Dear Big Mountain Supporters,
The inhumanity of the tragedy the US government is perpetuating
against the
Dineh people is demonstrated by the Notice of Order of Proposed
Exclusion
given to a Big Mountain elder Kee Shay. With the deadline date
of February
1, 2000 fast approaching, we need your help to obtain repeal of
the
relocation laws Public Law 93-531 and 104-301.
Update on Kee Shay's Notice of Order of Proposed Exclusion by the Hopi Tribe
The deadline of May 22 came and went and the Hopi tribe has
refused to
respond to a letter sent by Kee Shay on May 17 via certified mail,
return
receipt requested. The basis for the letter sent that was released
previously on the Big Mountain list, is that Kee Shay says he
needs copies of
the Ordinances he is being cited in violation of by the Hopi tribe
before he
can make a proper response. But the Hopi tribe has refused to
provide him
with this information.
As you know, Kee Shay and his wife, May Shay are being told
they are
trespassing on their land. May Shay says, “I have lived
here since before I
was 18 years old when I married Kee Shay. I am now 76 years old.
My sheep
corral, my house and my ash pile is here. This is where I live.
We are even
told that our hogan which we need to rebuild in order to have
ceremonies in
is illegal. How are we to survive? How can the Hopi tribe say
we are a
danger to the Hopi Tribe? I am afraid when I am here alone, the
Hopi police
come by here and tell me to leave my home and that I do not belong
here.
They do this to me when I am out sheepherding alone. Who is going
to protect
me? How can they do this to me?”
Shay Benally, Kee Shay’s son says, “I was concerned
with the deadline for
response to the Exclusion Order approaching that we would not
receive the
information we needed to make a response so I went to see the
people at the
Tuba City Navajo Hopi Land Commission to ask them if they could
give me a
copy of the Ordinance 46 and 43 and the other Ordinances that
my father Kee
Shay is being cited in violation of. The people at the Navajo
Hopi Land
Commission told me that they have this information but would not
give it to
me. How are we supposed to respond to the Exclusion Order? They
should just
take the word Navajo out of Navajo Hopi Land Commission.”
Shay Benally continues, “Kee Shay was concerned when the
Navajo Hopi Land
Commission would not release the information he needed and we
still had not
received any response to our letter asking for copies of the Ordinances,
so I
went to the Hopi tribe to see the Hopi Chairman Wayne Taylor on
Friday, May
21. I asked him if he would give me the text of the Ordinances
that my
father Kee Shay is being cited in violation of. He just told
me that he
would not give me the information and that he wanted to keep this
information
confidential. Confidential from who? My father Kee Shay and
my mother are
being told they are going to be excluded from their home.”
We need you to contact the Hopi Chairman and tell him to stop
the Exclusion
process against Kee Shay and release copies of all Ordinances
he is being
cited of.
Call: Wayne Taylor, Jr.
Chairman of the Hopi Tribe
(520) 734-3000
and
Kelsey Begaye, President
The Navajo Nation
P.O. Box 9000
Window Rock, AZ 86515
(520) 871-6000
and
Roman Bitsuie, Director
Navajo Hopi Land Commission
P.O. Box 2549
Window Rock, AZ 86515
(502) 871-6277
Thank you,
Marsha Monestersky
Consultant to Sovereign Dineh Nation
Phone: (520) 673-3461
E-mail: dinetah29@aol.com
Web site: http://www.theofficenet.com/~redorman/welcome.html
and
www.solcommunications.com