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From: jack@mcvax.uucp (Jack Jansen)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: American Indians - Persecution of?
Message-ID: <6996@boring.mcvax.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Jun-86 05:56:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: boring.6996
Posted: Mon Jun 30 05:56:46 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 11-Jul-86 04:59:07 EDT
References: <688@argon> <15400004@hpccc>
Reply-To: jack@boring.uucp (Jack Jansen)
Organization: AMOEBA project, CWI, Amsterdam
Lines: 66
Apparently-To: rnews@mcvax

Sorry for such a long article, but the previous two on the same
subject didn't contain much information (and some misinformation, besides).

In article <15400004@hpccc> dlow@hpccc.UUCP writes:
>[Replying to an article asking about a rumour on forced relocation
> of indians]
>This sounds like the relocation of the Navajo and Hopi Indians. The
>Hopi reservation is enclosed within the Navajo reservation. There
>has been a certain amount of encroachment of Navajos into the Hopi
>area and some encroachment of the Hopis into the Navajo area.
True, but neither the Hopi nor the Navajos seem to mind much. There are
some minor irritations, but nothing serious.

> After
>many years of dispute, the US government basically drew a new (and
>somewhat arbitrary) definitive border and ordered all Navajos in the 
>Hopi area to move out and all Hopis in the Navajo area to move out.
>Federal aid was provided to help the Indians relocate. These are
>the basic facts. The following are the emotional issues that make the
>whole affair very controversial:
>
>1. The Hopi and Navajos are traditional enemies. There is still
>a lot of bad feelings between the two tribes that tend to magnified
>any dispute between the two.
As I stated above, there are some problems between the two people, but
they are not that serious. Currently, the Navajos and Hopis (is that the
correct plural?) are *together* trying to stop the forced relocation.
Also, the two people aren't real threats to each other, since they
have different ways of living, which don't seem to bother each other
too much. The Hopis are hunters, and the Navajos are farmers (or the
other way around, sorry, not sure).

>
>2. The solution to the problem was to a certain degree imposed by the
>US govt. which brings out old anger about "white man's domination"
>of the Indians.
Not "to a certain degree". In fact, the indians refuse to cooperate
whatsoever. Last thing I heard was that the US government plans to
bring the army in.

>
>3. The settlement occurred after many years of being ignored but just after
>minerals were discovered in the disputed area. For many people, this
>coincidence is sufficent "proof" of a conspiracy to exploit the 
>Indians again.

Some facts: a long time after the area was designated as an indian
reservation, uranium was found there. So, suddenly all regulations
were forgotten, and they started strip-mining the area. This had a couple
of effects:
- Hunting grounds were lost,
- the rivers on which the indians depended for their water were seriously
  polluted, and
- the mining all took place in a mountain that is sacred to the indians.
  They beleive that their forefathers, who are buried in that mountain,
  are with them all the time. Not only does this make moving very difficult
  for them (no way to bring your forefathers with you), but, worst, the mountain
  is currently *disappearing*.
  
I find it very depressing to see that, here in Holland, we seem to know more
about the situation than people in the US do. We had quite a lot on it in
newspapers and on TV, and there were quite a few evenings with speakers,
films, etc. It seems that the coverage in the US was far less.
-- 
	Jack Jansen, jack@mcvax.UUCP
	The shell is my oyster.