According to the Washington-based Shundahai Network, President Clinton signed in to law on Friday, October 11, 1996, S.1973, the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute Settlement Act of 1996. S.1973 had passed both the Senate and House in September with little opposition. Clinton's actions, which received little attention in the Washington press, solidifies a December 31, 1996 deadline after which time 3,000 remaining Dineh - largely elders - living at Big Mountain can be forcefully relocated. An analysis from Sovereign Dineh Nation, a group based in Flagstaff, Arizona, says that "the key impact of the act is stated most clearly in Sen. McCain's statement introducing the legislation: 'The Agreement recognizes the Hopi Tribe's right to exercise jurisdiction over the Hopi Partioned Lands where Navajo families are residing.'" In effect this means that the Hopi Tribal Council can now legally call upon its Hopi Rangers who, in conjunction with Federal Marshals and Bureau of Indian Affairs agents, can begin the relocation of the Dineh. An important aspect of this land dispute is the fact that beneath Big Mountain are massive coal deposits which Peabody Coal has economic interests in. It is also important to note that December 31, 1996 is a deadline by which the remaining Dineh must either sign a new restrictive lease agreement or move off the land. The vast majority of the Dineh have no interest in signing the lease. Activists at the Shundahai Network emphasize that while it is not absolutely certain that relocation efforts will begin immediately after December 31, they do say that this threat has been clearly verbalized all year long and in general there is a heightened, albeit ongoing for many years, level of harassment. While as of yet there is no formal call or plea for people to come to Big Mountain at this time, there is a strong recommendation that people around the country reinvigorate interest in Big Mountain. Shundahai Network says that in addition to their office in Washington (which will be moving in December) and the Sovereign Dineh Nation office in Flagstaff, both a west coast and east coast contact for Big Mountain have been established. For more information the Shundahai Network can be reached at 202-588-0912 or emailed at shundahai@radix.net The Sovereign Dineh Nation can be reached at 520-522-8683.
Copyright Mendocino Environmental Center 1997
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