Navajo Relocation Temporarily Halted

NAVAJO RELOCATION TEMPORARILY HALTED

by Peggy Novelli

July 8, 1986 was the scheduled date for the implementation of PL 93-531, calling for the removal of 10,000-15,000 Navajo from their homes and land in Arizona. This Deadline passed with no attempt to evict the Navajo from their land. As of Monday, July 7, the area in question carne under the legal jurisdiction of the Hopi Tribal Council, who have said they will not move against the Navajo.

Plans to relocate the Navajo are still underway, however; action has temporarily come to a halt because funds for housing and other facilities were insufficient. The Federal Government says that preparations for the final relocation will take 18 months.The House Appropriations Committee is now in session and money for the relocation will be allocated in October.

Two bills have been introduced, one into the House of Representatives by Representative Richardson and the other into the Senate by Senator Cranston, calling for, respectively, a one year and an 18 month moratorium on the forced relocation of the Navajo. Richardson's bill calls for the establishment of a commission to study the psychological and cultural impact of relocation on the Navajo. Cranston's stipulates that an advisory committee be established, served by the Secretary of the Interior, four members of Congress, two Tribal Council members from both the Navajo and Hopi tribes, and two elders from each tribe.

A spokesperson for the Big Mountain Legal Offense/Defense Committee in Flagstaff said that several Navajo elders attended a meeting of the Relocation Committee last week. The formalities of the meeting were concluded with no opportunity for those in attendance to ask questions. Following the meeting, the elders expressed their intention to remain on their land throughout the coming months and in the face of further actions by the government.

Letters to your representatives and senators remains the most effective means of expressing your views on this issue. Letters can also be sent to the House Appropriations Committee requesting a moratorium on funds for the relocation.

Locally, further information is available from the Big Mountain Support Group, which is meeting weekly. Participation of all kinds is encouraged. See CRD listings for details.

Next month: The Hopi Point of View