From: Thomas Taaffe <redorman@theofficenet.com> (by way of Robert
Dorman <redorman@theofficenet.com>)

Dear Friends,

Once again we are asking you to send a letter to someone who can make a
difference for the Dine'h currenlt being threatened with eviction from their
homes on Black Mesa. This Monday (or Tuesday if you use your e-mail only at
work) we are targeting Bruce Babbit, Secretary of the Interior and the
person responsible for oversight of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Please copy the letter below (editing this note out), sign it and forward it
to Secretary Babbit or craft your own letter (using this as a model if you
choose). "CC" a copy back to us at bambam@anthtro.umass.edu so that we can
monitor our success. Secretary Babbit's e-mail address is below.

So far our three week old campaign has grown dramatically, with letters
coming in from all over the US and Europe. Please forward this e-mail to
friends and family and any listerves that you may be on. We need as many
people as possible to alert Secretary Babbit of their concern. Each monday
we will target another politican or official and remind them of our concern.

Please take a moment and support the Elders on Black Mesa by sending this
letter on. On their behalf we thank you for supporting them.

Thomas Taaffe
Listserve Manager
Friends of Big Mountain
bambam@anthro.umass.edu

Secretary Bruce Babbit's e-mail address: bruce_babbitt@ios.doi.gov

Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbit
U.S. Department of the Interior
1849 C Street, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20240

Dear Sir,

I wish to appeal to you on behalf of the Dine'h people of Black Mesa in
Arizona, who are the subject of my deepest concern. With a sense of hope and
a desire for justice I implore your consideration and action, Secretary
Babbit, as I share this desire with thousands of supporters around the
world, recently including the European Parliament.

Currently preparations are being made, in part through your office and its
branches, to complete the removal of 12,000 traditional Dine'h, commonly
known in the Anglo world as Navajo, from their homeland. To these people,
the land that they have lived on since at least the late 1500's is linked
inextricably to their religious ceremonies, beliefs and practices. They
believe that if separated from the land, the spirits - which have, since
time immemorable, protected and nurtured them - will no longer recognize
them. So it is no surprise that hundreds of these people are struggling to
remain. Removing them from this land would be comparable to destroying the
churches and mosques of better recognized American religions. The latter
would be a crime punishable by imprisonment, and it has been noted even by
Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, Special Rapporteur to the U.N that the treatment of
Native Americans by the United Stated has been less than satisfactory. In
particularly he noted that "...the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court is
also seen as showing a lack of understanding of Native American values....
In general, it is essential to make society and the whole of the
administrative and political apparatus aware of the indigenous peoples'
religions and spiritual beliefs in order to prevent any attitude - often
involuntary because due to ignorance - of discrimination and intolerance in
the field of religion...."

In recent speeches you have admirably mentioned the importance of Native
American concerns and values in this country. So you must certainly be
aware, as the governor of Arizona during the terrible Rio Puerco nuclear
disaster of '79, that the area that the 3,000 remaining Dine'h are being
removed to, is this site! This is is not a place for human habitation,
especially not for the elderly and children. What immeasurable damage will
be done to the international prestige of the U.S. government, if even more
indigenous and innocent people should die or become seriously ill because of
their relocation to contaminated land? As one elder has pointed out,
"Thousands have already died because the U.S. relocated them to radioactive
land. "

Thankfully, it is within the power of your office to end the disaster the
Dine'h are facing, and in many ways can you also show your fair-judgment and
awareness in the determining what will become of them. Ensure and oversee an
end to the intimidation, harassment, and cruelty that many frightened Dine'h
elders consistently report they have been subject to at the hands of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs, including the presence of weapons in "visits" to
homes. Demand fair and just legal procedures and advocacy in the process of
relocation for every individual involved before it happens and before more
fabricated signatures are forged, (many cannot write their name let alone
understand English); for those being told they have no choice but to leave,
yet continue to resist for their beliefs and livelihood. Please ensure that
all communication with the Dine'h is structured so as to clearly inform
people of their rights under existing US law, and that these written
statements are not verbally misrepresented by the officials who deliver the
documents.

Please end confiscation of, and documented cruelty to, the livestock and
cattle of those resisting removal,. The current BIA policy - with regards to
livestock permits - is not motivated by the needs of range management; (one
woman was actually told that the sheep will be confiscated even if they are
in the corral.) Permits should humanely be granted for all the existing
subsistence herds of the Dineh on HPL. Issuing these permits would have
little impact on overall range capacity in the region, and it would avoid
the needless loss of human lives. Force Peabody Coal, the mining operation
responsible for coal-mining operations that damage their farmlands and
sacred gravesites, pollute the air and water, and deplete local aquifers in
Black Mesa, to comply with environmental regulations set by the EPA; and
show the elders that this relocation has nothing to do with corporate
interests in their sacred land. Perhaps get to know and learn about these
people and their ways, and speak with them, before finalizing their removal:
I am sure that they will welcome your open reception!

Secretary Babbit, the problems in the region were unfortunately caused by US
and corporate intervention. So the US has the obligation to justly and
swiftly correct these problems in a way that respects the right of the Dine'
h to continue their traditional way of life on their ancestral lands. You
have the list of names of those who have protested their removal from their
land, and you are in the position to decide what will happen to these
resistors. The Dine'h people and all of their supporters around the world
recognize your difficult position in the face of many conflicting demands in
resolution of these matters.

Sir, I beg that it be your primary concern to publicly and privately
acknowledge the basic human rights of these people, including freedom of
religion, freedom from exile, and from inhuman treatment and punishment, as
outlined in the Universal Declaration of human rights; and as I am sure you
will agree that they deserve. I want to thank you in advance for your time
on this important and urgent matter, and with most respectful sentiments, I
await your reply.

Sincerely,