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The Hogan 09
The View From The Hogan #9 Month of frying snow (Jamuary) 2000
Notes from Big Mountain
(being an eye witness account of the on-going hidden war against Native
people)
Ya'a'tee
First off, I apologize for the length of time since I last wrote, I had a
dose of pneumonia, things have been real busy, and quite frankly I choose not
to spend too much time staring at a computer screeen.
So Thanksgiving came and went, and a good time was had by all. All the
families received food and supplies and hay. It was particularly enjoyable
seeing convoys of pick-ups loaded with hay zipping around the land. The
Thanksgiving caravans provide more than just material support. As Roberta
frequently tells the people here, "its not just food that you are getting.
These gifts come with prayers." A very festive time. Visits of old and new
friends.
The Men in Black had to impose their reality though. Imagine if all the
relatives and friends you invited to your home for a celebration were stopped
outside your door and interrogated. I.D's checked. License plates ran through
"the computer". It's my naive supposition about the law that police shouldn't
be doing such things unless they have proof or suspicion that a crime is or
will be committed. When visitors are harassed like that here, the only crime
involved is helping and supporting the people on the land. The truth is that
the people here have been living under constant surveillance, monitoring, and
general lack of privacy for many, many years. They have been treated as
criminals. This seems to me to be the essence of a Police State. And what is
their crime? Simply that they and their ancestors happen to be living on land
that is coveted by a handful of powerful and greedy men, white and red. I
have heard Hopi people refer to their villages as a police state. Villages
have curfews, and there is a palpable fear of "the Tribal Council", so it is
not just the Dineh residents of this land that are suffering.
As I'm sure you are aware by now, there is an awful lot that I don't
understand. Yet I am by nature a curious person, so in the large amounts of
time I have to quietly reflect upon things, my head is filled with many
"whys?". I try to understand the motives and make-up of the people who
organize and carry out this harassment. Do they feel as Eichmann did when at
his Nurenburg trial he said "Who was I to judge? Who was I to have my own
thoughts in this matter?". Do they seperate themselves from their actions? Or
do they actually enjoy their work? Are they driven by hate? Jon Norstog, a
white man employed by the Hopi Tribal Council had this to say "During my work
for the Hopi Tribe, I observed that some Hopis in positions of power hate
Navajos, believe they should be removed from the Hopi Reservation, and are
willing to act on their feelings." And why do these few individuals hate
Navajos? To get into that would mean turning View From The Hogan into the
National Enquirer, so lets just say that it usually turns out to be for
personal reasons, having nothing to do with a supposed land dispute.
As I ponder these things I read the headlines of the Hopi newspaper. A
State of Emergency has been declared on the Hopi Reservation. And the cause?
Domestic abuse and alcohol abuse. It seems that in 1998 there were 3,540
reported cases of both types of abuse, and for 99 they are expecting a 10
percent increase. In a population of 8-10,000, that seems like an epidemic to
me. The Hopi people and culture has been sustained for over a millenium, and
yet in just over 40 years of Tribal Council rule it has been turned into a
"little america". No wonder the Dineh residents here fear being under HTC
jurisdiction. The HTC's destruction of the traditional Hopi society and
economy is well documented, as an example, I qoute from "Sun Chief. The
autobiography of a Hopi Indian". The author, a traditional from Oraibi, had
this to say about the hopis of New Oraibi (later renamed Kykotsmovi, and the
base of HTC government. ) "...we did not get along well with the people
there. They were forsaking the Hopi religion and living like Whites,
interested only in earning money."
The HTC has recently put out a new wave of propaganda. They have been
silent since last summers debacle over the Sun Dance, and the main author of
that laughable proaganda is now silent. Kind of a shame really, as her
writings were so bad no-one could even begin to believe them. The new wave of
lies stresses 3 points. That everybody is happy with the Accomodation
Agreement and that the dispute is over. That just a handful of people are
holding out, and that outside agitators are stirring things up. A very poorly
written op-ed piece in the Arizona Republic was little more than a mouthpiece
for a "Hopi woman" who expressed her fears about the possible trouble brewing
for the February deadline. Nowhere in the piece did it mention that the hopi
woman was in fact none other than the First Lady of Hopi, the chairmans wife,
affectionately known as "Imelda". One suspects that her fears are based on
the worry that if there is trouble she may be forced to cancel her beauty
parlor appointments. The HTC Chief of Staff seems to be the main author of
the new propaganda. In one of his pieces he wrote that "outside agitators are
streaming on to the Hopi Reservation preaching violence." It may well be that
the author has a medical condition that necessitates him taking large numbers
of legally prescribed medications, that, in combination cause serious
hallucinations and delusions. I can think of no other explanation for such a
statement. The people here have successful resisted NON-VIOLENTLY for the
past 26 years and continue to do so. Even a pro-HTC anthropologist grudgingly
admits "Altogether, as of 1993, far less physical conflict had resulted from
the situation in twenty years than an average American city of 20,000 sees in
a week."
So what is the purpose of these lies? We are being set up, I think. As
they have learnt from their mentors in Washington, by creating an illusion of
potential violence (Haiti, Grenada, Panama etc), the Men in Black can then
come in and perpetrate official violence.
Let me emphasise, the resistance here is non-violent, and will continue
to be so.
The absurd statement about "preaching violence" convinces me that the
suggestion I put forward some months ago, that there is a competition going
on with the HTC to come up with the most absurd statement is probably true,
and while the latest from them is certainly in the running for a prize, I
think I have stumbled upon the statement they are all trying to top. It comes
from 1985, and I found it in the back of Anita Parlows book "Cry Sacred
Ground", which remains, in my opinion, the best book on the so-called land
dispute. In it she interviews Wayne Sekakquaptewa who was at the time
Chairman of the Hopi Tribal Council. In the interview he states that yes,
while every other single member of his family is a Mormon, he himself was
not, but anyway, "THE HOPI RELIGION AND THE MORMON RELIGION ARE THE SAME,"
Whoooaaa!!!! For a second an image flashed through my mind..... a group of
white-skinned, pot-bellied men, stripped to the waist, dressed in skirts,
with painted faces, snakes held between their teeth, dancing in a Kiva under
Salt lake City..... but then I quickly realized that he must have been
misquoted, and what he meant to say was that the Hopi Tribal Council religion
and the Mormon religion are the same. That would be hard to argue with.
In December I payed a quick visit to Waynes World, and stopped in at the
pre-trial hearings for the Exclusion Orders against Kee Shay, Arlene Hamilton
(the organizer of last summers Education Camp), and some other person whose
name escapes me. The Exclusion Law is an insidious piece of legislation that
would allow the HTC to remove anyone from the Hopi Reservation if they
considered them "a threat to the Hopi Tribe". It's my understanding that this
"law" has been in existence for quite some time but has yet to be applied to
anyone. It's obvious that the HTC intends to use this law to remove support
from the Dineh living on the land, preferring to have the people freeze and
starve, and also they certainly don't want any witnesses to their official
harassment. Of course, if the law was applied properly, then the Tribal
Council would be "Excluded", as they are the biggest threat to the Hopi Tribe
that there is. Its hard to tell how the actual trials will go. Admittedly, I
am not a lawyer, but it sure seemed as if the HTC didn't have a case....
especially as the HTC's lawyer seemed to have gotten his Law degree from the
back of a cereal box,,but it will all depend on the judge. Some years ago an
organization of resistors blocked the renewal of the mines lease on the
grounds of all kinds of environmental issues,.... in that case the Judge was
sympathetic to the people, BUT the mine was open the next day.... the judge
was forced to take early retirement and his decision was overruled. When you
own the law, you can do what you want with it.
The exclusion trials were set for this month, but I have heard that they
have been postponed till March. I'll keep you informed.
The January/February issue of Mother Jones has a good article on the
situation here. Well researched, up to date, and compared to many things I've
read on Big Mountain recently, accurate.
A Pipe Ceremony is to be held at Camp Anne Mae (Sun Dance Grounds) nr.
Big Mountain on saturday January 22nd. All those in spritual solidarity with
the people on the land are invited to participate. Help with food and food
preparation for the day would be greatly appreciated.
From January 27th to Feb 2nd the "Save Black Mesa Prayer Walk" will take
place, from Flagstaff to Big Mountain. This is a continuation of a walk begun
by Japanese supporters in Japan. The aims of this walk will be "to pray and
walk in solidarity with the Dineh and Hopi, Japanese Supporters, other
International and American Supporters so that, Peace and Truth can prevail in
order to "Save Black Mesa" from environmental and cultural devastation, and
To bring about a greater awareness about how the threats against the Human
and Aboriginal Rights of the Big Mountain dineh can be an example of the
final annhihilation of all Indigenous peoples in America. Anyone interested
in taking part in the walk, or in supporting those who do can contact Bahe on
iindon49@hotmail.com, or in the evenings phone Diane on (520) 779 1496.
For those of you who are planning on visiting the land for the first
time, I reccomend the following website:
http://www.onejourney.com/activism/index.html
There is a page of advice for visitors that is very good
Back in the real world, life goes on. This may not sound like exciting
news, but in fact its the best news there could be. Life goes on , IN A GOOD
WAY. The sheep need to go out, whether its December 25th, Jan 1st, or even
Feb 1st. The wood needs chopping. Rugs are woven, and ceremonies held.
What exactly do I mean by "in a good way"? I'm not sure I can give a
complete answer to that, but a hint maybe gotten by describing daily life.
I wake some hours before sunrise. I make a fire and put on a pot of
coffee. The hogan is such an effecient building that I don't need to keep a
fire going all night. 18 inches of wood and mud, and no windows, means that
the inside stays warm all night. (Conversely, in the summer entering the
hogan is like entering a cool cave). I then take a flashlight and head to the
corrall and check on the little ones. Then to Grandmas house where I empty
the ashes, start a fire and put on another pot of coffee. Then its back to
the hogan where I drink coffee, read, and write till the eastern horizon
starts to lighten. Then its over to the house and I fix breakfast for us
both. After breakfast I feed the dogs and cats, empty the greywater bucket
(in the spring and summer it goes on the garden), fill up the kindling box
and firewood box in Grandmas house, fill up the water buckets (if I can break
through the ice in the barrels.) If we've head a fresh snowfall I clear a
path to the outhouse, known as "the office", (incidentally, toilet paper is
known as "treaty paper" for obvious reasons). After that I chop some
firewood. I use the "double-heat" method for firewood,... first I get warmed
by chopping it, then later I get warmed again by burning it. Then it's time
to pack a bag and suit up to take the flock out. First chore is to catch the
little babies and pen them up in their own kindergarten corrall. There are
days that I get low, or grumpy. At those times, all I have to do is watch a
week-old lamb running, and jumping, gamboling about, to be reminded of the
simple exuberance of life. An exuberance that is infectious. This time of the
year herding is harder... I probably walk 4 or 5 times as far as the sheep as
I am constantly having to keep them close together.... I need to be able to
keep my eye on all of them as they are having babies. Mid afternoon I get
back with the flock, give them some hay and water and then have lunch myself.
If Grandma is busy weaving then I'll make it for us, otherwise it will be
waiting for me. The rest of the daylight is used in hauling water, hauling or
chopping wood, fixing things. Before sunset I put the flock in the corral for
the night, then make sure Grandmas firewood box is stocked and water buckets
filled. After supper I spend the evening by kerosene light, reading, writing,
beading, and carding wool. Before hitting the sack I go over to Grandmas
house and share a cup of tea while we giggle about the events of the day, or
make plans for the next, one last check of the corral, then sleep, looking
forward to the next day.
The days aren't spent attempting to amass personal wealth,... or to
possess lots of "stuff", or in any way to control other people. The people
here are not good consumers (a heretical position in the dominant society),
they are not wage-slaves. I think this is the crux of the drive for the
continued destruction of these people, and all the remaining traditional
people. Warmaker teaches us that Homo Economicus is the high point of human
evolution. We are taught that "getting ahead" is our natural aim, no matter
that it is at the expense of others and the planet. We are taught that
competition, greed, and fear, are our natural condition, and that possessions
can give us the feelings of satisfaction, peace, happiness and love that we
crave. We are taught that "that is the way life is". So as long as people and
cultures exist who get along fine without these ways of being, there is the
possibility of doubting the "truth" of the dominant societies hegemonic
ideology. I think many people feel that the "American way of life" (that
thing that countless number of humans must die to protect) is not the right
or natural way to live, but lack the example of alternatives. This is the
value of cultural diversity. While people such as these at Big Mountain
continue to exist "in a good way", then Warmaker feels threatened.
I don't dispute the part played by the billions of dollars worth of coal
under this land, I just think the fanatical drive to make the world over into
the image of Warmaker is a deeper cultural trait than even greed, and that
the simple fact of the resistors existence is reason enough to spend millions
of bucks to eradicate them.
A few years ago I was hitch-hiking across the rez and got a ride with a
Navajo gentleman who owned the franchises on the rez for a certain national
fast-food chain. He lamented that "Navajos have no business sense". When they
go to college, they study medicine, law, or teaching,... as ways to help
others, and that when they set up a business, and are successful, all their
relatives turn up for a slice of the pie. That helping people and sharing are
things to be discouraged is a sad indictment of the state of Babble-on,...
unfortunately, through the schools and television, it is becoming a more
common attitude on the rez.
Visitors have commented that our life on the land is "hard",... maybe it
is, but it is fairly simple. Out there in Babble-On, with a plethora of
comforts and conveniences, life may be "easy", but it sure is complex.
And today, January 1st 2000, I wake to a beautiful sight,... a couple of
inches of snow blankets the land, and for most of the day it snowed more. It
has been over 100 days since we had any appreciable precipitation, and the
land was parched. The immediate benefit of the snow is that I don't need to
haul water for the flock for a while now. Longer term benefit is that as the
snow melts into the ground, it becomes what the grass uses to grow later in
the spring. If we get more snow, then that snowmelt is what the corn uses to
grow later on when we plant. The clay soil holds the moisture a foot or so
below the surface. The land blanketed with snow makes it even more beautiful
than normal.
I'll end with a quote from Samuel K. Wilson, a non-signer from Mosquito
Springs:
"Mother Earth has her own sacred names and prayers. She has her own
traditional songs. She has her own actions, that's how medicine people heal.
They can talk to Mother Earth for a better way of life. That's how we are
balanced with Mother Earth. There is no concept of an Accommodation
Agreement."
But then, what the hell do I know, I'm just a sheepherder
Thank you for giving me your time by reading this
Your prayers, support, & correspondence are invited
"If you act like there is no possibility of change for the better,
you guarantee that there will be no change for the better. The choice is
ours. "
BoPeep
(reachable via unclejake74@hotmail.com)
P.S. To all those who have written to me, please be aware that my highest
priorities are the flock, the firewood, and the Grandmas, email is not,
therefore it may take as long as a half moon between when you write, and
when you hear back from me. Around here the information superhighway is
sometimes no faster than the Pony Express. 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.
Please feel free to distribute (unedited) this email.
