(Jenn on Black Mesa, ca. 1998)

November 21-28, 2009

Greetings from Black Mesa Indigenous Support,

We are excited to inform you that a caravan of work crews will once again be converging from across the country in support of residents of the Big Mountain regions of Black Mesa. On behalf of their peoples, their sacred ancestral lands and future generations, these communities continue to carry out a staunch resistance to the efforts of the US Government, which is acting in the interests of the Peabody Coal Company, to devastate whole communities and ecosystems and greatly de-stabilize our planet’s climate for the profit of an elite few.

By assisting with direct, on-land projects you are helping families stay on their ancestral homelands in resistance to an illegal occupation and working for climate justice. These communities serve as the very blockade to coal mining! More than 14,000 Dine’ people have been forcibly removed from their ancestral homelands due to spin created by the U.S government & Peabody Coal, under the guise of the so-called “Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute.” Families are now in their THIRD DECADE resisting this travesty and, as you can imagine, many residents are very elderly and winters can be rough. With their guidance, the aim of this caravan is to honor the elders and to generate support in the form of direct, on-land support: chopping and hauling firewood, doing minor repair work, offering holistic health care, and sheep-herding before the approaching cold winter months arrive.

“The Big Mountain matriarchal leaders always believed that resisting forced relocation will eventually benefit all ecological systems, including the human race,” says Bahe Keediniihii, Dineh organizer and translator. “Continued residency by families throughout the Big Mountain region has a significant role in the intervention of Peabody’s future plan for Black Mesa coal to be the major source of unsustainable energy, the growing dependency on fossil fuel, and escalating green house gas emissions. We will continue to fight to defend our homelands.”

Following story By Bahe Y. Katenay, Sheep Dog Nation Rocks

Sweet Water Stronghold, Big Mountain. February 9, 2009 – Dineh elder resister of the traditional lands of Sweet Water is bundled up for the chilly winds as she takes some hay out to her sheep and goats. The herds need a little extra feed before going out to graze. The non-Indian, volunteer supporter is dressed warm and ready to follow the sheep as he chops some wood for grandma, Pauline and while the herds nibble on the scattered hay on the ground. Not many non-Indian volunteers do occasionally make themselves available from their busy lives to come out for short stays and help traditional, elder resisters. Very few traditional elder residents are now left throughout such regions affected by the harsh relocation laws of 1974.

When asked, “How is everything out here?” The well-outfitted supporter says, “Just a lot of babies, and that is why I’m carrying this!” He wears a large, hand-sewn canvas bag which he referred to is to be used in case any of the sheep or goats have “babies.” Soon the sheep and goats are done feeding and they head towards the great pristine canyon of Sweet Water, and the supporter suddenly quits all chit-chat, grabs his stick and runs off toward a herd that is disappearing into the juniper forest.

Each non-Indian supporter that make these short stays with traditional elders have unique and deep sense of passion that is more than just positive, but they have the understanding of the suffering from injustice and the presence of environmental destruction. Though these kind of ‘hardcore’ supporters are becoming rarer, they value the human connections to nature or to the eco-systems rather than connections to corporate entities and its policing/policies. They see and appreciate, more than most native Americanas, what still exist out here at Big Mountain especially where an elder like Pauline lives. Supporters like this one at Sweet Water do have ‘profound’ commitments to stay two weeks or more to learn and experience a glimpse of natural survival skills and maybe a very small bit of ancient human ritual ways. Within their profound commitments they know they may encounter at any moment the ‘terror-threats’ of the U.S. sponsored, BIA Indian Police Gestapo.

Grandma Pauline moves about slow as she closes the “hay barn” doors that are made from frames of a single-bed, and the barn’s roof is of tattered plastic tarps and the walls are of leaning juniper logs. She greets with a friendly and joyful hand shake as she adds a little sense of humor to her greeting. Grandma is still strong but age is still giving her a challenge, too. She is like a story teller as she makes numerous comments about things and about the conditions out there. She also knows that she is part of a situation which is the struggle for liberation at Big Mountain—her birth place.

A few supporters are very concerned and that is why this independent monitoring of human rights violation and religious intolerance is being carried out. The Arizona-based, Black Mesa Indigenous Support had received a phone message on behalf of Pauline in January about BIA Police personnel posing threats to demolish a traditional earth lodge. Because of the lack of resources, it took a while for the support network to finally establish contact and get the information. This situation with her re-building this sacred lodge should be a natural process but the regional BIA Hopi Agency saw it as a violation of U.S. Court decisions in the name of the federally-supported Hopi council. Grandma Pauline who still lives according to her ancestors’ ancient, cultural lifestyles completed the earth lodge and which is another, direct-action that is obviously missing in Indian country, true Native Resistance!

Grandma recalls what happened on January 20th as she also refers to a radio announcement, “It was about that time, 10 AM, when the radio said that in the east ‘the hand shall to be raised,’ when my grandson beckoned me outside because there were some visitors. It was those BIA-Hopi Police, again, and one officer got out of the vehicle followed by a female officer. I sat down on the bench against the house and they both sat on either side of us, the man who spoke Dineh sat next to me. As he said, ‘we hear you are out here sitting in the mud and we come to check on you,’ the third officer got out of the vehicle and started to walk over towards the newly rebuild lodge.

“My response to the officer next to me was, ‘I’m sitting in the mud out here? You say that as if you spoke with someone that lives with me and knows about my situation.’ Then we all noticed that the third officer was taking more pictures of the earth lodge like (they) do not have enough pictures of it by now.

“I begin to ask the officer sitting with us, why do you all need more pictures and you all should just stop these picture-taking of my home? The officers both ignored my request but the third officer came over and took a couple pictures of me and my grandchildren. The police said nothing more to us but left to return and drive by my resident again, and they drove slowly like they were still up to something. About a week ago, (they) did not come here but (they) again drove by very slowly like they were making some intense observations. I believe these (BIA) police are going to start doing as they please because the actual Hopi council is in defunct…”

The Call to Action for Support Continues

The protests in the American streets where Starbuck, Bank of American and GE own the concrete-n-steel sidewalks are hopeless! Come to the place of opportunity to show the American Police State that you support the natural humans pay homage to, not control, the Mother Earth. At Big Mountain, you will see and understand what real resistance is and experience being part of defending the profound ancient ways of life that are threaten into extinction. Come out, rough it, have patience, find that humbleness within you, and you will be in the human circle for revolution. Help, Save the Microcosm of the Universe at Big Mountain, the Whitesinger Earth Lodge!

© Sheep Dog Nation Rocks, 2009

>>>>
For more information about how you can help, contact: blackmesais@riseup.net or visit www.blackmesais.org and / or leave a voice message @ 928-773-8086.

“Once social change begins, it cannot be reversed. You cannot uneducated the person who learned to read. You cannot humiliate the person who feels pride. You cannot oppress the people who are not afraid anymore. We have seen the future, and the future is ours!”

–Cesar Chavez, (activist & educator)

Hug a sheep Today!

Here is an opportunity to travel to Black Mesa/ Big Mountain and do the type of work I did back in 1998 – something that made a lasting impression on my life, as it allowed me to do something for others and to work for a cause I believe in with all my heart. A way to help preserve indigenous sovereignty in this country and to help protect our natural resources!
*******************************************************************************

Greetings from Black Mesa Indigenous Support,

We are excited to inform you that we are currently putting together efforts to bring a caravan of work crews that will be converging from across the country to support residents of the Big Mountain regions of Black Mesa who, on behalf of their peoples, their sacred ancestral lands, and future generations, continue to carry out their staunch resistance to the efforts of the US Government, which is acting in the interests of the Peabody Coal Company to devastate whole communities & ecosystems, and greatly de-stabilize our planet’s climate for the profit of an elite few.

At this moment the decision makers in Washington D.C. are planning ways to expand their occupation of tribal lands to extract mineral & other resources. The coal companies have a long history of and continue to fund both the Republican and Democratic parties because they have huge interests at stake. Peabody Coal, the world’s largest coal company, is currently pushing through plans to massively expand dirty coal strip-mining operations which has destroyed land and water aquifers, completely dug up burials, sacred areas, and shrines designated specifically for offerings, preventing religious practices.

By assisting with direct, on-land projects with these Sovereign communities, you are helping families resist an illegal occupation and to stay on their lands, who serve as the very blockade to coal mining! “The Big Mountain matriarchal leaders always believed that resisting forced relocation will eventually benefit all ecological systems, including the human race.” Bahe Keediniihii, Dineh organizer and translator states. “Continued residency by families throughout the Big Mountain region has a significant role in the intervention of Peabody’s future plan for Black Mesa coal to be the major source of unsustainable energy, the growing dependency on fossil fuel, and escalating green house gas emissions. We will continue to fight to defend our homelands.”

With the guidance of Black Mesa residents, the aim of this caravan is to bring support to their communities before the approaching cold winter months. We expect volunteer work parties to help with firewood chopping & hauling, do minor repair work, provide holistic health care, and a few days of herding sheep. Volunteer work crews are expected to be adequately prepared and self-sufficient prior to your visit on Black Mesa, which is a very remote area in a high desert terrain! (Be prepared for extreme weather, it will be cold!) Each participant will need outdoor camping equipment, food, water, and have appropriate attire for hands-on manual work. Please visit the BMIS website for an in-depth guide on how to prepare for your stay and what supplies are needed for work projects.

Host or attend regional organizational meetings in your area! The Caravans’ coordinators are located in Prescott, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tuba City, Colorado, Portland, Ohio, New York, and San Francisco’s Bay Area. The meeting locations and dates are being posted at the BMIS website as coordinators set them up. This caravan will be in addition to the annual Clan Dyken Fall Food & Supply Run. We strongly urge participants to attend regional meetings & to pre-register to help us estimate how many people to expect as well as to help us make necessary accommodations. You can download a registration form off of our website.

Ways you can help in the weeks leading up to the caravan:

- share information about the caravan & request materials from us and help spread the word in your area.

- arrange/organize outreach events and/or fundraisers for gathering supplies in your town or city with BMIS supporting you.

Ways you can help during the caravan:

- A number of volunteers are needed to help with shifts to be covered for the opening & closing circles with a variety of different responsibilities such as pre-setup, kitchen shifts, fire-wood duty at main camp, and cleanup.

Please contact BMIS at blackmesais@riseup.net

We are at a critical juncture and must take a stand in support of communities on the front lines of resistance now! Indigenous & land-based peoples have maintained the understanding that our collective survival is deeply dependent on our relationship to Mother Earth. Victory in protecting and reclaiming the Earth will require a broad movement that can help bridge cultures, issues, & nations.

BMIS wishes for this caravan to be an important opportunity for people of all backgrounds to listen & work with the families of Black Mesa to generate more awareness that relocation laws & coal mining need to stop, that these communities deserve to be free on their ancestral homelands, & to come together to strengthen our solidarity and find ways to work together to protect Black Mesa & our Mother Earth for all life.

We can’t wait to see you in November!

Give Back To Mother Earth! Give Back To Future Generations!

In Solidarity,

Black Mesa Indigenous Support

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us:

P.O. Box 23501, Flagstaff, Arizona 86002

Message Voice Mail: 928.773.8086

Email: blackmesais@riseup.net

Web: www.blackmesais.org

Black Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS) is a grassroots, all-volunteer organization dedicated to working with and supporting the indigenous peoples of Black Mesa in their Struggle for Life and Land who are targeted by & resisting unjust large-scale coal mining operations and forced relocation policies of the US government.

I was recommended to The Present Moment Cafe , by a fellow blogger I know, Inga from Taste Memory. She is a resident of Jacksonville, but comes all the way to Saint Augustine to eat at The Present Moment. Based on that alone, I really wanted to try it as soon as she mentioned it, because she and I have a similar food philosophy – one that I share on my other blog, The Leftover Queen. which is all about local, fresh and seasonal eating. So at her recommendation, I knew that this was a place that I could go and eat and feel good about it.

Now the day we decided to go to Present Moment, it was hectic. I wasn’t exactly sure where it was and we were starving. Two things that generally don’t go well together in this family. So when Roberto inquired about the type of cuisine and I said it was a vegetarian and raw food place, his face fell. Now neither of us are strangers to this type of food, in fact we love it and eat it frequently – but when Roberto is starving he wants something hearty and filling and he was sure that this meal was not going to satisfy his hunger.

The owner of Present Moment, Yvette Schindler describes the cuisine of her restaurant as Kind Cuisine:
“Fresh Organic Living Foods”. I really enjoyed my experience at Present Moment on so many levels. One level is that as soon as I entered there was a good energy to the place – it was beautifully and colorfully furnished, the big front windows were letting sunshine fill the dining area, the smells wafting from the kitchen were wholesome and good, and everyone was smiling. I felt comfortable there. The place was pretty full for a weekday late lunch crowd and there were people of all ages as well – from infants to seniors and everything in between. All really good signs.

The next thing I noticed was of course the menu – everything on it was thoughtfully done – it was an amazing array of combinations and flavors. That is what I really love about this type of cuisine – the absolute creativity it takes to create dishes using only raw, vegetarian, seasonal foods and making the dishes into something everyone can understand and enjoy. This takes a lot of time, energy and experimentation on the part of the chef and menu creators. I feel that intention is definitely felt when you eat the food. There is a strong connection between the cook and the taste of the food and it is all based on the exchange of energy. If you are not familiar with these theories, you can check out the book I wrote about it, The Secret Energy of Love Through Food.

Next on my radar was the presentation – the food, when it came out on the plates was artfully displayed – everything was fresh and colorful. For my meal, I chose the salad special of the day -

it was a marinated mushroom salad with macadamia nut “cheese” and avocado on a bed of greens. It was crunchy and delicious. Roberto went for the Sunlight Burger

- a veggie burger made of walnuts, sunflowers, almonds, carrots and zucchini, with a slice of pine nut “provolone” accompanied by a side salad and chips. Was he satisfied? Why yes. In fact he felt very full after eating his meal and couldn’t stop raving about how tasty it was. We also shared a “Chocolate Milk” – Cacao, almond milk and agave nectar. It was good, but probably our least favorite component of the meal. It was not very cold and had a very thin consistency. But the taste was good – although Roberto would have preferred it were sweeter.

Another thing I noticed about Present Moment is that even though we were there for lunch almost all the patrons were ordering desserts after their meals. This is not typical at restaurants anymore and even less so during lunch – but like I said before, all the food on the menu is not only extremely tasty, but also guilt free on various levels -so why not go for dessert? We did, and I can honestly say it is one of the best things I have eaten in a very long time. We went for the Blueberry Parfait with Hemp Praline.

It was a gigantic martini glass filled with layers of Vanilla-coconut crème, blueberry compote and buckwheat crispies served with a hemp praline. This dessert is pure genius – sweet, satisfying and creamy. With the little buckwheat crispies thrown in, the dessert had a really great mouth feel too. Writing about it now is making me crave one all over again! After the meal, we both felt really revived and full of energy.

So if you are not familiar with raw foods,you really need to check this place out. It is a little on the pricey side, but when you factor in the philosophy of the restaurant, the intention and attention to the food, it makes sense. You get what you pay for. This is something that really holds true for this town. If you want to try something really different and creative, and exceptionally yummy, you need to try Present Moment. If you want to take some home with you, there is a market next store that sells all kinds of organic products.

As the say on their website: ” The Present Moment Café is an opportunity to be good to your body, mind and soul. “

Many people these days have begun to look at the travel industry with a critical eye. With gas prices rising and the dollar struggling, people are beginning to see that things in the world are not status quo anymore – things are changing. With that, mindsets are changing and people are starting to travel in a different way. A way that benefits other people who are in need, helps the environment or for cultural exchange. These are not new concepts for me. I took a year after high school to travel to Norway as an exchange student. It was a life changing experience. It changed the way I looked at the world, and helped me to see that people all over the world have ways of life that are unique to them and that I feel should be preserved. That fascinated me and still does. This is one of the reasons that I write this blog – it is because I believe that through travel and cultural experiences we can learn so much – not just about the world, but about ourselves.

After my Norwegian experience, I officially came down with the Travel Bug. Not just to see other places, but to really experience them. Being an outsider has its lessons. So while in college, studying anthropology and contemporary Native American issues, I found out about Black Mesa and Big Mountain – part of the Navajo Reservation in NE Arizona and their struggle for survival. To read more about the history and my experiences there, please read this.

I have stayed in touch with some of the people I met there and try to keep myself up to date with what is going on there on Black Mesa. These elders that live there, have a very hard life and they always need volunteers, people to go out to their homesteads, do a home stay, help with sheep herding, carding and spinning wool, cooking, chopping wood, cleaning and doing just about anything and everything to do with traditional Navajo life. I spent 6 months with a family there and it truly was a life changing experience (yep, that is me in the jeans and gray sweatshirt hanging with my Navajo grandparents and their children during a family reunion). Without that time in my life, I would not be the person I am today. I am so thankful for that experience, because even though I was there to help them, I think in so many ways they helped me more.

Black Mesa Indigenous Support Group - the group that arranged my home stay, is now calling for volunteers to go out to the land and stay with families. They are a small grass-roots all-volunteer group organized to work with and support the issues of traditional, indigenous peoples of Black Mesa who are impacted by the coal mining and forced relocation policies of the US government. There is a lot going on that you can participate in that will help immeasurably. There are people all over the world, struggling and living in third world conditions who face human rights violations all the time. It saddens me deeply, but what saddens me even more is the fact that we have a similar situation going on here in America, and so few people even know about it!

Continue reading to learn more about how your next vacation can be one that helps people in need.

*On a personal note, I will be getting married very soon, so posts/ updating comments will be more sporadic than usual with gaps – don’t worry I will be back with more travel articles and Saint Augustine Resturant Reviews!*

FIRST NATIONS, FIRST RESISTANCE—

SUPPORT THE STRUGGLE FOR SURVIVAL AT BIG MOUNTAIN, BLACK MESA, AZ.

On behalf of their peoples, their ancestral lands, and future
generations, more than 350 Dineh residents of Black Mesa continue
their staunch resistance to the efforts of the US Government– acting
in the interests of the Peabody Coal Company—to relocate the Dineh
and destroy their homelands. This land is the basis for the Black
Mesa peoples’ traditions, livelihoods, and spirituality.

At this moment the decision makers in Washington D.C. are planning
ways to seize tribal lands to extract mineral resources. The coal
companies are funding both the Republican and Democratic parties
because they have huge interests at stake. Presidential candidate
John McCain recently sponsored forced-relocation legislation
targeting these Dineh families; Peabody Coal, the world’s largest
coal company, currently has plans to expand its strip mine operations
and to seize more deep aquifers beneath these indigenous lands.
Peabody Coal Company has completely dug up burials, sacred sites, and
shrines designated specifically for offerings, preventing religious
practices. Not only were the principal concerns of the communities
directly affected by the legislation never addressed, those
communities were not even notified.

“The Big Mountain matriarchal leaders always believed that resisting
forced relocation will eventually benefit all ecological systems,
including the human race.” Bahe Keediniihii, Dineh organizer and
translator states. “Continued residency by families throughout the
Big Mountain region has a significant role in the intervention of
Peabody’s future plan for Black Mesa coal to be the major source of
unsustainable energy, the growing dependency on fossil fuel, and
escalating green house gas emissions. We will continue to fight to
defend our homelands.”

LIFE FOR RESIDENTS OF THE BIG MOUNTAIN REGION IN 2008:

Institutional racism fueled neglect and abandonment of public needs
such as water, maintenance of roads, health care, and schools. Daily
life for Big Mountain residents hasn’t changed too much over the
years, except that more of them have become elderly and now need
additional help. Due to lack of local job opportunities and federal
strangulation on Indian self-sufficiency, extended families are
forced to live many miles away to earn incomes and have all the
social amenities which include choices in mandatory, American
education. It is increasingly difficult for families to come back to
visit their relatives in these remote areas due to the unmaintained
roads and the rising cost of transportation.

ANNUAL SPRING PLANTING PROJECTS NEED EXTRA SUPPORT THIS YEAR

The consistent rain and snow this past winter have been hard on many
of the families living on Black Mesa, especially the elders. Because
of the roads being impassable for such a long time, supply and
medical trips were limited, as well as visits from extended families.
(Black Mesa is a remote area in the high desert, rich with canyon
lands and soft dirt that turns to clay when it gets wet.) But the
desert thrives on water; there are many healthy new lambs and baby
goats, as the life and land continue to cycle and regenerate. The
families are thankful and excited about spring planting and there is
much work to be done!

This spring, many fields left fallow will be planted. April is the
time for preparing them for planting. This involves fixing fences,
clearing out brush, and fixing water damage. May is the season for
shearing the sheep and planting the fields with corn, squash, melons,
etc.

BRING YOUR TOOLS:

Hand shears for sheering sheep, steel files, shovels, picks, axes,
mattocks, posthole diggers, a roll of barbed wire, fence posts,
leather gloves, heavy duty hoes, fencing pliers, and some single-axe
& shovel handles.

BMIS WILL HELP YOU COME TO BLACK MESA PREPARED!

You are invited to come to Black Mesa any time of the year, not just
spring and fall. You can come alone or as a pair for a longer
duration, or as an organized work crew for a shorter time. Since
establishing a routine is demanding on the host family, folks are
encouraged to stay a minimum of three weeks. If you are not able to
make this time commitment, check in with BMIS about organizing a work
crew to stay a minimum of several days to a week. Guests are
expected to be adequately prepared prior to staying with families on
Black Mesa, which is a very remote area in a high desert terrain.
Thoroughly read the Cultural Sensitivity & Preparedness Booklet and
fill out the supporter application form. ( http://www.blackmesais.org/
cultural_sen.html ) Email or snail-mail it to us. Contact BMIS as far
in advance as possible so that we can support you in your visit to
Black Mesa, answer any questions that you may have, and so that we
can make arrangements with your host family. We can also be reached
by our voicemail, 928-773-8086.

FALL ‘08 CARAVAN TO BLACK MESA IS IN THE WORKS!

Thank you. May the resistance of Big Mountain and surrounding
communities on Black Mesa always be remembered and supported!

Black Mesa Indigenous Support
P.O. Box 23501, Flagstaff, Arizona 86002
Voice Mail: 928.773.8086
blackmesais@riseup.net

http://www.blackmesais.org

Black Mesa Indigenous Support is a small grass-roots all-volunteer group organized to work with and support the issues of traditional, indigenous peoples of Black Mesa who are impacted by the coal mining and forced relocation policies of the US government.

http://www.blackmesais.org

In the spirit of giving, do something simple for those less fortunate:

Please Forward Widely!

URGENT ACTION ALERT!! DEADLINE APPROACHING!
YUCCA MOUNTAIN, SACRED TO THE SHOSHONE & MAJOR FAULT ZONE, IN
IMMINENT DANGER!
DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY MOVES PLANS FORWARD TO TURN YUCCA MOUNTAIN INTO
NUCLEAR WASTE REPOSITORY.
PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD DEADLINE JANUARY 10, 2008.

Public hearings have not been well attended, statements mostly in
favor of the plan to put all of the nuclear waste in the country in
this one sacred place. Activists were told that if we do not go on
record with a statement, we will have no legal recourse later on.
Local papers & media spin have recently stated that opposition to the
nuke dump had dropped of since the passing of Corbin Harney. The
nuclear reps are confident to the point of acting like it’s a done
deal. WE KNOW THAT’S NOT TRUE! LETS PROVE THEM WRONG! TAKE ACTION &
MAKE YOUR COMMENT NOW!!

Yucca Mountain is sacred to the Shoshone as an herb gathering site,
for rituals, and as a part of their stories. Yucca Mountain is known
in Shoshone language as Snake Mountain. Indeed it looks like a
snake. It is said that the snake was headed north when it froze where
it is. Further more it is said that it will move again and “flip
around”. Geologists say that there are thirteen different fault lines
running through it.

Citizens can make an oral statement at the scheduled public hearings
or fill out a form and mail it in to EIS Office U.S. Department of
Energy Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Mgmt, 1551 Hillshire dr.
Las Vegas, NV, 89195-7308 or by e-mail at EIS_Office@ymp.gov.
HERE ARE TALKING POINTS: http://www.h-o-m-e.org/Yucca/index.htm

“The eyes of the elders are on us. The fate of the unborn is
rolling toward the cliff, the voice of Corbin Harney is ringing in my
ears, “It’s on your shoulders now…”. Info from Bear Dyken.
mdyken@goldrush.com.

YUCCA MOUNTAIN FACT SHEET, TALKING POINTS, & MORE INFO: Healing
Ourselves & Mother Earth http://www.h-o-m-e.org/

The DOE released two Draft Supplemental Environmen-tal Impact
Statements related to repository changes and rail transportation of
high-level waste in Nevada.

Inyo County CA- Excellent Draft Impacts Assessment Report Comments
due by 1/10/08

Here is the latest on the situation in Black Mesa/ Big Mountain. To read more about it read my article My Time With The Navajo Elders here.

Greetings supporters, friends, & relatives of Big Mountain, Black Mesa, AZ.
Here are our fall updates. Details are below.

* ANNUAL BLACK MESA FALL FOOD & SUPPLY RUN BY CLANDYKEN IS STILL MOVING FORWARD DESPITE ONE
OF THE MAIN ORGANIZERS HAVING HAD A MAJOR HEAD-ON CAR COLLISION. YOUR SUPPORT IS ESPECIALLY
NEEDED THIS YEAR!
* 30th ANNIVERSARY OF BIG MOUNTAIN RESISTANCE: A SUCCESS!
* A CALL-OUT FOR SHEEPHERDERS & SUPPORTERS FROM BLACK MESA FAMILIES TO COME & STAY AS THEIR
GUESTS.
* BLACK MESA MINE UPDATE:
* DOODA DESERT ROCK- FOUR DAYS OF SPIRITUAL GATHERING NOVEMBER 8 – 11, 2007:
* RISING TIDE NORTH AMERICA (RTNA) ANNOUNCES FOUR NEW CAMPAIGNS. (Including so called ‘Clean
Coal’)

—————————-

* ANNUAL CLANDYKEN FALL FOOD & SUPPLY RUN TO BLACK MESA IS STILL MOVING FORWARD EVEN AFTER
ONE OF THE ORGANIZERS HAD A MAJOR HEAD-ON CAR COLLISION. YOUR SUPPORT IS NEEDED –ESPECIALLY
THIS YEAR!

Time once again has come around to the Annual Clandyken Fall Food & Supply Run
to the Big Mountain area of Black Mesa. Mark Dyken recently sent out a call for support
telling he survived a head on car crash on September 19. He is asking for some extra help in
moving the Beauty Way Tour and the Food and Supply Run foward. “If you have ever
considered getting involved in helping produce a show or being part of the trip to the
reservation this is the year for you to step up. We have several shows already booked,
but we will need a few more to raise our target goal of $12,000. Maybe you are a
musician who’d like to play some of the shows, maybe you can help with publicity,
perhaps you can take on a silent auction or other form of fund raising. Perhaps you are
a talented mechanic who can help get the bus back on the road or an organizer who can
mobilize your area or you are someone who can take tickets at the door in your town.
Maybe you have a vehicle that can make deliveries on the reservation. We’ve been
making this run for 16 years and I hope it takes more than one random car crash to shut us
down.” – Mark Dyken

All are welcome to join the Annual Black Mesa Food & Supply Run. Each year supporters from
the four directions visit and stay with families living on Black Mesa. A tremendous amount of
energy is needed for the fall supply run. Please help procure food, gather supplies, raise
funds, distribute goods on the land & chop wood. There is a need for at least some
of the folks who come out to help to show up with a truck or other vehicle capable of
traversing the sometimes very rough reservation back roads. See Clan Dyken, The Beauty Way
Page for more info: http://www.clandyken.com

UPCOMING SHOWS:
- November 2 – Sonora, CA Sonora Opera Hall 7:30 pm with The 2J’s Jazz Band. Food &
refreshments by Amy’s Mountain Ranch Kitchen. 209-736-6736
- November 3 – West Point, CA Blue Mountain Coalition for Youth 7:00 PM Experience the
Chocolate Fountain. 209-736-6736
- November 9 – Junction City Grange, Near Weaverville, CA. 530-623-2656
- November 10 – Bayside Grange, Arcata, CA w/ Joanne Rand & the Rhythm of the Open Hearts.
Fry bread, tacos, pies & other great eats Doors open at 5pm. 707-499-8769
- November 17 – Seaman’s Lodge, Nevada City, CA w/ Feather River Singers, Kimberly
Bass Band, Wicker Men, Earth Rythm Dancers and Drummers – April & Zuma with George Scroeder 5pm
- November 18 – On the road to the Big Mountain region of the Dineh Nation.
- November 19 – Flagstaff
- November 19 – 23 – Food and supply distribution
- November 23-25 – The long road home

If these dates do not work for you or you would like to extend your time on Black Mesa,
families have requested outside support to herd sheep, chop wood, and live with
them. The food run is great opportunity to come to the land and establish a relationship with
Black Mesa. Families really appreciate returning supporters, you know who you are.

* 30th ANNIVERSARY OF BIG MOUNTAIN RESISTANCE: A SUCCESS!
On October 6, 2007, the Dineh community of Sweet Water at Big Mountain hosted its 30th
Anniversary celebration for their resistance to forced relocation and to the
encroachment of Peabody Coal Company. The celebration was a success. This one day
event began on a cold and cloudy Saturday morning with a sunrise ceremony inside the old
remains of the council lodge that was built for the 10th Anniversary in 1987. And here are
just a few sample of the highlights… For more info go to

http://www.blackmesais.org/anniversary.htm

* A CALL-OUT FOR SHEEPHERDERS & SUPPORTERS FROM BLACK MESA FAMILIES TO COME & STAY AS THEIR
GUESTS.
Come herd sheep and stay with a family living on Black Mesa. “We welcome people to come out
and support our resistance in this way.”-A resister grandmother. Guests of the families are
encouraged to stay for a month, as it can require a lot of work for both the family
and the guest to establish a routine. It is important to have good help out there, and not
create more work for the families. Guests are expected to be adequately prepared prior to
staying with families on Black Mesa, which is high desert and very remote. Read the Cultural
Sensitivity & Preparedness Booklet and fill out the supporter application form prior to
making arrangements for your stay. http://www.blackmesais.org/cultural_sen.html.
Supporters are expected to pay for gas and expenses when families provide their ride
out to the land.

* BLACK MESA MINE UPDATE:
Peabody Energy recently stated that they are working with both the Navajo and Hopi
to pursue coal-related development operations and expansion. On the matter of the operating
and proposed expansion of the Black Mesa Mine, BethSutton, a Peabody Energy spokesperson,
stated, “Black Mesa mining activities remain idled
following the suspension of Mohave generating activities. We continue discussions with the
tribes on
projects that would allow the mine to resume operations. The Kayenta Mine is
unaffected and continues operating.”

* DOODA DESERT ROCK- FOUR DAYS OF SPIRITUAL GATHERING NOVEMBER 8 – 11, 2007:
Dooda Desert Rock (DDR) has invited people all over the world to join them in
support of their encampment by participating in Shundiin’s Mission 2007, a spiritual gathering
of all faiths and tribes at the Dooda Desert Rock camp in Deenasts’aa’ Bito, New Mexico.
“All are welcome in this spiritual gathering to Bless Mother Earth and lift the
Spirits of the DDR organization to strengthen our mission to prevent the construction of the
Desert Rock Energy Project (another coal-fired plant to be built on the Navajo reservation).

http://www.dooda-desert-rock.net/node/23

All tribes and faiths are encouraged to come together to pray in an honest spirit of
unity with the DDR’s determined effort to resist further attacks on our lands and peoples.
Bring your teepee or whatever else you may have to share in our high desert camp life, and
act to shield our people from the increased deadly health impacts that would be unleashed
by poisons from a third massive coal-fired power plant within a 15-mile radius.

Transnational corporations serviced by government officials are denying environmental
justice, and the health of our children and heart of our homeland are at stake. Our
Navajo leaders are forsaking Traditional Ways to take corporate money to poison our land,
foul our air, and steal our waters. This abuse must STOP! We vow Dooda’ (NO) Desert Rock,
and we look forward to welcoming friends and fellow travelers to our Camp in a celebration of
renewal and a spirit of steadfast resistance to the global energy industry’s soulless culture
of death.”

The Dooda Desert Rock Committee is a group of Indigenous residents of the Navajo
Nation whom are in opposition to the environmental, social and economic injustice of the
proposed desert rock power plant. The Dooda Desert Rock Resistance finds the proposed desert
rock power plant to be in violation of the dine fundamental law.

http://www.dooda-desert-rock.net

* RISING TIDE NORTH AMERICA (RTNA) ANNOUNCES FOUR NEW CAMPAIGNS. (Including so called ‘Clean
Coal’)
False Solutions campaign seeks to expose greenwashing like clean coal technology, carbon
trading, and nuclear power. For more info go to:
www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/category/false-solutions-campaign
Convergences for Climate Action 2008 – A plan for follow up climate action camps to the
successes of 2007 convergences in south east, north west, and UK. For more info go to
www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/category/2007-convergence/

Fossil Fools Day of Action April 1, 2008 to stop the burning of all fossil fuels.
Educational Undertakings is creating a “menu” of workshops offered as a collective.
For more info go to: www.risingtidenorthamerica.org/wordpress/category/educational-undertakings

RTNA is a grassroots network of individuals and groups confronting the root causes of climate
change through direct action and promoting local, community based solutions to climate
crisis.

Thank you to everybody for your show of support,
Black Mesa Indigenous Support

Black Mesa, also know as Big Mountain, is a beautiful desert land out in the northeastern tip of Arizona. It is dotted with few sheep and other livestock.
It is also home to the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe
These two peoples have peacefully shared and lived off this land from time immemorial. But the United States government, who holds these peoples in its charge, drew their own borders in 1974, leaving over 10,000 Navajo (Dine’, “The People”) and about 100 Hopi families on the wrong side of the line.
This land is held sacred to these peoples. It is the physical representation of Mother Earth.
So the irony wasn’t overlooked when these artificial boundaries were drawn in order to exploit the land for the coal, uranium and natural gas in the earth below.
The tribes do not benefit from the resources themselves – they have no electricity, running water or plumbing, not even a phone. They make their way as they have always done, through their livestock and agriculture.
Yet their very existence was threatened in order to power cities like Las Vegas and Phoenix; to water their many golf courses in the desert. The Dine’ watched as their wells dried up, the wildlife disappeared, and the plants for the sheep to graze on become more and more scarce.

A Familiar Tragedy
Like similar stories heard the world ever, these sad events and measures were agreed upon by corrupt leadership.
The US Government decided to solve this crisis by relocating these Dine’ families now on the Hopi Reservation to track housing projects in suburban Phoenix.
Most of these families did not know how to survive in urban areas. They could not afford their mortgages because they could not find jobs, as many of these relocatees were elders who are illiterate and speak no English.
Some of these elders, who know no other way to live than by herding sheep and living off the land, started resisting this relocation. Thirty years later, they are still fighting for the right to remain on their ancestral lands.
The US government, through the Bureau of Indian Affairs, called the Hopi Tribal Police to coerce them to leave, enforcing laws to make those resisting families lives harder. Their livestock were impounded, they were barred from collecting firewood, and even their homes and sacred spaces were bulldozed.

Journey To Black Mesa
Winter is an unforgiving time on the Mesa. Many elderly resisters die because of sub-zero temperatures, and with wood difficult to stockpile, many get sick, and they freeze.
In 1998 my conscience called to me to action.
I went out to Black Mesa to spend several months with an elderly couple, to help them with their daily tasks and to keep watch over them. I also went to bear witness to the atrocities.
It was a sadly documented reality that Indian families in the company of a white person were less likely to be harassed by the Hopi Police. If anything happened to a white person up on the Mesa, it would be all over the airwaves.
During my time there I had the honor of staying with the *Smith’s. (*I have changed their name in this article, for their protection). It wasn’t long before they were known to me as “Grandma” and “Grandpa.”
When a person of relative privilege goes to a place where the basic amenities and comforts of home are absent, it forces you to become what is really inside of you, to call upon your deeper nature. You find out what you are really made of.
It gets down into your core of you and just… simplifies everything.
As you focus on the things that really matter in life, the value of “stuff” becomes unimportant.
No more taking for granted running water and flushing toilets or a hot bath. As you focus on the things that really matter in life, the value of “stuff” becomes unimportant.
How much does one really need in order to be content and happy? Does it come from things, or the beautiful exhaustion that comes from having an actual relationship with the land and the earth’s creatures?
I learned to talk to myself and to listen. I wondered, what are the issues in my life that I would be willing to fight for?

In The Presence Of Tradition
I helped Grandma and Grandpa too. I was there when the Hopi Ranger arrived with a semi-automatic, entered their home and questioned them in a language he knew they didn’t understand.
I was there to take care of the goats and the sheep when Grandma needed to go to her heart doctor, 3 hours away in Phoenix.
Alone and afraid, I brought the herd home when the snow and ice were so deep that ice balls had formed on their fur and weighed them down so much, they could no longer walk. Relying on my newfound inner strength, I found a stick and beat the snowballs off the goats until I could get them up the hill and to safety.
I was also there for humor. Slaughtering a sheep and preparing the meat afterwards is a process that takes all day. The first time I participated, I was given lots of little jobs to do. The Dine’ eat every part of the sheep.
I watched as Grandma sat emptying the bowels of the animal into old coffee cans and cleaning the intestines in hot water. She took parts of the fat layer that had dried in the sun and wrapped the cleaned pieces of the intestines around it. She then put these packages into clean water to keep them fresh.
She motioned for me to do something with the bowl of water with intestines and the dirty coffee can. I could not figure out why she wanted me to put the clean intestines in the dirty coffee can. I pretended to do it and she nodded.
I dumped the intestines in the coffee can. I had almost dumped it all when she yelled and came over to me with another bowl of clean water and motioned for me to take the intestines back out of the coffee can and clean them.
I realized then that all she had wanted me to do was dump the dirty water out of the cleaning bowl into the coffee can.
I felt horrible. But instead of being mad, it became the joke of the duration of my stay. She started calling me dygyss (some form of “stupid” or “git”) and even when we had visitors she would tell the story of how the stupid bilaga’ana (white girl) dumped clean food to be eaten into sheep dung.

A Place In Their Family
The most treasured gift they gave me was the gift of humility; of knowing how much space I take up in the world. That humbleness has nothing to do with weakness, but is perhaps the most powerful human attribute of all.
The silent power of knowing more is not better. To give when you have nothing and never presume to know anything.
Since then I give thanks that I don’t have to sleep with one eye open, worry about freezing to death or having my home torn down when I am away.
After all the pain and sadness these Dine’ resistors had experienced at the hands of outsiders, to know they invited me into their home, eat their food, and made a place for me in their family is overwhelming.
These people, on the brink of losing everything, can still forgive. It changed the perspective of how I think. Even now, almost ten years later, as I sit here writing this, the tears well in my eyes as I wish I could have done more.
When I was there, I even considered staying with Grandma and Grandpa indefinitely, helping them as my life’s work. But I knew I had to get back to head home eventually. My job was to bring these lessons back with me, and implement them into my own life.
To tell people what is happening up there, on a beautiful desolate land full of people who “Walk in Beauty”.

Epilogue
Things for the most part have remained the same on Black Mesa. Grandpa died of old age about 5 years ago. Grandma, in her 80’s continues to live out her years, on her own, with her piece of land and her sheep.
In November, she suffered a minor heart attack after a harassing confrontation with a Hopi Ranger while herding her sheep. (Read her statement here)
Currently her case is on continuance and the pre-trial date is March the 12th.

UPDATES!!!!

Greetings Friends,

We thank everyone for your dedication in your continued support of
Black Mesa families in their struggle to remain on their ancestral
homelands. We have some great news, updates regarding human rights on
Black Mesa, and a couple event listings to share with you. The BMIS
web-site is now mainly an archived site but will be updated in times of
urgent situations or breaking news. The sheepherder program will remain,
as requested by the families on the land.
~Black Mesa Indigenous Support

***VICTORY FOR THE SACRED SAN FRANCISCO PEAKS!!
Most of you may have already heard the terrific news by now and if
so, it feels good to state it again! Victory For the Peaks! See the
press release from the Save The Peaks Coalition & be sure to stay
posted: The 9th Circuit Court Rules to Protect Sacred Peaks -
Landmark Ruling Celebrated as a Victory for Religious Freedom,
Environmental Justice & Cultural Survival.

http://savethepeaks.org/STPCrulingnewsrelease.html

***LONG TIME SUPPORTERS HERDING SHEEP FOR ELDERS LIVING IN REMOTE
PARTS OF BLACK MESA RECEIVE WARNINGS OF EXCLUSION, DETAINMENT, &
PERMITS.
The recent warnings of exclusion & detainment of non-Indian supporters
staying as guests of elders and families living in remote areas
throughout Black Mesa draws concern from local and international support &
human rights organizations. Expelling support is also expelling
fundamental human rights, and violates the elders & families right to
decide who is allowed into their own homes. The permit process is
insulting and puts unfair burdens upon the families. It is one more thing
that they are told to do to under non traditional laws placed upon them.
Please stay posted and read our statement signed on by international human
rights organizations. http://www.blackmesais.org/concern0307.htm

***FAMILIES PUT A CALL-OUT FOR SHEEPHERDERS & SUPPORT:
“We welcome people to come out and support our resistance in this
way.”-A resister grandmother. Guests of the families are encouraged to stay
for a month, as it can require a lot of work for both the family and the
guest to establish a routine. It is important to have good help out there,
and not create more work for the families. Guests are expected to be
adequately prepared prior to staying with families on Black Mesa,
which is high desert and very remote. Read the Cultural Sensitivity &
Preparedness Booklet and fill out the supporter application form
prior to making arrangements for your stay. Supporters are expected
to pay for gas and expenses when families provide their ride out to
the land. http://blackmesais.org/cultural_sen.html

***RELOCATION LEGISLATION S1003 DOES NOT MAKE IT TO RESOLUTION.
Senate Bill 1003 (The Navajo Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974
Amendments) proposed by AZ Senator & Presidential hopeful John McCain
did not come to a resolution! If passed, this bill would have had dire
consequences for Dine’ families who continue to live on their ancestral
homeland, for the families who have moved and for the land of Black Mesa.
While S1003 passed through the Senate, it never made it out of the
House Resources Committee to the House floor for a vote. The
congressional session ended with no action being taken.

Many thanks to all of the action taken in support of the Dineh and in
stopping this bill, and the relocation laws. Thousands of letters,
emails, and faxes were sent from throughout Indian Country and
general support network, as well as the video sent to Congress that a
Black Mesa resident and BMIS volunteer compiled of statements from
residents of the ‘Hopi Partitoned Lands’.

***NEXT STEPS FOR STOPPING PEABODY COAL’S BLACK MESA PROJECTS’
MASSIVE COAL-MINING PLANS THAT CALLS FOR MORE RELOCATION OF
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES, MORE WATER AQUIFER DEPLETION, GLOBAL WARMING, &
DESTRUCTION OF SACRED ANCESTRAL HOME LANDS!!

1. OSM will review the comments and continue with the preparation of
the final Environmental Impact Statement.

2. OSM will issue a Final Environmental Impact Statement with a
“Record of Decision” on the project. No new studies will be made.
Office Of Surface Mining (OSM) states: “Environmental Impact Statements are
based on available data and information. After conducting a preliminary
review of the comments received, we do not anticipate we will conduct
additional studies.” OSM presently estimates that the timeline for the
decision on the final EIS will be out late June ‘07.

3. After the Record of Decision is made, there is a 45-day appeal
process. If the decision is made in favor of the Black Mesa Project, this
is when appeals can be made. Lawsuits could be filed to block the
decision.

What you can do:
1. Awareness is still needed! Please visit
http://www.blackmesawatercoalition.org for more info about BMP & Just
Transition.

***FURTHER INFO REGARDING PEABODY’S BLACK MESA PROJECT AND MOHAVE
GERNERATING STATION:
On Feb. 6th, the Salt River Project (SRP), ended its efforts to return the
coal-fired Mojave Generating Station power plant to service with the
appropriate environmental emission controls due to the high cost, and an
aggressive campaign by indigenous and environmental networks. As a partial
owner, SRP failed to reach a purchase agreement with Southern California
Edison.

Even though it’s a victory that Salt River Project has pulled out of
Peabody’s Black Mesa Project and the station remains closed today,
their press release stated that “SRP believes Southern California
Edison intends to continue with its ongoing effort to identify
potential new buyers for Mohave,” and in turn the coal from the Black
Mesa Mine. In addition, the Office of Surface Mining is still
continuing the Environmental Impact Study process on the Black Mesa
Project.

***Venezuela: We denounce The Forced Relocation Of Indigenous
Families From Their Traditional Lands At The Hands of the Venezuelan
Government and the Multi-National Coal Corporations. Paso Diablo
Mine is owned in part by Peabody Coal/Peabody Energy Corporation. By
Wayùu of the Perija Mountains

http://blackmesais.org/venezuela_indigenous.htm

***DESERT ROCK RESISTANCE CONTINUES – Since December 12th, 2006, Tribal
Elders and Navajo protestors have maintained a blockade, and encampment
called Dooda Desert Rock to stop surveyors from coming onto their
land to start inspection for a new 1,500 mega-watt, 2.5 billion power
plant to be built by Sithe Global. This project would be the largest
economic development project ever undertaken by the tribe. However,
this land is considered sacred by many of the families who still live
there, and they have no intention of leaving their homes to make way for
the power plant. They believe that it will disrupt sacred burial grounds,
displace many families, and exacerbate public health problems with air
pollution. Completion of this plant would make it the third one of its
kind in this area of New Mexico.
For info visit their blog: http://www.desert-rock-blog.com/

***EVENT LISTINGS:
MOTHERS DAY GATHERING AT WESTERN SHOSHONE PEACE CAMP & OF
HONORING CORBIN HARNEY: Elder Corbin Harney is calling for the annual
Mothers Day gathering out at the W. Shoshone peace camp May
11-13. “This Gathering is to honor Corbin and all who have
participated over the decades at the Nevada Nuclear Test Site to end
the destruction of our Mother Earth. Corbin Harney has taught many to
respect and protect Mother Earth and traditional ways through ceremony and
non-violent direct action. We’re calling everyone who loves Mother Earth
to join us.”-Western Shoshone Defense Project. Contact P.O. Box 211308,
Crescent Valley, NV. 89821. 775-468-0230. http://www.wsdp.org. Many of
you have been to the gatherings at the Peace Camp over the years, and your
presence would be enjoyed.

Corbin has been struggling with his health this past year and your
prayers are appreciated.

RUN 4 SPRING PLANTING AT SAND SPRINGS & OTHER AREAS
OF BLACK MESA
“For the second year in a row, Mark & Bear Dyken will be running the
Big Sur International Marathon together on April 29th….The course
is 26.2 miles of hills on California Highway 1, along the coast of
the Pacific Ocean.
This year, in the spirit of the sacred run we have decided to offer
our marathon run to support the spring planting in Sand Springs and
other areas of the Navajo Reservation in North East Arizona. By
dedicating the run to the planting we will work to raise awareness,
funds and support for our annual spring trip to sustain local
agriculture on the reservation. On other spring trips in the past we
have used funds for tractor repair, fencing costs, purchasing seeds,
and farming tools. The goal is to be able to purchase some of the
subsequent harvest to be distributed during our annual Thanksgiving
food and supply run. As always, we encourage supporters to join us on
the trip to the reservation, meet the families we are working with
and join in the work and fun.
….By dedicating the run to something larger we hope to draw
strength from the support of others who feel the same way about
issues of justice, land use and the treatment of indigenous people
around the world, while offering up the one thing we have control of
in this world-our bodies-to the cause.” http://www.clandyken.com