Huck and Genevieve Greyeyes

P.O. Box 814

Tuba City, AZ 86045

To: Ms. Mary Robinson, High Commissioner for Human Rights

Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance

Mr. Francis Deng, Special Rapporteur for Internally Displaced Persons

United Nations Commission on Human Rights

Mr. Wayne Taylor, Chairman, Hopi Tribe

Mr. Milton Bluehouse, President, Navajo Nation

Re: Withdrawal from the 75-year lease Agreement

We signed the 75-year lease Agreement because we were promised that we could fix our home and build all of our children a home. We are great grandparents with 9 children. There are a lot of families from this house and they want to be able to live here but have no rights to a house. When we have a family gathering we have 39 cars and pick up trucks here. We have a family tree that we keep and add all our great grandchildren names to it.

When we signed the Agreement we believed them that we could build homes but when we went to ask them about building homes and fixing our home, they told us that they had no funds for us. So we told them we want them to erase, withdraw our names as signers of the Agreement. We didn't want to sign but were told that if we did not sign we would lose our house and we want to stay on this land forever.

Our children are displaced, trying to make a living and support a house somewhere else where they don't want to be. The US government and Hopi tribe only counts 2 of our children but we have 9 children. 7 of our children have never benefited and have no rights.

When we asked the Hopi officials about this they said "It was all over for us in 1974." This is the only answer we ever got. On the Navajo side, Jerry Nez and Betty Tso are threatening our people. They are saying "If we don't comply our animals will get impounded." They are working against their own people. All they say is, "Are you going to relocate or sign, you only have until the year 2000 before eviction." That is what they say.

The Hopi officials said 5 sheep=1 horse. They said if we don't like it we can relocate. This is elder abuse. We have 66 sheep, 17 goats, 2 horses. They told us to reduce to to 27 sheep and keep our horses penned up 24 hours a day. Where are we going to get the money to buy hay? It is good for the land for our animals to graze. We still have our old grazing permit issued by the Navajo Nation. On this we are allowed to have 75 animals. We still have this Navajo permit and we stand by it.

I say, I do not recognize you, therefore I do not accept the terms of your limits. I still hold my Navajo permit and I do not recognize the Hopi jurisdiction. This is our main food source and while they count 20 we need at least 150. Also, this is our aboriginal place and our grazing area must be here not somewhere else.

We have a good way of life and never change it. We are already elderly. I am thinking what will they do, put me in jail? They have already bulldozed our 100 year old ceremonial hogan. I am a veteran of World War II. I have been here at this location since I married Genevieve, since 1952. This is her aboriginal land. And we are not moving.

We are aging and we need your help so we can fix our home. It is really cold in here in the winter and we are greatly concerned with how we can survive. Our roof and ceiling is falling in. We need an outhouse. We are not even allowed to build a bathroom. And we need a well for running water. Due to lack of access to water, we have to travel 43 miles each way to carry drinking water in 5 gallon containers. The water in the windmill near here is no good.

We cannot get a wood permit so we have to buy wood to make sure that it is not confiscated. A small truck load of wood costs us $50.00 and a 1/2 ton costs $70.00. Otherwise, we get our wood from Utah. The hauling permits and other laws threaten us. We are subject to so many laws and confiscation.

We need your help urgently. We stand by our human rights.

Sincerely yours,

Huck Greyeyes Genevieve Greyeyes

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