water and no electricity.
        Even though the BIA is apologizing for the past 124 years of genocide, they are at the same time escalating evil forces of something we do not
understand. And now the Hopi Tribal Council court hearings of Exculsion are isolating the Dine people from their family and friends. All we know is that our ways of Life, Ceremonial and Religous Freedom Rights are being violated. The list goes on as our human rights are violated on a daily basis. And here we are facing another harsh winter as the weather severity may be unpredictable and we are cast out of our own history according to the plans of the current US Goverment Laws.
        Because things are now moving so fast, we now know the BIA, Lehman Brothers Corporation and the Navajo Hopi Relocation commission want to exterminate us. There is word out that the BIA has already moved at least two US attorneys to Flagstaff AZ to complete the Department of Justice forced eviction as soon as petitioned by the Hopi Tribe to do so. The bottom line is that there is a corruption that no one wants to do anything about. This corruption is driven by the corporate and Federal greed for Mother Earth's Wealth of coal, uranium, oil, and water all of which lies beneath our sacred Dineh Alter.
        The BIA and Lehman Brother's Corporation (Peabody Coal Company) wants to steal the mineral and natural resources from the Dineh Alter. This Religous Intolerance by the US Government also has tremendous Global impact on the environment. This is why we are turning to the outside world to request urgent phone calls, hundreds and thousands of them to stop what the BIA/Peabody Coal Company has planned for us.
        We have spent 32 years in Resistance. We will continue to Resist and we will never surrender. We need concerned citizens to build a phone mobilization with calls directed to the offices listed below. This is our
next step in making Federal Tribal Officals accountable for genocidal
policies.
        Its time to stand together and walk together on the same path, all of us who support Big Mountain must now unify. We are calling for solidarity. This is the only way we know we are not alone in our struggles and not dying alone, nor in silence anymore. It requires all of us to take a great risk to stand with courage unifed on one truth for the People's rights to live the right to eat, the right to pray, and the right to bury our relations on our sacred homeland which is our birthright. These things are being denied. Even the right to carry on our cultural ancient ways of Life must be preserved.
         They are deaf to our problems because of the poor Life that inhabit us, the poverty, the neglect, and the list goes on.
        You and only you, the people, can protect "the Little People" from the Beast.
        The following "Beasts" need to be called, preferrably in the morning to tie up their phone lines. Remember, ask to stop all Human Rights and Religious Freedom Rights Violations as well as all the genocidal policies implemented on the Traditional Dineh People residing on the Hopi Partition Land.
With Respect and Solidarity with all peoples struggles,
Leonard Benally
Lehman Brothers Corporation
212.526.8381
Leave a message of your request for Richard Fuld, ask for Shawn Butler
Hopi Tribal
520.734.3707
Ask for the Chairman's and leave your request to protect Dineh Rights for
Chairman Wayne Taylor and Eugene Kahe, Hopi Tribal Council Chief of Staff.
BIA
Wendell Honanul
520.738.2225
Request that all livestock Impoundment stop and there be no livestock reduction. Demand a stop to all human rights violations and no guns carried
around the people.
Please call these telephone #'s once a week in the morning through January
to make them protect Dineh and Indigionous Rights and Human Rights. Please request the Hopi Tribe and Department of Interior to protect Big Mountain as a National Historical Cultural Preservation Site.

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