Window Rock March: Dineh demand halt to livestock impoundments

Photo by Roland Begay

Black Mesa Residents and Supporters March in Window Rock, Navajo Nation demands halt to livestock impoundments 

By Indigenous Action Media

Photo by Nadine Narindrankura 

Oct. 31, 2014
WINDOW ROCK, Diné Bikeyah — On October 30, 2014 dozens of Diné Black Mesa residents and Read more at Indigenous Action Media
supporters protested recent paramilitary style assaults by Bureau of Indian Affairs agents and Hopi Rangers. The raids, which have included agents armed with assault rifles, a helicopter, and two drones, have resulted in 3 arrests and theft of more than 300 sheep. Black Mesa residents met with the Navajo Hopi Land Commission (NHLC) and outgoing Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly to demand an immediate halt to the terrorizing of their community.
Read article at Indigenous Action Media, Native youth powered media
www.indigenousaction.org

BIG MOUNTAIN: LA CONFISCATION PAR LA FORCE DES TROUPEAUX DES RESISTANTS CONTINUE

DES RESIDENTS DE BLACK MESA ET DES SYMPATHISANTS ORGANISENT UNE MARCHE POUR DEMANDER L’ARRET DES SAISIES DE BETAIL

On November 2, 2014, in Big Mountain/Black Mesa, by Chris P

DES RESIDENTS DE BLACK MESA ET DES SYMPATHISANTS ORGANISENT UNE MARCHE A WINDOW ROCK, SIEGE DU GOUVERNEMENT DE LA NATION NAVAJO

Publié par Indigenous Action Media
31 octobre 2014
Traduction Christine Prat
See original article in English

WINDOW ROCK, Diné Bikeyah [Pays des Navajo] – Le 30 octobre 2014, des dizaines de Diné résidents de Black Mesa et des sympathisants ont protesté contre les récentes attaques de style paramilitaire des agents du Bureau des Affaires Indiennes et des Rangers Hopi. Les raids, menés par des agents armés de fusils d’assaut, avec un hélicoptère et deux drones, ont conduit à trois arrestations et au vol de plus de 300 moutons.
Les résidents de Black Mesa ont rencontré des membres de la Commission des Terres Navajo-Hopi (NHLC) et le Président sortant de la Nation Navajo, Ben Shelly, pour demander un arrêt immédiat de la terreur contre leur communauté.

La journaliste indépendante Diné Marley Shebala a rapporté que la NHLC était sortie d’une session exécutive à 16h mais n’avait pas pu voter, faute de quorum. Sans prévenir ni expliquer pourquoi, le commissaire Lorenzo Curley a quitté la réunion, empêchant ainsi le vote d’avoir lieu. La NHLC s’est engagée à s’occuper du problème mais n’a pas donné d’agenda clair.
Ensuite, les résidents de Black Mesa ont rencontré le Président de la Nation Navajo, Ben Shelly.
Shelly et le Président du conseil Intérimaire LoRenzo Bates ont publié le communiqué de presse suivant :

La Nation Navajo demande l’arrêt de la confiscation de bétail sur les Terres Hopi Divisées

Le Président Ben Shelly et le Président Intérimaire LoRenzo Bates demandent que la Tribu Hopi et le Bureau des Affaires Indiennes coopèrent avec la requête publiée par le Bureau de la Commission des Terres Navajo-Hopi de cesser les activités présentes de confiscation de bétail appartenant aux résidents Navajo des Terres Hopi Divisées (HPL – Hopi Partitioned Lands).
De plus, le Président Intérimaire Bates et le Président Ben Shelly ont publié une requête officielle adressée au Président Tribal Hopi Herman G. Honanie de se rencontrer le 3 novembre pour discuter des saisies de bétail en cours.
De nombreux récits de divers résidents des HPL révèlent des confiscations de bétail qui ont causé de graves inquiétudes parmi les propriétaires de bétail Navajo de la zone, plusieurs d’entre eux ayant témoigné que les autorités avaient brandi des armes à feu durant les captures de bétail.
« Pour beaucoup de familles, le bétail est la principale source de nourriture » dit le Président Shelly. « Nous voulons tous que ce soit résolu. »
« Nous avons entendu les inquiétudes des gens, en particulier ces Navajos âgés qui dépendent énormément de leur bétail pour vivre » dit le Président Intérimaire Bates. « Confisquer le bétail de Navajos est une violation délibérée de leurs droits de pratiquer notre culture et nos traditions et doit cesser immédiatement. »
Dans un mémorandum du 24 octobre du directeur exécutif du NHLCO Raymond Maxx au Président Tribal Hopi Herman Honanie, il était demandé d’instaurer un délai de grâce de dix jours pour permettre de conférer avec les résidents afin de leur demander de retirer l’excédent de bétail des HPL.
« Si le surpâturage est le principal souci des officiels Hopi, c’est sans aucun doute un problème que nous pouvons tenter de résoudre en nous réunissant pour en discuter » ajouta le Président Intérimaire Bates.
La Commission des Terres Navajo-Hopi a récemment adopté la Résolution NHLCO-21-14, demandant à la Tribu Hopi une accommodation pour le bétail des familles Navajo vivant dans les HPL.
Deux membres de la Commission, les Délégués du Conseil Dwight Witherspoon et Walter Phelps, ont rencontré des officiels Hopi et du Bureau des Affaires Indiennes et des résidents affectés.
D’après le Délégué Witherspoon, d’autres discussions entre toutes les parties sont prévues pour cette semaine.

###

AGISSEZ MAINTENANT !

Demandez l’arrêt immédiat des attaques contre les résidents de Black Mesa de la zone des « HPL ».

Hopi Chairman Herman G. Honanie
Email: hehonanie@hopi.nsn.us

BIA Superintendent Wendell Honanie
Email: Wendell.Honanie@bia.gov

Hopi Tribal Council
Email: hopicouncil@hopi.nsn.us

Hopi Tribal Council via Neva Poneoma, legislative secretary
Email: ptalayumptewa@hopi.nsn.us

Director Natural Resources, Clayton Honyumptewa
Email: chonyumptewa@hopi.nsn.us

Tagged with: Big Mountain • Black Mesa • Hopi Partitioned Lands • saisies de bétail chez les Navajos de Big Mountain

Relocation Resisters: Navajo elders victims of domestic terrorism

By Black Mesa Indigenous Support

Censored News

ELDERS LIVING IN FEAR AND HEARTACHE:

Clarence and Mary Lou Blackrock of Cactus Valley are sitting up all night by the fire, unable to sleep for fear of their sheep being taken. This distress endangers the elders health. This family wanted these pictures shared so that the world can see the suffering at the hands of the federal government and Department of the Interior.
This is Domestic Terrorism.

Media Pimps: Hollywood isn't the only place where people sleep their way to the top

Hollywood isn't the only place where people sleep their way to the top


By Brenda Norrell
Censored News
Dutch translation by Alice at NAIS
http://www.denaisgazet.be/nieuws/media-pimps

With the creation of the Internet, new forms of fraud and crime were created by reporters who never leave their homes. These armchair journalists have joined the world of other corporate criminals. They steal with impunity.

They steal from the good hearts who spend their last dimes to be present and cover the news. Those good-hearted grassroots people and activists have become authentic voices for human rights and the rights of Indigenous Peoples. As the Zapatistas say, these citizen journalists are the authentic voices for justice and dignity. Because they are good hearts, the media thieves prey on their work.

The plagiarizers, aggregators and posters dominate the news websites, especially in national Indian country news. These stay-at-home reporters, editors and publishers know how to turn the hard work of others into cash in their pockets, a paycheck for staying home.

First there are the plagiarizes. They copy and paste and steal photos from their armchairs at home, snagging potato chips and whatever else they can get their hands on. 

If you review Indian Country Today's articles over recent years, you will see copy and paste plagiarism, and the theft of copyrighted photos. Just ask the reporters if they were present to cover the news they have been writing about. The owner of the publication is extremely wealthy and can afford to send reporters out to actually cover the news. The reporters have a choice. They can continue as plagiarizers and deceivers, or not.

Next, there are the aggregators. From their easy chairs, these parasite journalists collect all the hard work from real reporters on the Internet. Then, they rewrite it. They think that this makes them look really smart. The photos are usually stolen and violate copyrights. Just look for the photo credit and ask the photographer if they were paid. 

Now that you know how you are being deceived, just re-read those long articles. You'll see it is just a conglomeration of info from the web by a stay at home reporter.

Finally, there are the 'posters.' In Indian country you can recognize the posters because they use others work or links and post those on a webpage with a lot of advertising. They make money from advertisers, usually without the reporters permission.

'Posters' don't actually do any journalism, or spend any money to make money. These websites post other peoples work, with or without credit or permission. 

In a rare case of this new collapsed Internet journalism, the owners of the Indian news website indianz.com received a multi-million dollar spy contract this year. It is for domestic and international spying with an office at the US Pentagon.

So, that's the final category: The 'posers.' The posers position themselves to look like authentic journalists, and get a paycheck for doing so.

As for the subtitle here, about Hollywood, ask yourself why an editor or publisher would employ a reporter or editor who has been plagiarizing from their home for years, and in some cases, for decades.

The bottom line is this: If readers fail to recognize fraud and deception, there is no hope for authentic journalism. If that is the case, real reporters will continue to be unemployed and real news outlets will continue to go bankrupt.

Brenda Norrell is publisher of Censored News, now in its 9th year with no advertising or funding. Norrell has been a news reporter in Indian country for 32 years. She began at Navajo Times, and worked as a stringer for AP and USA Today, during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. Then, after serving as a longtime staff news reporter for Indian Country Today in the Southwest, she was censored, then terminated. Her work has appeared across the US and the world, and in Outside magazine and other publications. Today she remains blacklisted by all the paying media.
Censored News
www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com
brendanorrell@gmail.com

Update on Big Mountain impoundments

UPDATES CONCERNING IMPOUNDMENTS & ARRESTS OF THE SOVEREIGN DINEH NATION ON THE “HPL”

October 28, 2014 by BMIS   
By Black Mesa Indigenous Support

Hopi Rangers arrested two individuals and impounded 120 sheep this morning at the homesite of Tom and Etta Begay in Red Willow Springs.  Heavily armed rangers guarded and blocked nearby dirt road entrances as well.

“The Hopi Rangers came for our homestead early this morning. They tried to arrest my Aunt Etta who is almost 70 years old and my dad Bahe. They had barricades set up at the top of the hill with two police units, when we tried to get around the barricade they chased us for two miles, trying to hit us with their trucks, and they drew their guns at us.  When we got to the house they brought four more units and tried to block us in by the north hogan. They grabbed us out of our vehicles.  A male officer was grabbing me around my waist. I told them they were violating our rights and violating our elders. They were trying to arrest Etta who didn’t even know what they were saying [she doesn’t speak English]. She wasn’t doing anything. They arrested my younger brother Lance and me. Because we were a threat to them for voicing our rights and defending our family. It took three officers to detain me and another three to detain my brother.   We didn’t  go down without a fight. We were let go after six hours of detainment. I told them they are threatening our family who is all alone and elderly and they come out with guns and threaten and scare them. Who would have defended our family if we didn’t come?  We didn’t come with guns and knives; we are not violent, we just came to protect our family.  Who knows what they would have done if we weren’t there. We said, we are not scared.  We are protecting our elders, if you are going to take us to jail for that, do it. They took 120 sheep from our homestead.”–Milayia Yoe, arrestee.

The U.S government has always used “scorched earth policies” against Indigenous people–attempts to cut them off from their food supplies, decimate economies, or destroy infrastructure–as a precursor to forced relocations including the Long Walk of the Dineh. Livestock impoundments come under this category. There is increased surveillance on the families and livestock of the so-called “HPL” including the use of drones.

“We are in a battleground, the endless battleground of the Partitioned Lands. This is the front of the line and when it comes your family there is no yes or no, you have to stand up for your family and your relatives. This is what I was taught. The past was never really forgotten of the way the U.S. Government treated my people. It is still going on, it is still alive. We will fight- not with violence or armor, but with the old ways.  This is a stand for people to know who we are and how we live as Dineh.”–Gerald Blackrock  10/23/14

“The U.S. government is using the Hopi Tribe. We are Native People, we don’t work like this.”–Beulah Blackrock 10/ 28/14

Caroline Tohannie, the elder who had her herd impounded last week, has a court date coming up where she will be facing trespassing charges for being at her homestead.

These impoundments are stressful for the entire community, particularly the elderly:

“Our life is connected to the life of the sheep.  We are alive and strong because of them, and being close to them, being with them everyday, keeps us strong. Especially now in our old age the sheep are important to us. If we are too far from our sheep, we can become frail. “ Clarence and Mary Lou Blackrock, Cactus Valley Elders10/25/14

“I disapprove of the impoundments. They really affect the elderly. Ever since I was a baby I was carried on a horse to herd sheep. I have herded all my life and I am in my eighties.  You have the livestock in your heart, and they want to take that away.”–Jack Woody, Black Mesa Elder 10/25/14

“They way that the rangers are treating the people goes against the Dineh way; it is very taboo to point a gun at somebody. They are traumatizing an already traumatized community. If overgrazing was actually the issue they could just educate people. But it’s not. This is uncalled for.”–Marie Gladue Big Mountain Resident 10/28/14

Calls to Action:

*Lawyers needed! If you are a lawyer or have connections to lawyers, residents are requesting legal assistance.

*Call protests at your local Department of Interior or Bureau of Indian Affairs offices, donate funds here,come to the land as a human rights observer (email blackmesais@gmail.com for more information),

*“Call the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Hopi Rangers, and the Department of Interior. Ask they stop impounding sheep on the HPL. This is current day colonialism, our food sovereignty is being attacked and ask that they stop the unjust impoundments.”–Louise Benally

Call:

• The BIA superintendent Wendel Honanie at (928-738-2228),
• Hopi Chairman Herman G. Honanie,  Email: hehonanie@hopi.nsn.us, Phone: (928) 734-3102
• The Hopi Rangers Clayton Honyumptewa at (928-734-3601),
• The Department of Interior at  (602-379-6600)

***Please forward this request far and wide by re-posting or sending this to ten people***