A Letter from Bahe
Katenay
May 2004
To All My Relations Nym
Myo Ho Ren Gey Kyo
Yaa'at'eeh (Good
Greetings),
Fighting
in a true revolution is difficult. That is why a few of us
continue to rekindle a struggle on Big Mountain. A struggle that
compose of much reality like making a stand upon actual ancestral
land. It is not like making a stand on city property where the
police has given a permit to protest. It is not making a stand
where we claim a basic right of government privileges such as
Freedom of Religion or U.S. Constitution.
We are a
few because we stand for the Right of the Core of Indigenous
Beliefs. At Thin Rock Mesa in west central Big Mountain, the late
Roberta Blackgoat's home site still sits with the life and all the
glory of the belief systems associated to the Sacred Mountain Soil
Bundle of the Dineh. This is true sovereignty. That is why the
U.S. Justice systems is coercing the Hopi tribal rangers to be the
point in this aggression to eliminate the continuous, flickering
flame of aboriginal sovereignty.
We are
not activist --those of us that gathered at the late Roberta
Blackgoat's land throughout May 6-9, 2004. Activist are people who
argue a policy based on the principles of that policy. An activist
is someone who tries to acquire rights based on existing or
outlined rights of governmental privilege designs. Those of us,
like the late Roberta Blackgoat, who are making a stand at the
frontlines of corporate draining of the ancient aquifer are
freedom fighters. Those of us who make a stand knowing that we
might risk our "American" comforts, and may have no
basis to protest are only enforcing Great Spirit or Creator's
divine gifts of principles from ages ago. This is what freedom
fighters are all about.
This very
day the repercussions are taking place because of our victory to
carry out Great Spirit's way by not acknowledging the false
ordinances so-called, Hopi tribal jurisdiction. A stand had to
made and it is urgent because we are tired of seeing our elders
being driven into submission because of 'lawful' threats in the
name of Peabody Western Coal expansions. "Hopi
jurisdiction" will never become a reality while our ancestral
land is laden with 'black gold.' Coal is the answer to our future
of American comforts and to (their) American global power.
"Hopi jurisdiction" does not mean the Hopi will develop
these lands for their villages or cornfields. Even Hopi people are
harassed if they haul firewood or attempt hold religious activity
on the new lands that are supposedly "reserved for
them." They need a "permit" also. There are no
plans to build village complexes but there are possible long-range
plans to build rail roads, dams and boom towns, and this will
generate more revenues to outside corporations and a little will
go to the Hopi tribal government.
The
threats to, now, bulldoze or level the late Roberta Blackgoat's
homestead is another attempt to "kill" the rebirth of
the original Big Mountain traditional resistance. If the homestead
is desecrated, it will only rekindle Dineh resistance more because
those elders that had come to the gathering showed their support
and are concern. This will only unite the Dineh once again. There
might be a few of Us but we are here. The federal government
bulldozers will only put a huge scar in our history of maintaining
our aboriginal sovereignty. That scar will not go away --ever! Our
future generation will be the much smarter and they will not only
see that scar but they will feel it, too.
(They)
wear their side arms while their semi-automatic rifles are in
their vehicles and they make the threats. Our threats, if they
wish to call it that, have only been the sacred hoop, the sacred
fire, the sacred tobacco, the sacred cedar smoke, the sacred
ancestor rocks, and the sacred sweet grass smoke.
My Hopi
relatives, do not go along with the laws of the Baahanas. Return
to the the original road of Masawa. Stand with your Dineh
neighbors and pray for peace.
Thank you for listening.
Bahe Katenay
Dineh of Big Mountain
Supporter of the Blackgoat Family
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