Havasupai Elder: Uranium Mining Contamination is Here, Hold on to Ancestral Ways

Havasupai Elder: Uranium Mining Contamination is Here, Hold on to Ancestral Ways

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Feb. 23, 2025

TUBA CITY, Navajo Nation -- Havasupai Dianna Uqualla said that she brought sad news, that the contamination from the Pinyon Plain uranium mine is already here, and has contaminated the air and the soil. Uqualla asked for the people to rely on their prayers and ancestral ways to guide them.

Uqualla, traditional practitioner who served as the council's vice chairman, spoke at the Awareness Walk here on Saturday, as Native people from the region gathered to shut down Pinyon Plain uranium mine, and stop the radioactive haul trucks from the Grand Canyon to the White Mesa Ute community in Utah.

Uqualla said Havasupai tested the soil and air and found contamination. "There are people that hunt, people that gather medicine, they told us we can't go there anymore, until we stop them, but they are still contaminating."

The tarps are not sufficient that are covering the trucks and there are no warnings to the people. "They don't tell the people going to the Grand Canyon that there is danger, contamination, they are hiding it."

She said lawyers need to find the loopholes to stop this, because the land is precious. "We need lawyers to stand up, and for people to be dedicated to their prayers."

"Once it's in your system, there's no way you can get it out," she said, adding that the young children to be born will be affected by this contamination and it must be stopped.

"If you inhale it, you're not going to see it. It's going to be in your system."

"That is my sad news."

Uqualla began her talk by describing how Havasupai were punished in boarding school and by society.

"They were cruel to us," she said. "We are the original people of this land, not them."

She said her father used to communicate with the Navajos in their language and had friends here and would come visit and it was the same with Hopi. There was no fighting. Havasupai tanned hides and traded hides for turquoise with Hopi, who made beautiful turquoise bracelets to trade for the hides, because they were precious.

"They wrapped the new babies with this because it was soft."

She said she spoke of how the people came together, and traded together, because people have become hurtful to one another because of the different colors, black and white, because of the color and gender.

"We are all human, we have one heart, one mind."

"We have to come together as communities all across the world."

As a practitioner, she was in Guatemala, Hawaii, Japan and Colombia for sacred ceremonies. Even though Native people were told to wear the white clothes, wear the white shoes, she said, "Indigenous Peoples never forgot, our hearts are still native." 

She said there is a need to share the ways with the children and this is why she has her grandchildren with her. The children and grandchildren need to learn to honor their ancestors and go forward in a ceremonial way.

Havasupai have never said yes to this uranium mine, and have fought against it in court. She remembers when she was young that her elders confronted them, in a beautiful way. "They did it through the beauty of who they are."

They heard the truth, and their dishonesty.

"We have that instinct."

"We fought against them many many times."

In this society there are those who make money, the Forest Service and the EPA, all these organizations are being paid off.

"We told them over and over, you're contaminating, you can't take it back, you can't clean it up. It will take over a thousand years."

The tarps are not going to stop the contamination, the tarps will not stop those minute particles.

She said she sat in front of representatives in Washington, representatives that don't do anything for the people.

She told them, "I want you to give me answers," but, "they just push us off."

"They're afraid that we're going to take their money and their livelihoods. But they are sacrificing themselves."

"No one has ever come and spoke truth to us, they hide it," she said of the uranium mining and contamination. She said if anyone gets sick, the mining company should have to pay for it, they have to be accountable.

Havasupai, Dine', Hopi, and all the way down to the Colorado River tribes, grew crops on these lands, she said, and told of the seeds that bring hope.

Mohawks went to two universities in the east, where there were seeds locked up. The universities did not want to give the seeds back. And even though they were told the seeds were old and unable to grow, they planted them, and they grew.

"When the women got there, they cried."

"Those corn are calling for us, to bring them back to their rightful place."

When Mohawks called on others, Uqualla went to retrieve seeds. And even though they were told that the seeds were old and unable to grow, they grew, and it is a blessing.

"They were home, that seed knew its place."

"They came home to our people to re-energize us."

Speaking on education and technology, Uqualla said Dine' and Hopi have lawyers that are studying and getting educated about the environment. "This is what the white world put on us, we didn't like it, but i'm very proud of those people who took that opportunity to go to school."

Today, the technology is good and bad, she said, and she relies on her grandchildren to help her with it.

"I know that our children are strong. We really have to encourage them at this time."

While drugs and alcohol are coming into the communities, she said these must be stopped. "We make excuses and say we cannot stop this, but that is not true."

"We are strong people, our minds are so powerful that you can do anything you want. It is up to you, you can be successful."

Although times can be hard, she said, "We have children, we have families. Our ancestors before us were strong people."

She said Native people are carriers of wisdom, and are humble, live in patience and strength, and love and kindness. Teach your children to listen to you, listen to grandma.

"Love your family, speak to them well."

This society has taught people to be repetitious, she said, to say things over and over.

"Keep your Indigenous heart strong."

"Stay strong, no matter what the world throws at us, we survive."

Awareness Walk in Tuba City to shut down Pinyon Plain uranium mine and halt the radioactive uranium ore hauling trucks. Photo by Dawn Dyer.