Home > Anna Mae Sundance > Article
John Benally’s Sun Dance Tree of Life & Arbor Destruction Report
Please help us get out this press release
I want to communicate with you on behalf of myself and the Sundancers
who exercise their beliefs here in Big Mountain. I want to tell you
what is happening to us in the millennium years.
By now you must have heard about the desecration and destruction of the
Sundance tree here in Big Mountain. It is the destruction of the belief
of my people. The Hopi Range Management cut up the Sundance arbor, tree
and sweat lodge, they took a chain saw and cut up the Sundance tree.
They cut the Sundance tree in sections, the tree of life. The Hopi
tribal police, rangers and BIA rangers acted as their security. They
did this without notifying the people in a formal manner as their
believe and laws require. They just came in without a court order and
invaded the privacy of our homes and our Sundance ground. I think this
is an illegal act. When people were still asleep they invaded, waking us
up with the sound of stock trailers rattling early in the morning and a
back hoe and chain saws.
My nephew Eric Crittendon told me what was happening at the Sundance
camp. When we got there we saw 3 police blocking the entrance of Camp
Ana Mae and more than 15 vehicles of Hopi tribal police, Hopi and BIA
Rangers. They said they did not want me to take my vehicle into the
Camp. They asked me to park it and I cooperated with them. I said I have
no reverse so I have to make a circle to come back out of here. They
said they called the tow truck. I asked them why are you towing my
truck? I told them I am moving out of the way. They would not tell me
anything so I took my shovel out of my truck and left it there to see
what was happening. My truck is a 1967 Chevy 1/2 ton. They never gave me
any papers to seize my truck and no cause. I want my vehicle back.
While I was talking to the BIA police Eric and I separated. He was
arrested by the Hopi police and they would not even tell me what his
charges were. When we called the Hopi jail and were ! told Eric was
charged with criminal trespassing we got Eric a lawyer and raised the
bond money to get him out of jail.
What the police are doing is intimidation and harassment of people. It
is happening to my people and it is happening right here in our own
home. How can they do this treatment to my people? We are no different
than the Hopi. Where is the equal protection? Who protects us? The only
way to solve the problem is to give the land base back to the Dine’.
This is the only way. P.L. 93-531 and all the other relocation laws are
discriminatory, prejudiced and racist laws. What kind of people can come
in and destroy what is so sacred?
We are afraid that if we do not stop them now by filing an injunction in
federal court the Hopi Range Management with their security will post no
trespassing signs on all resisters homes and bulldoze them. We believe
this could happen since nothing is sacred to them and the police are
enforcing the law not the Hopi court.
We want to know who pays for these operations? The Hopi Range
Management, Hopi police, rangers and BIA are using funds to destroy our
arbor with heavy equipment. Are they paid special to do what they did
today? How can the BIA provide security actions when Big Mountain
boulevard caved in and has not been fixed for over a week. This is a
public road and a school bus route. They only graded the detour so they
could bring in their stock trailers and heavy equipment. What
departments and agencies are helping to fund the destruction and
desecration? How can these police officers laugh at us, making fun of us
and our beliefs as Dine’. We are still living here at Big Mountain.
That’s all. We are not raiding and terrorizing the Hopi villages.
President Kelsey Begay, the Navajo Nation calls it religious persecution
so we want you to support our request to Roman Bitsuie 520-871-6446 that
the Navajo Nation tribal council pass a resolution stating that no Hopi
or BIA official can cross any portion of Navajo Partition Land (NPL) for
the purpose of hurting the Dine’. We want them to give us funds to go to
federal court and support our defining our sovereign territory. There is
a lot of hate inside of the Hopi governmental officials. Hopi
jurisdiction is already messed up. The destruction and desecration of
the Sundance grounds demonstrates it. Please help us get protection for
this group of human beings living here, the Dine' of Black Mesa.
If you can travel to Big Mountain these are the directions from
Flagstaff:
From Flagstaff head towards Tuba City. Take 160 East towards Kayenta.
Exit right at Black Mesa Trading Post. Go on that highway, up the hill,
heading east. Continue on the paved road past where it turns to a dirt
road by the Black Mesa Pipeline Company. Then continue on the dirt road
all the way, following detour signs towards Pinon. When you come to
turnoff where highway starts on the left going to Pinon, do not take
that road. Take the dirt road to the right. You will come to a little
wash and curve, continue bearing right, then straight about 11 miles to
Big Mountain. You can also call the cellular phone numbers listed on
the press release and arrange for an escort.
Thank you for your support.
Please help us get out this press release
 |
Black
Mesa Indigenous Support
P.O.
Box 23501, Flagstaff, Arizona 86002
Message Voice Mail: 928.773.8086 Email: blackmesais@yahoo.com |