From Bahe Katney to the Big Mountain List
Greetings Supporters,
This is just a brief flash about what I have learned about
the blockade
by
the police agencies, and my brief comments.
As of yesterday, the BIA-Hopi Agency police along with the
Ariz. States'
Navajo County Sheriff department has set-up a road block at the
dirt road
turn-off at Highway 264. This junction is the to the Dinnebito
Dam which
leads up into the eastern area of Big Mountain. According to individuals
who've been turned back by this police blockade, they said their
cars were
searched, vechicle registration check, and their records were
checked.
After this, they were told to leave the area and return home and
if they
make any other attempts of re-entering the area they will be arrested.
Other Sundance participants and supporters were still heading
into the
area of Camp Anna Mae despite the confirmed blockade. It is not
confirmed
yet as to if there is a blockade near the entrance into the dance
site,
but it is very likely there is since on Monday nearly 8 police
vechicle,
composing of State and BIA law enforcement personnel, were gathered
near
the entrance of the Sundance.
These two 'check-points' has been active since last week which
also
monitored the first Sundance activity. Just yesterday some non-Indian
supporters, at the request of the family sponsors of the Sundance,
met
with the BIA-Hopi Agency and were told that the road block will
not allow
any outside participants or supporters for the Camp Anna Mae Sundance
to
enter, no matter if they are Indian or not.
This is the type of Human Rights violations that the BIA-Hopi
Tribal
Council and the United States government is guilty of, and they
are
getting a way with it. The northern Arizona media have stated
before,
"We're not interested." As Lakota Sundance Chief Leonard
Crow Dog said
at
the first Big Mountain Sundance last week, "There is no legal
precedents
that supposely allows this type of restriction on the Red People's
way
of worship. The federal government nor any BIA-Indian tribal government
has any right to regulate 'when' or 'how' we, traditional people,
are to
pray, sing, take our medicine, and conduct our ceremonies."
Lakota Sundance Chief Joe Chasing Horse who heads the Camp
Anna Mae dance,
stated also while showing his solidarity with the first Sundance
event
last week, "We, the Red People, are in a new era of struggle
in fighting
the injustices that is occurring all across our reservations.
This
police-seige on Camp Anna Mae is just an example of the types
of
injustices that are attempting to eliminate or do away with the
ancient
knowledge that gives us ties to Mother Earth. They have taken
most of our
lands, and now they want to dismantled the backbone of our survival,
the
Indian religion."
Concerning the BIA-Hopi Agency denial of this summer's permit
to conduct
the dance, Chief Chasing Horse said, "We will have the Sundance
because
it
is our religious obligation set forth last summer. Like my grandfather,
Chief Crazy Horse, once believed that he didn't recognized the
authority
of the US Calvary when they told him that the Black Hills did
belong to
his people anymore. I shall, too, not acknowledge the authority
of the
BIA
laws that we are to have a simple sheet of paper that is suppose
to allow
us to pray and dance."
Chief Crow Dog agreed, "I want to tell you my nephew,
Chief Chasing Horse,
that I shall be there to follow you and support you in completing
this
religious obligations. Aho!"
On behalf of the resistance, let us first pray for a good direction
as
we
journey together on this sacred road of Humanity. Then, let us
send as
many faxes or phones calls to the agencies responsible for this
violations
of the Geneva Convention on the freedom to conduct religious activities
accordance to tribal leaders or community leaders. Responsible
agencies
includes the State of Arizona's county sheriffs. This response
needs to
be
done in the next few days for that this Sundance will conclude
on Sunday
without many dancers and their guest/supporters.
Thank you for your time.
In the Spirit of Chief Barboncito, Bahe
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