From: Robert Dorman <redorman@theofficenet.com>
>Date: Tue, 24 Aug 1999 23:51:57 -0400
>From: LISN <lisn2000@lisn.net>
>
>>Greetings Supporters,
>>
>>First of all, I apologize that I don't have any great
news about my
>>contribution to the resistors. I visited some of the key
Non-Signers this
>>past weekend, and I only brought to them my jesture of
support but I wish
>>I would have brought them hay or tons of donation. Oh
well, I was very
>>glad to see them and likewise they were because I rarely
have the chance
>>to visit them. I sort of hitched a ride up there and also,
was very glad
>>to visit and stay with my parents up there.
>>
>>I'm writing this forgoing translation mainly because Pauline
Whitesinger
>>expressed to me that what she had to say should be known.
She felt it was
>>urgent that everyone know of current activities by the
BIA and its
>>"Indian" agents who are continuing to intrude
on her ancestral homeland
>>despite her disapproval. I feel that besides these elder
words being just
>>updates it should be taken as what wishes and thoughts
of the elders are
>>as February 2000 nears. Furthermore, Uncle Jake's 'View
from the Hogan'
>>has already touch upon what Pauline has to say but she
has suggest that I
>>further restate her concerns and call.
>>
>>Special thanks to Uncle Jake for caring for the elders
and trying his best
>>to make assurance that they have water, and also, making
sure that the
>>support harvest camp (near Pauline's) has its needs met.
Many thanks to
>>all who still say prayers for the survival of the ancient
Dineh and Hopi
>>cultures of Black Mesa.
>>
>>In the Spirit of Chief Barboncito, Bahe
>>
>>
>>PAULINE WHITESINGER (August 20th 1999):
>>
>>The meeting today at the Hard Rock Chapter was only for
those resistor who
>>signed the Accomodation Agreement. It was not for us and
we had no purpose
>>in attending accept to be humiliated again by the Justice
Department and
>>the BIA Attorneys for the Hopi Progressives. Also, I have
come to realize
>>again that this Chapter (Navajo Nations' Sub-districts)
is invalid as far
>>as being a representative of all the surrounding Dineh
communities. It is
>>nonexistence because there were no Navajo elected official
at this Chapter
>>House. There was only the Hopi Vice Chairman who I mistakenly
thought he
>>was the Chapter's Council delegate, Lorenzo Bedoni. I
even called him,
>>Lorenzo Bedoni, until someone told me that he is the Hopi
Vice Chairman,
>>Eugene Kaye. The other official attendentees were the
Navajo Nation's
>>"Land-dispute" Office director, Roman Bitsui,
one of the BIA Police who
>>has been out here all the time this summer --the one with
the mustache,
>>and others who were supposely attorneys for the Hopis
and a representative
>>from Washin'don' (Washington D.C.).
>>
>>The podium was continuously dominated by Betty Tso who
translated what the
>>Official wanted this meeting was for. According to Betty
Tso's
>>translation, she said 'this Law' is unchangeable, and
it can't be argued
>>at all. Resistors or anyone else should not attempt to
waste their time to
>>confront the processes of this law (Accomodation Agreement).
It was said
>>also there will be a new law/policy soon to be implemented
and that
>>everyone will have to be aware of it and accept it. So
to me, basically
>>that meeting was to tell the traditional Dineh that, This
is the law, The
>>law will be implemented, This law will apply to you, and
A law you all
>>have to go along with. Once in a while she would let her
mom, Mae Tso,
>>come up and all she repeated was that the Signers' willingness
to
>>cooperate with BIA-Hopi's Lease Agreement and she hopes
to welcome Hopi
>>jurisdiction and its protections.
>>
>>I absolutely felt then, at this meeting, that I didn't
need to hear this
>>or that none of us traditional Dineh should continue to
just accept these
>>types of humiliations. So, I casually took the microphone
from the podium
>>and told the official about the recent incident. I told
and reminded the
>>BIA Progressive Hopis that they are violating many sacred
laws of the
>>Mother Earth. They have violated many sacred laws of the
Five Finger Race
>>(Human Rights). As you violate more of these sacred laws,
you and your
>>attorneys have gained millions of dollars every time our
traditional Dineh
>>population is decreased. The federal government awards
you all for making
>>way for future mining. Surely, many of you or nearly your
whole nation
>>will gain maxium profit but we Indians don't realize how
heavy the money
>>can become, and what other options are there for depositing
it besides the
>>BIA Trust? You the progressive Hopis will just carry this
load of money
>>for a short time until it breaks your backbone and eventually,
you will be
>>buried by this heavy load of money. I said this because
I want everyone to
>>know how I felt about their succress of their implementations
of 'the
>>Law.'
>>
>>[Author's Note: Concerning this next piece of words from
Pauline, it
>>should be understood that a ceremony was disrupted, more
severely than
>>this summer's Anna Mae Camp Sundance. The corn pollen
is the initial
>>sacred offering used in all Chant Way ceremonies of the
Dineh. Only a
>>woman can collect such pollen from the corn fields. This
woman often
>>prepares for this time of collecting the pollen as she
will pray and
>>mediate days prior to it. The day of the collection of
the sacred Corn
>>Pollen she will cleanse herself and put on clean clothing,
and as she
>>enters upon the sacred corn field she will chant the Beauty
Way Chants.
>>After the collection of the pollen the ceremony will not
end until the day
>>the pollen is sifted, dried and put into its buckskin
pouch. BYK]
>>
>>PAULINE, August 20th 1999: (continued)
>>
>>On August 18th just two days ago, I was in the middle
of loseing the
>>pollen off the corn stalk tassels into the pan when a
disturbance
>>distracted me to look up. I noticed that there was a BIA
Police officer
>>confronting my Non-Indian supporters who were hoeing the
weeds at the
>>other end of the field. I quickly stopped the collection
of the pollen and
>>sat the pan down, covered it with a clothe and hope that
the pan of pollen
>>doesn't tip over. Then, I rush down to where the comotion
was. I place
>>myself before the Police officer who was now following
the support women
>>and a little girl. He had a video camera and the supporters
were merely
>>trying not to be taped. I stopped him and told him why
is he harrassing
>>the women and why does he want them on video tape so bad
to be chasing
>>them around the field. I told him if he is Hopi he should
understand his
>>own culture that the Corn Field is a sacred place where
both sex must
>>respect each other. Because he is chasing these women
around can be
>>justified as 'Sexual Harrassment!' I told him. He kept
recording and still
>>trying to aim the camera at the ladies who had distanced
themselves from
>>him. I wave my hands in front of him and said Stop! When
he didn't listen
>>I slapped the camera upward and the camera flew up into
the air and landed
>>in the dirt near by.
>>
>>As he was dusting off the camera I told him, 'I, like
any other
>>traditional resistor, will from hereon take action upon
your
>>BIA-Washington D.C. intrusions. I hope to Great Spirit
that will not have
>>to harm each others' physical being because if we do harm
each other, we
>>humans are irreplacable or irrepairable. That camera can
easily be
>>replaced, but I have wished already not to hit you because
it is not you
>>who dictates the laws you are enforcing, today.' This
is what happened and
>>the ceremony of Corn Pollen Collection was interrupted
in this manner, and
>>I just have this weird feeling now. They (BIA Agencies)
are taking more
>>vigarous means to intrude and are really becoming aggressive
in their
>>continuous presences on my land because of my support
for having witnesses
>>on my land.
>>
>>Please, tell the supporters and concerned individuals
to tell the Hopi BIA
>>Agency personnel that we traditional Dineh resistor see
them as those
>>intending to sexually harass women in the middle of the
sacred corn field.
>>Also, they must begin to listen to what the Non-Signers
have to say and
>>they must not just go as they please upon our ancestral
lands. We will
>>take action if they continue these types of harassment
and intimindations.
>>I guess it is just me saying this but please understand
that I've been
>>targeted all summer and previously as well, and I have
become more extreme
>>in my confrontations these days.
>>