First, my apologies for this delayed information. I have translated these
recent statements from the resistors during a formal interview or meetings
that I had with them. I have translated nearly 30 pages of statements and
I wish so much to have shared all with you since the complete statement
are so powerful. Due to my limited time to type the complete translation,
I have only chosen excerpts that most fit to the current situation.

However, my believe is that hearing directly from the resistors is most
important since there is no more formal meetings between all the
supporters and the Dineh elders. I wish to state further that, it is often
just an assumption made accordance to how the representation of the
resistors' situation should be. I'm referring to examples such as, among
American supporters it is often assume that these resistors are 'citizens
of the United States,' and so, it is felt that the US Constitution applies
to their welfare. Let us begin to realize as you hear their words that
they still have a valid treaty with the American government and so, they
are an actual Sovereign Nation. Also, realize that these people have lived
the real freedom in every aspect of human existence. As you will read how
they live as real Indians, but they have no knowledge of First Amendment
issues or any inclusions of the US Constitution.

These dialogue occurred on February 19th and 20th, 1999. All the
conversation was done in the Dineh language (unless noted), and again, I
have translated the Dineh phrases, terminologies and quotes to the most
appropriate English expression possible. Ages of elders are not exactly
known due to that their births occurred without any official recordings. I
have interjected my notes of information throughout these translations for
more clarifications or to summarize important subject matters. Finally, I
might have to do several e-mail 'send outs' in order to get all the
excerpts to you all. Please, stand by.

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(These are only excepts. Jerry is approx. 47 yrs. old and choose to remain
on the HPL with his parents.)
JERRY LANE (JL), February 19, 1999:

JL: Despite all these restrictions, myself and my brothers wish to fully
return to where our parents currently live. Sometimes we like to survey
the sites where we wish to built our future homes. We do this because our
roots are also very deep and old. So far we have not yet built ourselves
anything like even leveling the grounds. The BIA are constantly checking
on our activities to make sure we are not building new homes for
ourselves.

BK (Bahe): According to your childhood recollections, can you tell me
about all the families that live around here before 'relocation?'

JL: I do not know some of their actual 'government names,' and I only know
most of them by their traditional names. I'll start with my uncle, Kee
Babbitt, then there was, Loyld and Lola Slim who live down this slope.
Lola was my paternal aunt. 'Big Jim' and his family use to live just over
to the north of here. Haastiin Bi'jaahni'ts'aazi (Mr. Strong Legs) lived
there, and his neighbor was Haastiin Bi'ti'liichii' (Mr. Red Burrow). Kee
Yazzie Horse's family use to live on that plateau just across at Wild
Horse Point. Also, over in the same area lived my grandma's family, and
her name was Aatsa'Dzili'yiiginii (Mrs. Black Mesa). In that same region,
Paul Arizona and his family lived. Down towards the end of this valley and
at the mouth of this canyon lived three families: Haastiin Naakai's (Mr.
Mexicana), Chiiyee'li' Hoolonii's (Wearer of Knotted-Hair Style), and
Haastiin Bi'lii'li'kiizhii's (Mr. Spotted Horse). To the west-northwest of
here, were several extended families who are descendents of two elder
gentlemen: Haastiin Naakai'sani (Mr. Old Mexicana) and Haastiin
Dzili'yiiginii (Mr. Black Mesa).
Many of these folks that I mentioned were related to me as my
paternal and maternal grandparents. Others who were members of extended
families were either uncles or aunts. A lot of the older folks have died
and buried among these canyons or plateaus. Others have been relocated
elsewhere. Also, many of their childrens are buried up here. I must
mention that I have an older and a younger brother buried nearby here.
See, my younger brother is over there just along that hill, and we use to
have a hogan near his burial but the BIA built that fence there to
prohibit us from using that land. Yes, there's a lot of resting places of
former relatives out there underneath rock boulders. [NOTE: When the Dineh
refer to one that's buried they don't not say, 'they are lying' but
instead they say, "resting in a fetal-position." The old methods of
burials were situated in small niches beneath large boulders or low
overhangs, and it would be sealed up with logs and more boulders.] My
mother use to tell us, "Those are either your grandparents, cousins,
uncles or aunts' resting places." So, I respect those sites and looked at
them as memorials, and that is how I remember my history.

My mother talks of the pure and unaltered life that was once here
before the US government Indian policies. She talks of the 'time of great
slaughter' of the livestocks. In her childhood days, the Indian
Reorganization Act of 1934 implemented forced assimulation by taking the
self-sufficient life style of the Dineh and forcing them to rely upon a
welfare state. There are stories of the BIA and their Indian police using
all sorts of disturbing methods to carry out large scale slaughter of
horses, cattle, goats, mules, donkeys and sheep. One story is that they
drove thousand of sheep and goats to the Colorado River, and they push the
herds into the raging river in order to drown them all. Some of the Dineh
herdsmen followed the drive to see if they'll have their animals returned,
but instead witnessed this horrible method of animal abuse.

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ROBERTA BLACKGOAT (RB) of Thin Rock Mesa, Big Mtn., FEBRUARY 19, 1999:

.

From here thereof, we turn to the American public and the
international communities to begin mobilizing to petition their corporate
governments to acknowledge these injustices here on Black Mesa. However,
we, Dineh, need to reunite and agree upon our proclamations of resistance
to the Indian relocation policies.
Again, the 9th Circuit Court of the US is attempting to invite the
participation of the resistors, but Judge Earl Carroll said, "I will only
listen to two paragraphs!" He will accept the pleas of the Non-signers if
they can state everthing within these two paragraphs. He said about the
Signers of the AA that their interests lay within the BIA-Hopi Agency
jurisdictions. So this offer of judicial participation by the Non-signers
poses much suspicion, because what other means of previleges will the
government offer us? We the resistors or the Non-signers have gone too far
beyond the limits of deserving a 'privileged society status.'

[TRANSLATOR'S (BK) NOTE: There was quite a lengthy discussion about
Sovereignty. This discussion brought up the subject of a particular
Non-Indian supporter who has recently identified herself as a 'consultant'
to the Sovereign interest of the resistors. Roberta and Rena both were
concerned about the adequatcy of this representation. We all acknowledged
that Sovereignty is solely a traditional Indigenous matter, and can be
only interpreted or represented through Indian people. Roberta said she
has told this Non-Indian supporter before, "Let the traditional Elders
speak for themselves!," but this supporter act rebellist towards that
statement. The status of Sovereignty, as Roberta and Rena agreed, refers
to the traditional Dineh concepts of the Encircled Rainbow of Dineh
Nation, and how each elder are keepers of the Sacred Mountain Soil Bundle.
This concept and religious practice can only be adequately represented by
a Dineh.]

.

RB: What is happening with the disruption of our Sovereignty is like what
Peabody is doing. 'Speak about adequate representation of Sovereignty,'
outsiders need to realize that our existence is a Ceremony! The Encircling
Rainbow outlines the edge of this Hogan of Dineh Nation. Within this hogan
is the cermony, and on the western portion of the hogan sits the Chanter
(medicineperson) and the patient. Close to where the medicine bundles are
spreaded out Peabody Western Coal Company is blasting dynamite and
digging. This causes the trembling or shaking of the bedding upon which
the sacred items rest, and also, where the Sacred Mountain Soil Bundle is
situated as an altar. Despite this, our lives and our Sovereignty
continues which is represented by the sacred chants that has to proceed on
until it has met the 'Appropriate Orders of Sacred Time.' Many have never
realized that the coal is the liver of the Mountain Goddess (Navajo
Mtn.-Black Mesa).

Modernization and progress is the key driving force that seek new
territories to exploit in order to maximize profits. These types of
industrialization has obtained the profits from scraping at the membranes
of earth's body. Then, they turn those profits into estates, developmental
plannings and high-tech monster machines that will mutilate the flesh of
the earth. All the precious mineral resources have been re-created into
destructive tools right before earth's conscience, and these computerized
tools are programmed to work against her until she is lifeless.
This is how we view the proposed industrialization of our
ancestral homelands, once we have been all relocated or passed on. This is
why myself and others will never stop saying, "We shall remain Here!" I
have had horrible nightmares of what might happen to these lands. My
dreams is telling me something. That is what the medicineman has told me
when he came to doctor me for my depression. We must begin to adhere to
the instructions as if a mother was to hold up a stick over a child, "Go!
Move along and get firewood, or fetch the sheep. Do it now!" If you had
respect you would move off so quickly.
Unfortunately, that would be considered as child abuse. The modern
schools have designed their teaching methods for the modern children. I
see it as a method of separation between the mother and the child. Look at
us. Rena and Jones are without the rest of their kids, and I, too, whose
children all live far away from the ancestral lands. Our grandchildren
speak mostly English and by such American education, we are losing our
culture. Our REAL cultural practices are now become a commodity upon which
the modern Indian uses to give themselves an image. Those of us who are
the actual practitioners of this Dineh culture are huddled-up on the
ground and embracing the culture. They are about to subdue our arms from
embracing the culture, and the days of our resistance is passing by so
rapidly. [END OF RB STATEMENT]

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(Rena is approx. 73 yrs. of age and resides in the western edge of the
Black Mesa geography in the HPL. Though, her and her husband were coerced
into signing the AA lease, she still expect more than a three acre plot of
land as her statement will speak for itself.)

.

RENA BABBITT LANE, February 19,1999:

In my childhood days, our grandparents were always happy when the
cornfields ripened. There were various types of cooked corn made, and this
is how our grandparents reared us all. I see this as probably being reared
in the most beautiful way with a good vegetable diet. When my
grandparents' days of old age came and they became frailed, the US
government began another era of Indian policies by implementing limited
land base and limited happiness. Since those enforcement of new federal
Indian policies began until now, we are living in the worst of times. We
have never suffered so much since the times of mass slaughter of our
animals in the 1930s.
The current BIA impoundment still reminds me of those times of
slaughter. When they impound our animals they kick them or use electric
prone on them as we stand there watching them try to load. Back in 1982,
my sister and I attempted to stop them from abusing the sheep, and women
police twisted my fingers and arms. After that, I went ahead and
repositioned by dislocated fingers, but the rest of my body got bruised. I
asked the government health service doctors to make a report but they
refused. My sister was almost choked by the women police, and her neck
became sore for a long time.
This new federal Indian policies is allowing the (progressive)
Hopis to introduce large numbers of cattle into the newly fenced range
units around our home. I just think of those new grazing ranges as places
where our people once prospered. It amazes me to see how easily these
(progressive) Hopis have adapted to the ignorances of the Euro-Americans.
These same ignorances are used by the BIA Agency Police to twist helpless
traditional elderwomen's hands and arms. Forcing us to abide by their new
American-made laws. Yes, there had been many incidents of physical abuses
directed toward the women folk because they are the matriarch of the Dineh
life. We are being viewed as the protagonist. I have been in such physical
struggle with the BIA Police on three occasions, and the last time was to
assist my sister when she was attacked in her hogan.
The BIA laws restrict us from collecting firewood or any type of
green limbs for ceremonial purposes. The BIA cannot dictate how much we
can collect for our ceremonies. Our Great Chant Ways requires large
bundles of various plants that we use for purification tea and sweats.
Certain green limbs have to be collected from specific sacred places so
that requires distance hiking. A divined prescription tells us the amount
of herbal supply that is needed for days of doctoring in order to heal
one's health or to rejuvinate our environment. Government laws like these
are also responsible for the decreasing of our traditional medicinepeople.
Despite the attacks upon our ceremonial ways, we wish to remain on these
ancestral lands so that, our children can someday revive the Dineh life.
As I looked back, when the US government finally succeeded in
using the (progressive) Hopis as a front to escalate the Black Mesa land
issue: the (progressive) Hopis turned to the world and said, "The Dineh do
not have a religion --they stole beliefs from elsewhere and are calling it
theirs." So, I ask where did we acquire the ancient Sandpainting Way
Chants? The Quartz Crystal Way Chants? From whom did we acquire the
knowledge of and the uses of: the mineralogy in the ancient projectile
points, Chants for the Wild Mountain Sheep, Chants for the Wild Mountain
Goats, and the Chants for the Wild Prehistoric Horses? Will they now let
their Euro-American scientific scholars answer my questions?

[Second part of RB is coming, STAND BY.]

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