|
PRESCOTT COLLEGE STUDENTS INVESTIGATE NAVAJO RELOCATION ISSUE HANDS-ON
THROUGH CULTURAL IMMERSION
Prescott, ARIZ. - On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, while people around the
country were celebrating diversity, culture and civil rights, a group of
Prescott College students set out on a journey in the spirit of the day.
Ten Prescott College students, loaded with food, winter gear and other supplies,
started their trek north to Big Mountain, in northeast Arizona, to learn
about the Navajo relocation dispute.
Their trip is a part of a group independent study being co-facilitated by
two Prescott College seniors as part of their senior project. The first phase, "Cultural
Immersion," includes a ten-day home-stay with the Dineh, or traditional
Navajo, on Big Mountain.
"The class will be living with Navajo families and participating in
their daily lives," said senior Holly Roach, one of the facilitators,
who is studying social and environmental justice through the arts. Some will
be living in hogans (small wooden/log shelters), all will be living without
electricity and running water. They will help with everyday chores, including
herding sheep, hauling water from a nearby spring, chopping wood, cooking,
cleaning and special service projects, such as building and fixing sheep
corrals.
The issue they are studying is complex, touching upon a century-old land
dispute between the Navajo and Hopi Indians that stems from the creation
of the Navajo and Hopi reservations in the 1800s and has been further complicated
by the discovery of natural resources. In the 1930s, the land on which the
Navajo and Hopi reservations stand was found to have a great expanse of coal,
oil and uranium deposits. Part of the Navajo and Hopi lands have already
been leased to mining companies.
The families with whom the students are staying live on what is known as
the Hopi Partitioned Land, land that the U.S. government has awarded to the
Hopis. More than 10,000 Navajo have already accepted federal relocation benefits
and have moved to the Navajo Reservation and other areas throughout the Southwest.
Others have signed an "accommodation agreement," a lease agreement
allowing families to remain on the land for 75 years.
However, many traditional Navajo have refused relocation because of cultural
and religious beliefs. They are called the "resistors." About 12-15
families remain, said Roach. The Hopi have the legal right to evict the families
as of February 1. Groups in the U.S. and in many foreign countries say that
forced relocation is a violation of human rights.
"We hope to gain the cultural awareness needed to assess the Big Mountain
issue critically and sensitively. We hope that through our work we will raise
public awareness about the relocation of Navajo people and ultimately protect
the rights of indigenous people," said Roach
Sarah Bina, a student studying conservation biology said she needs to see
for herself what is going on at Big Mountain. "I feel like I need to
experience what the people who live there experience every day of their lives.
I hope to gain knowledge and some sort of understanding of the Navajo and
their struggle on Big Mountain and also gain a better perspective of myself."
The class also hopes to assess the issue from the various perspectives. "There
are so many different points of view and we're learning how to validate these
point of views and not point the finger at any one "bad guy,"" said
Cynthia Kruse, an ecopsychology student. "Everyone that's coming into
the situation - the government, the coal company, the different tribes -
have different wants and needs that they're trying to fulfill."
During the second phase of the project, which will take place during the
spring quarter, the students will design and implement an educational outreach
campaign targeted at local communities and statewide media.
"It's really important to have [the Dineh] perspective as a backbone
to what we're doing," said Demitra Tsioulos, a co-facilitator of the
class majoring in anthropology. "Getting first-hand experience by talking
to the resisters will be an incredible basis for us to come back here and
develop strategies, promote awareness and share our experiences with the
community. Our hope is to raise serious awareness. We want people to know
what's happening and who the Navajo are," Tsioulos said.
Regardless of the end result of the conflict, Roach said, "We want
Big Mountain to be a household name."
Top (left to right): Justin Rohde, Devon Alves, Holly
Roach, Demitra Tsioulos.
Middle: Emily Wilson, Jen Meade, Natalie Niceforo,
Gracia O'Neill.
Bottom: Cynthia Kruse, Sarah Bina.
|
