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The Hogan 05
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 unclejake74@hotmail.com
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:
jnahee@hopi.nsn.us.
