January 8, 2000

 

 

Hon. Eldridge Coochise
Hearing Officer
Hopi Tribe
8565 W. Granada Rd.
Phoenix, AZ 85037

Re: The Hopi Tribe Petitioner vs. Marsha Monestersky, Respondent in the Hopi
Tribe Exclusion Process, Hopi Indian Reservation, Kykotsmovi, AZ

Your Honor

As founder and president, I am writing on behalf of the Southeastern Native
American Alliance (SENAA) International, a Native American cultural
organization. Among our purposes are the preservation and
protection of Native American cultures and the protection of the human,
civil, religious, and constitutional rights of Native American nations,
communities, and individuals against infringement.

It has come to our attention that on Christmas Day, 1999, Ms. Marsha
Monestersky received a second Exclusion Order, called an "Amended Order of
Proposed Exclusion from the Hopi Tribe." It is my understanding that on 18-20
January 2000, Ms. Monestersky is to appear before a Hopi Tribal
Council court for a hearing to determine whether or not she will be allowed
to remain on the HPL among Dine'h resisters at Big Mountain, on Black Mesa,
Arizona. It is in regard to that proposed exclusion order
that I am writing to you.

Marsha Monestersky, continues to provide valuable information to SENAA
International and other organizations that are concerned with alleged human,
religious, constitutional, and civil rights violations that are being
perpetrated and perpetuated against Big Mountain Dine'h at the hands of the
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). The information that she provides is
confirmed by regular reports from other sources. In many reports from both
biased and unbiased sources, serious allegations have been brought against
the BIA and other parties who are said to be involved with these
infringements. With the February relocation deadline imminent, with mistrust
of the BIA at an all time high, and with speculations abounding as to the
course of action that the BIA's "final solution" will take, it would be a
foolish move on the Hopi Tribal
Council, the BIA, or the court's part to evict Marsha Monestersky from the
HPL. Such eviction has the potential of escalating into a serious and
dangerous situation for all concerned on both sides of the
controversy.

What each side has on its hands, at this point, is a veritable tinderbox.
Figuratively speaking, that tinderbox is sitting right in the midst of a
highly explosive situation. The exclusion of Marsha Monestersky at this point
in the debate could very well be the spark that ignites that tinderbox and
sets off a massive explosion of rumors, paranoia, and overt action by
extremists on both sides of the issue. SENAA wants to avoid any overreaction
and asks the court to exercise prudence and wisdom in making its decision
concerning Marsha
Monestersky's case.

To Dine'h advocates, this is not perceived as a dispute between Dine'h and
Hopi. This is seen as a corrupt BIA violating the human, constitutional, and
religious rights of a group of traditionalist Native Americans who are trying
desperately to hold onto the remnants of their culture. The consensus is,
"What happens to Dine'h will happen to all of us." Virtually everyone who
learns of the situation perceives this as a case of human rights violations
and cultural, if not literal, genocide of a targeted group of people that the
BIA and the Hopi Tribal Council wants to hide from the American public and
the rest of the world.

Evicting Marsha Monestersky will convince the world more than ever that their
perception is correct: that the BIA is committing human rights violations and
genocide and that the Hopi Tribal Council is a mere
puppet regime being manipulated by the BIA and Peabody Coal Company.

Marsha's presence at Black Mesa gives supporters and Dine'h a sense that
there is someone on the land as a witness. As long as there are witnesses on
the land, then Dine'h supporters feel that Dine'h are relatively safe from
outright massacre. There is a very strong contention among Dine'h supporters
that the BIA wants all witnesses off the land so they can literally murder
Dine'h resisters. Many, including Dine'h themselves, fear that the BIA and
Peabody will dispose of Dine'h the same way the FBI and ATF disposed of David
Koresh and the Branch Davidians at Waco, Texas. Dine'h literally fear for
their lives, and a vast number of Dine'h supporters share those fears.
Evicting Marsha Monestersky will validate those fears and bring upon Dine'h
and supporters alike a profound sense of impending doom. With such an
overwhelming sense of imminent destruction, it is a sure bet that panic will
ensue among Dine'h and supporters. Desperation results in desperate actions,
especially with the prospect of death looming over one's head.

It would be a gross misjudgment to underestimate the extent of Marsha
Monestersky's influence and the importance that her role plays in keeping the
resistance and its support on a peaceful level. She is held
in high regard internationally as an advocate for human rights.

As advocates of peace, nonviolent resistance, and nonviolent solutions, SENAA
International urges your honor to please consider all the likely
repercussions and not issue the exclusion order. For the sake of all
concerned, SENAA asks that you allow Marsha Monestersky to remain at Black
Mesa, on the HPL, among Dine'h until such time that this entire matter is
settled. Marsha is, after all, among Dine'h at Dine'h request.
She is a Dine'h guest.

Please enter this letter into the record as SENAA International's testimony
in favor of Marsha Monestersky's being allowed to remain among Dine'h on the
HPL as a Dine'h guest, as she has been for some time now.

Thank you, your honor, for considering SENAA International's plea. I trust
that you will see the wisdom of our considerations.

Awaiting your honor's decision on this matter, I remain

Sincerely yours

Thomas "Al" Swilling, Founder
SENAA International