Norman Tsinniginnie
Planner and Parent from Antelope Wells
P.O. Box 1139-340
Sanders, Arizona 86512
September 4, 1997

The Honorable Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, Chairman, Senate Committee on Indian Affairs,
Senator Pete V. Domenici, Senator John McCain
U.S. Senate, Washington, DC 20510

Congressman Christopher Cannon, Congressman J.D. Hayworth, Congressman Bill Redmond
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington, DC 20515

Dear Senator Campbell, Senator Domenici and Senator McCain,
Congressman Cannon, Congressman Hayworth and Congressman Redmond,

Re: Community development projects for the New Lands

On behalf of my family, my relatives, my community, the New Lands Inter Youth Group, and the other 12 surrounding communities within the New Lands area, we are writing to request your help to obtain a release of funds from the Navajo Hopi Indian Relocation for the creation of a library, 13 units that will contain basketball courts, baseball fields, volleyball courts and community meeting houses with ramada, picnic area. We are aware that this coming fiscal year the New Lands is being allocated about $87,000 for Chapter House expenses and only $10,000.00 for community development projects.

I am concerned that with the impending phase out of the relocation program, certain monies must be allocated community development in the New Lands. Over 350 million U.S. taxpayer dollars has been spent to fund our relocation yet our children face an urgent crisis.

The National Education Association (NEA) passed a Resolution on July 6, 1997. It states: "This is the largest forced relocation of Native Americans since the 1860's. Forced removal causes Dineh children mental anguish, family disruption, community dissension and factionalization, poverty and psychological trauma. The stress is most high among the children causing them real physical and psychological depression. Some of the specific problems they face include increased drinking, truancy and loss of interest in school for the children. Forced relocation and its side effects impairs the well-being of these Dineh children."

The Nahata Dziil Chapter passed a Resolution on July 13, 1997. It states: The Chapter is primarily comprised of Navajos that have moved from the Hopi Partition Lands as a result of Public Law 93-531, the Navajo-Hopi Settlement Act and relocation has caused a lot of adjustments socially, mentally, emotionally and culturally and some of these problems include a high rate of drop outs, substance and alcohol abuse, violence, neglect and abuse, graffiti and vandalism, gangs, theft, poverty and stress and dysfunction due to many cultural factors facing Navajo families today. The Nahata Dziil Chapter is in need of resources and support to deal with the impact that relocation has caused. The youth of Nahata Dziil Chapter have limited activities to keep them out of trouble, therefore, active youth programs have formed and are seeking assistance to fund activities to keep them busy to stay out of trouble."

-1-
Letter to Senator Campbell, Senator Domenici, Senator McCain,
Congressman Cannon, Congressman Hayworth and Congressman Redmond
September 4, 1997
Page 2

In 1991, the Nahata Dziil Chapter became the newest addition to the Navajo Nation government for the Navajo Nation Relocatees. Our children, suffering from the negative effects of relocation have also been forced from their homeland to an alien place outside the boundary of our birthplace. It is for these reasons that we wish to request funds be released by the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, the U.S. House of Representatives and the Office of Management and Budget to cover the estimated cost of 1 community library equipped with computers and internet access totaling $200,000.00, 13 recreational ball fields totaling $100,000.00, one for each community and 13 community meeting houses totaling $130,000.00.

Antelope Wells is one of 13 communities suffering from relocation effects in a very isolated area. It is 15 miles south from Sanders and 40 miles north from St. Johns. All of our communities have a great problem because our youth denied access to recreational areas hitchhike to nearby communities to play with and meet their friends. While in these neighboring communities they are been getting into youth gangs, violence, suicide, homicide, drugs and alcohol. We want to create a library and recreational facilities in our community. We would like to have our youths near home especially when the recreational parks are completed. We appeal to you to help us obtain access to this funding.

In addition, we are requesting you ensure the B.I.A. Branch of Roads Maintenance completes the pavement from Cottonwood Lane to Hillview Drive, about 100 yards. This road is used as a bus route for students who attend Sanders Unified Schools. Right now the road is dirt and during bad weather conditions, buses have difficulty getting across.

The Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation has been handling any money received rather than disbursing it to the Nahata Dziil Chapter, and we have been denied access to any money requested even though it will do the most good for our community. We have brought the attached proposal to the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation in Flagstaff, Arizona, however, after repeated attempts we have received no response from them. It is for these reasons that we request your help.

It is my sincere hope that you will make the realization of these projects your top priority. It is within your power to alleviate at least some of the pain and suffering endured by my people. I am looking forward to your response.
Yours sincerely,

_________________________
Norman Tsinniginnie

cc: Chris Bavasi, Executive Director Chuck Reinhardt, Chair
Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Peace and Justice Caucus
Post Office Box KK National Education Association (NEA)
Flagstaff, AZ 86002 Fax: 973/764-0579

Attachments: Resolution of the National Education Association (NEA)
Resolution of the Nahata Dziil Chapter
Proposal and accompanying documents

Testimony
Norman Tsinniginnie
Planner and Parent from Antelope Wells
P.O. Box 1139-340 Sanders, Arizona 86512
September 4, 1997

To: The United Nations Commission on Human Rights, the Center for Human Rights, appropriate Special Rapporteurs, the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, the Commission on the Status of Women, all appropriate UN fora, Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), European Support Network, Supporters, US Congress, Navajo Hopi Indian Relocation Commission

The windmills where I live in the New Lands have run dry. They usually have water. The wind is blowing which should provide us water. But we are affected by water drawdown of the Navajo aquifer. And we are uncertain about health risks from the water we drink.

There is supposed to be money for land improvement, housing improvement, millions of dollars has been allocated through relocation. All of the money is going to waste, bureaucratic travel from the New Lands to Flagstaff. We do not have any recreation facilities. The Relocation Commission gets grants to do projects. Money not used has to be returned, thousands of dollars back into the U.S. treasury and we are denied services and facilities promised. There is just endless paperwork, proposals. And then when the paper is done they say there is another project that has to be done first, excuses to deny us the money we should be using for our kids. If we were provided the money for a community library, ball fields in each of our 13 communities and community hogans our kids would not go to Sanders, doing drugs, alcohol. It would keep our kids closer to home. Some kids get killed down there. The best thing is for our kids to remain here where it is safer.

Many of my people say we have no rights, human, constitutional rights. They have all been taken away. The 1st Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives us religious rights. Here where we live, the places that we go to pray, they say if we relocated we can never go back to. Now there are only gates to go through, some with padlocks that we cannot open.

Down here on the New Lands, there are policies for livestock. We are affected by the same ordinances as on Hopi Partition Land (HPL). We have the same restrictions. But here they give us 1 acre, no space so the Relocation Commission has all the control. This is too close for traditional people to live. It creates conflict. There was more space back home. Here we have no privacy. And Navajo Rangers conduct surveillance of our grazing just like Hopi Rangers did.

I have lived here for 3 years and the house is already cracked. All the fences are falling down already. The materials used to make our homes are cheap materials and have rotted out already. This is not quality work. Some houses have already had the roof fall in. One time it almost hit a baby. These houses are unsafe and unsanitary. The sewage backs up into our homes. Many people that relocated, the mortgage took everything they have and when they lost their home they went back to live off their parents. There are many still out there on HPL, living in 1 room, trying to continue their traditional life.

-1-

I invite the appropriate Special Raporteurs. The majority of people living here would like to know that someone is listening to them. I feel like the New Lands is a police state here. We are told on even by our neighbors, forced to live so close together in such wide open space. People's behavior has changed considerably. There is no space where from what they had.

My family would like to move back to where they came from, their ancestral lands. They would have liked to have always remained on their land. The 4 Rivers surround the reservation. It is said once you leave the boundary you leave your spirituality. The Rio Puerco outside here feels like we left everything on the other side of the River. Often it seems like there is no place for us that live here.

The U.S. government not only forcefully relocated us here but also forcefully relocated the Native people that used to live here. Why didn't they give us national park land. This should have been our aboriginal right. Whey would they force us to live here? The people who used to live here want their land back. They were forced off.

There is a lot of intermarriage with Hopi, Zuni, all denied the right to live on their land because they are denied a right to land, livestock, relocation benefits and livelihood, unable to sell their crafts. This is called a trade policy. Even our children are denied their cultural heritage because they are denied the right to live on their ancestral land, their schools here do not even teach Dineh. If this continues our cultural teachings will disappear. These policies have created a lot of displaced people, thousands and thousands, denied everything.

We were promised jobs, houses that would last more than a few years. If you ask us why we moved here you will hear it is because we were coerced and threatened and afraid of livestock impoundment's, denied adequate housing. I have heard that under international law no one who is exiled can be denied the right to return home. As for me, my heart is set somewhere else, where I was born, where my love is. That's the only place I think of.

Here no matter how hard we try to live by all their policies, instead of resisting, we are still afraid of getting thrown out of here too. Many of our people that relocated here only did so because they did not know what else to do and they could not endure any more suffering, harassment and livestock confiscation's by the Hopi Rangers, U.S. government. Because they were denied all services, everything. I moved here because I married into a relocated family here. And it is on their behalf that I speak.

A lot of these people want to be allowed to go home to HPL. We reject policies that say we are forever forbidden to return home. Our children want a home. They cannot have a home here. The U.S. government never considered our children. Here many families have no home. That's what they want, they can't have livestock and other cultural values. But their policies to get rid of us is working because we are seeing our heritage and culture denied, especially to our younger generations.

Many of our people that relocated lost their homes because they couldn't handle their light and water bills. Some just went into the cities and live on the streets. Many of our children are suffering because we relocated. They do not even have a right to build a home or have land to live on. They are denied a housing permit, they are denied a livestock permit, they are denied a future.

-2-

For those of us that have livestock, we have to keep them corralled or we are given a citation for impoundment. I received a 10-day notice of livestock trespass dated August 20, 1997. I got it on August 27, only 3 days before they start impounding. 25 CFR 700.725 Section. So I had to move my animal to where there is no water and food. My animals need water and food. But this is what the notice says. Some of the elders here have no strength or horses to move their animals and stop the confiscation's. Here the Navajo Rangers are doing the same thing as Hopi Rangers. I get notices about every week. Then if I get enough they will take my permit away.

They do this just to harass us. If our animals are unbranded they can get impounded. Branding is not the Navajo beauty way and horses have their place in the Beauty Way in songs and prayers. These confiscation's are being done by the U.S. Government Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation. Norman Lowe is the Supervisory Range Conservationist. These practices need to be investigated. Also, the area hospitals need to be investigated because they are experimenting on my people.

We want our voices to be heard as the Manybeads case is going up to 9th Circuit Court. We are the people suffering because we have been relocated. We don't want alcohol and drugs, they are not good. What we want is to get away from here and live our private lives on our homeland, HPL, again.

_______________________________________
Norman Tsinniginnie

-3-