From: "Charles M. Miller" <cms@charles-m-miller-aty.com>
>Subject: Dine
> You might be interested in these emails which I have recently
sent out:
>
>Kee Shay, a Dine resister, and Marsha Monestersky, an activist
who has been
>supporting and helping the resisters for the past several
years, have been
>served exclusion orders by the Hopi Tribe. Pursuant to these
orders, the
>Hopi Tribe hopes to exclude Kee Shay and Marsha from the Hopi
Reservation,
>which tribe contends includes the Hopi Partitioned Lands.
Hearings on the
>exclusion orders are set in January for Marsha, and February
for Kee Shay.
>If the Hopi Tribe prevails in these hearings, and excludes
Marsha and Kee
>Shay this will serve as a precedent for the Hopi Tribe to
serve other
>resisters with exclusion orders. As it stands now, it remains
unclear what
>the Justice Department will do next February 1, 2000 with
regard to the
>resisters. With this uncertainity the Hopi Tribe is looking
for ways it
>can evict the resisters if the Justice Department does not
take action.
>Therefore, these two exclusion hearings, the first of their
kind, are
>critically important to the resisters. I am an attorney who
has been
>representing Marsha and Kee Shay in this process. I know
of at least one
>other lawyer who is interested in joining our effort, and
there may be
>others. However, in order to launch an effective and winning
defense we
>need financial support. Right now we have none. We are desperately
in
>need of funds to support the Marsha and Kee Shay's defense
and stop the
>Hopi Tribe from launching its own forced relocation of the
Dine people.
>Please Help.
>
>
>Second email
>
>
>In northern Arizona today there are several hundred traditional
Navajo
>families (Dine, in their own language) who are facing forced
relocation
>from their traditional homelands. This is largest forced
relocation since
>the relocation of the Japanese in World War II. The purpose
of the
>relocation: to help the coal companies, such as Peabody coal,
get to the
>coal deposits underneath the land where these people now live.
On February
>1, 2000 the US government can begin forced relocation by going
to court and
>evicting these people.
>
>This relocation process has been going on since 1974. Thousands
have
>already been relocated. As a result health problems have
increased,
>subicide levels increased, serious depression and other forms
of mental
>illness increased. Many of the relocatees rather than be
helped, as
>promised by the US government, have lost their homes, and
now live in
>destitute conditions.
>
>The people who remain on the land, who have until February
1st 2000, are
>some of the most traditional of the Dine. Manyare grandmothers
(The Dine is
>a matriarchal society) who tend their sheep, and live in their
traditional
>way. Part of that way is their spiritual connection and duty
to the land
>on which they live. To remove them from their land, as one
Grandmother has
>said, is to disappear us.
>
>Many people have come to the aid the resisting Dine. I am
a lawyer who has
>been working on this issue for over 12 years. We are now
at a point where
>we must find a way to stop the relocation and secure the traditional
land
>for the Dine. I have talked to other lawyers who are interested
in working
>on a team of lawyers to fight for the people. I have visited
the land
>several times, at my own expense, to meet with the people
and see what can
>be done. We have developed some legal strategies which have
a reasonable
>chance of success in working to stop this forced relocation.
We have tried
>to raise funds to support what will be a costly legal effort,
but so far
>have not been able to do so-many foundations have turned us
down. We need
>your suport.
>
>