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From: blake@sx7000.UUCP (Chris Blake)
Newsgroups: net.followup
Subject: Re: American Indians - Persecution of?
Message-ID: <198@sx7000.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 15-Jul-86 19:07:46 EDT
Article-I.D.: sx7000.198
Posted: Tue Jul 15 19:07:46 1986
Date-Received: Fri, 18-Jul-86 02:13:22 EDT
References: <688@argon.idec.stc.co.uk> <339@agrigene.UUCP>
Organization: SPERRY Information Systems - Roseville, MN
Lines: 45

> > I heard on a news bulletin this morning (23/6/86) that a delegation of
> > American Indians were in London to tell the UK government and the
> > world about the
> > planned forced mass transportation of 10,000 American Indians from
> > their reservation in Arizona because someone has found mineral wealth
> > beneath it.
> > 
> > Is this true!!??
> 
> 	No.  If this is what I think it is, this forced relocation
> is resulting from a dispute between two Indian tribes (I believe
> Hopi and Navaho).  I think there was an old controversy concerning
> the proper boundaries between two reservations, and the resolution
> is resulting in the relocation of members of both tribes.  Some of
> the people do not want to move.  If mineral rights were involved,
> they were probably what got the two tribes interested in resolving
> the dispute now.
> 
> 	I waited several days before posting this response.  Is
> there anyone out there (e.g. in Arizona) who could correct any
> factual mistakes I made in the above?

     You're basically correct.  Since the two tribes were put on
reservations in the 19th century, the Navajo population has grown
greatly while the Hopi population has stayed small.  While the Hopi
lands diminished in area, the Navajo lands grew so that today they
surround the Hopi land.  In the 60s the government tried to settle
the disputes over boundaries ( Navajos want more space ) and made a
part of the Hopi lands a joint area for both.  But still a Navajo town
is located in the Hopi territory and the Hopis want them out.  And the
town is located on some possible uranium deposits.  For the last few
years Uncle Sam has been trying to solve the problem by offering
Navajo families $40000 to relocate elsewhere.  Often the Indians, not
used to our society and all, would go to the cities, waste the money,
then want to go back home.  So the Fed is taking a more direct course
of action to resolve the dispute.
                                                -C. Blake
source: TIME magazine and various newspapers.

-- 
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Christopher L Blake     --
@ Sperry's SX1100 group --
Roseville, MN           --
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