Rena Babbitt Lane and John Lane

P.O. Box 539

Tonalea, AZ 86044

 

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

Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, Special Rapporteur on Religious Intolerance

United Nations Commission for Human Rights

Mr. Wayne Taylor, Chairman, Hopi Tribe

Mr. Milton Bluehouse, President, Navajo Nation

Mr. Roman Bitsuie, Navajo Hopi Land Commission

 

Re: Withdrawl from the 75-year lease, Accommodation Agreement

Many of our elders have died from the effects of warfare, we call the relocation mental syndrome. For we who are elders, we are in need of housing, health clinics, the ability to drive on maintained dirt roads, have access to water. We call what we endure psychological warfare. We even need outhouses and live without bathrooms.

 

I never had a formal education and do not speak, read or write English. My husband and I have 6 boys, 3 girls, 13 grandchildren, 6 great grandchildren and they keep growing. There is nothing for them in the 75-year lease, Accommodation Agreement. When they all come we don't have space for all of them. We used to have a house but the Hopi took it down and put a barbed wire fence in so we can't get over there.

 

I was told I signed the Agreement, but if my name was there, they forged my name or used fraud . How could I have signed if I cannot write my name. I do not even know how my name is spelled. I use my thumb if I have to sign my name and I never did this. I do this on all the documents I have to sign. But the officials say I signed the Agreement, probably Harry Nez did this. I do not have any paperwork saying I signed the Agreement.

 

The officials were trying to bribe us to sign the Agreement. The US government - Department of Justice, Hopi and Navajo tribal officials came to our homes to tell us we had no choice and the Accommodation Agreement is a good way of planning. But they are lying. Not having an education I wonder how they can bribe us, like we will get a new house, that our livestock will not get impounded.

 

We are being allowed to have 40 units-between sheep, horses, cows, goats. If we have 20 sheep, the other half only allows us 2 horses and 2 cows at 5 units for 1 horse or 1 cow). That is not enough for our family. They are telling me they are going to impound the remaining livestock. Is this what the Agreement is about? Roger Attaki, Roman Bitsuie, Harry Nez-former relocatee came by and told me verbally, they didn't give me any documents-or any livestock impoundment notice. Jack Hathalie is in the same boat. If we never heard anything, say if we have anything over 40 sheep we will have to pay for other grazing units. To who? This is our grazing land.

 

At the same time this is happening, Fred Issac, half Hopi, mainly raised Navajo is taking over a lot of grazing. He doesn't have any limit. He has no hassles. He doesn't even live there. This and many numerous cases exist where hundreds of Hopi cows, not people are now grazing on the land we live on.

 

We are uneducated. Dineh-that's our way of life, live in peaceful way, happy. At the same time we suffer. We are over 70 years old. Who is going to hire us for a job. Our livestock is the way we survive. Roger Attaki came today telling me I could have 40 units total under the Hopi livestock permit. But we never accepted this permit. We have our old permit from the Navajo Nation. No such thing as Hopi permit or branding. We have our old permit and our Navajo brands.

 

I want to live here. This is the place I love. We have been threatened, intimidated, harassed, lied to and tricked. Before the deadline date, March 31, 1997, they said they would throw my possessions away, bulldoze my home, confiscate my livestock. But still I live here.

 

The officials came to give us 3 acre marks. They were doing a survey. I told them to leave. I did not want it. So they came again to bribe me. Offer me 3 acres, a house, water, promises. These promises were never met for anyone. They don't even have the money resources to help us get new homes, fix our homes, have access to water. I have to haul water for our livestock 3 times a day sometimes - 16 miles each way over very rough unmaintained dirt roads. The Rangers never even bring us water or hay, horse feed, they only tell us they do not have the funds to fix our homes and they want to impound our livestock. We were told that if we signed we could use the land the way we want. All broken promises. Bribes to collect signatures during the deadline date.

 

We look at the livestock as our relatives. We have prayers them. It is not a business. This is how we survive. But if you allow me to have only 6 sheep and I have an Enemy Way ceremony as I am currently a patient in ceremony-I would have to give away 6 sheep. And when the children come and we butcher. If they give me 20 sheep that is nothing. When the kids and grand kids and great grand kids come we have organic meat. The meat in local stores is very expensive. This is one of the ways we can share with our family and continue our traditional ways. And we can eat. We need sheep for our ceremonies, birthdays and families for major holidays. Always other people want to buy sheep from us. This is the way we survive. We want to be able to survive.

 

We don't want the Accommodation Agreement. We withdraw our name from the Accommodation Agreement. We don't want it and we don't like it. So, therefore I am not bound to a 3 acre homesite or a Hopi grazing permit and other permit restrictions.

I stand on my human rights and rights to my land. I pray the United Nations will hear our concerns.

Yours sincerely,

 

 

Rena Babbitt Lane John Lane

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