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| Christine Prat with Klee Benally at the premier of "Powerlines" in Montreal, France. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2016/08/klee-benallys-powerlines-shows-in-france.html |
By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, August 9, 2026 Updated
It is with a heavy heart that we share the sad news of the passing of Christine Prat, our friend and translator. Christine translated Censored News into French. We met through our mutual friend Klee Benally, more than a decade ago. She translated Klee's book, No Spiritual Surrender, into French, and struggled till the end with cancer to translate our stories and share them with the world.
Christine never compromised, supported Palestine and the fight against Elbit's Israeli spy towers on the Tohono O'odham Nation.
After the U.S. denied her a visa to enter the United States in later years, she never backed down, and continued her work in France. She began the translations with the Hopi Nation's struggle to protect sacred San Francisco Peaks 14 years ago.
Christine's translations were among the most censored at Censored News, including the water rights struggle of Yaqui in Sonora. Many were assassinated after blocking the highway in defense of the water.
In French and English, her stories were read around the world, stories with the voices from Big Mountain, Standing Rock, Oak Flat, Tohono O'odham, Hopi, Peehee Mu'hah, and the desert borderlands. She wrote of Angela Davis in Paris, the struggle for Peltier's release, and the Native women's delegations to the United Nations in Geneva and those who testified in Jamaica.
We remember her courage, her boldness, and send our condolences to her husband Theo and their family.
"Sorry for not answering and doing nothing, I am very ill and it is difficult to do anything. However, I do want to go on. At the moment, I am collecting articles about lithium mines projects. We are threatened in France, as well as many other countries. As I have translated quite a lot of articles about PeeHee Mu'hu, I would like to translate or write more articles about lithium mines, all in two languages, trying to make a link between all victims of mining. Unfortunately, I don't know Spanish, as there are also lithium mines projects in South America.
Electric cars, lithium, cobalt, AI, etc., we got a general attack on the world.
Hope I'll manage to at least start something before I pass to the other world."'
In memory, carry on.
Among Christine's final translations for Censored News, was "Our Fire is Burning,' Ophelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, Speaks on Spy Towers in Barcelona, Spain," in November. Ophelia said today, "Many blessings to her family for her contribution towards a peaceful world for all of us, in all our work."
Christine will live on in the words she translated and our hearts.
Christine's original work and translations
Christine was in Flagstaff in 2012 and made this video with Klee Benally at the protest of the Snowbowl at the Coconino Forest Service. They are sounding out, "No Desecration of Sacred Places for Recreation."
"Christine had gone home by the time we were charged, but she was still so helpful and supportive with kind words and messages the whole time the four of us who were charged were dealing with this and even offered to fly back out and testify if necessary."
Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OaTb-uaK58c
Thank you, fly high in the Spirit World Christine and Klee.
With the passing of our friend and translator, we remember Christine, when she and her husband Theo, and Klee Benally, took on the galleries in France who were selling the sacred.
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| Christine's blog in French https://chrisp.lautre.net/wpblog/?p=8611 Hopi Nation: Christine's first translation of Censored News was the Hopi Nation's statement on the Snowbowl near Flagstaff, during the long struggle to defend the sacred mountain San Franciso Peaks from snow making from sewage water and tourism. It was 14 years ago. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/03/hopi-nation-snowbowl-expansion-no.html The Murder of Raymond Mattia, Tohono O'odham, by the U.S. Border Patrol: Christine was a voice for the voiceless and translated into French the murder of Raymond Mattia, Tohono O'odham. Raymond was murdered by a group of US Border Patrol agents in front of his home. He had videotaped Border Patrol agents running drugs passed his home at the border on the Tohono O'odham Nation, and submitted the evidence. The evidence disappeared. A tribal police officer. non-Indian, led the pack of US Border Patrol agents to Raymond's home and they murdered him. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2023/05/us-border-patrol-shoots-tohono-oodham.html Vicam Yaqui in Sonora: The Fight for the Water led to Assassinations Christine translated our most censored stories, on the fight for their river water by Yaqui, Yoeme, in Sonora, Mexico, in their ancestral homeland in Mexico, southwest of Tucson. In a horrible series of murders, some of the Yaqui leaders of the water resistance were later assassinated. We provided live coverage of the resistance when they blocked a main highway on their ancestral land and halted trucks over a span of years. Marcos and the Zapatistas were welcomed and held an international conference in Vicam. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2012/10/yaqui-battle-corporate-greed-to-defend.html Naelyn Pike, Apache: 'We will not be silenced.' Christine translated the powerful words of Naelyn Pike, Apache, 'We will not be silenced,' in Washington in 2013. Christine later visited the camp at Oak Flat and resistance during her stay in Arizona. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2020/03/apache-naelyn-pike-standing-strong-for.html Standing Rock: Testimony on Militarization in Jamaica During our live coverage of testimony at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Jamaica, Christine provided translations in French. Casey Camp testified on the militarized abuse at Standing Rock 2016--2017, and Ofelia Rivas testified on the militarized abuse by Border Patrol on her Tohono O'odham Nation homeland. The panel of Indigenous women was organized by Dine' Michelle Cook. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2019/05/brutalized-at-standing-rock-and.html BIG MOUNTAIN Christine translated many articles on the resistance at Big Mountain, including the powerful words of Louise Benally whose family resisted relocation and exposed the truth about Peabody Coal. Louise spoke in Dilkon during Dine' CARE's People Conference. The modern day movement to protect the homelands began here on the Navajo Nation with spiritual leaders coming together from across the continent. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2018/06/big-mountain-endless-struggle-in-times.html Angela Davis in Paris Christine transcribed the words in Paris of Angela Davis, Black Panther. In later years, Christine was denied a visa to come to the U.S. by the U.S. government. Christine did not back down and continued her work in France. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2018/05/angela-davis-in-paris-anti-racism.html Morton County Regardless of being denied a visa to visit the U.S. in later years, Christine continued to report on the most controversial issues, including Morton County's actions after Standing Rock. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2017/12/morton-county-used-nobel-peace-forum-to.html Dine', Hopi and Lakota: The Censored Movement There was little coverage of a powerful delegation of Dine', Hopi and Lakota opposing Peabody Coal. We republished it in 2016 and Christine translated it. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2016/04/tribute-navajo-hopi-and-lakota-took-on.html |
Christine's translation of Zapatistas 'Declaration for Life" https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2021/01/zapatistas-declaration-for-life-jan-2021.html
 Christine's Photo: "Paris, France Stand with Wet'suwet'en" |
| https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2020/02/paris-france-stands-with-wetsuweten.html |
Christine, writing in Paris in 2022: "Jean Roach, Lakota, tells the true story of Leonard Peltier." In English at Censored News. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2022/10/video-in-paris-jean-roach-tells-true.html
Written by Christine in Paris. "Free Peltier in Paris -- Survival: Kathy Peltier, Jean Roach and Lona Knight." In English at Censored News. https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2022/11/free-peltier-in-paris-survival-kathy.html
"The Long Journey Home: Peabody Coal Removed 341 Navajo and Hopi Ancestors from Their Graves." Translated into French for Censored News 2023.
'Navajo President's Deal for Uranium Transport was Kept Secret from Navajo Nation Council.' Translated into French for Censored News 2025.
'Going to the Shiprock Fair. Klee Benally Remembers Uranium Dump on the Banks of the San Juan River.' Translated into French for Censored News, 2024.
'Standing Rock: Spirit Camp to Block Dakota Access Pipeline.' In the spring of 2016, during the beginning of the global movement. Translated into French forCensored News, March 2016.
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