Making missiles on the Navajo Nation's farm

Making missiles on the Navajo Nation farm

By Brenda Norrell

Photos Photo 1: Food Not Bombs/Photo 2 Indymedia

This week in the news, Indian Country Today celebrated the war manufacturer Raytheon Missiles producing missile parts on the Navajo Nation's commercial farm.
Shortly before I was terminated in 2006, an ICT editor forbid me to expose the fact that Raytheon Missiles was operating on the same land where the Navajo Nation was growing corn and other crops for commercial sale at Navajo Agricultural Products Industry near Farmington, N.M.
It was during the same time that NAPI was negotiating a deal with Cuba for the sale of NAPI farm products to Cuba.I wanted to find out what toxins and byproducts might be produced by Raytheon Missiles there, which would endanger the health of people eating the crops, including corn, pinto beans and potatoes, which become commercial food products. I had been to NAPI before, while I was working for Navajo Times, during the 18 years that I lived on the Navajo Nation.
The Indian Country Today editor forbid me from even researching the matter. (Yes, he put it in writing.)
It comes as no surprise today that ICT is celebrating the missile maker being there on Navajoland.
One of ICT's primary advertisers on the ICT website, with a large ad revolving, has been the CIA Clandestine Services, recruiting for CIA spies, since the fall of 2008.
Advertisers always exert influence over newspapers. Further, the income from advertisers pays at least a portion of the salaries of the reporters and editors.
Native Americans activists, including Louise Benally, Navajo on Big Mountain resisting relocation, point out that the US colonizers indoctrinated Navajos to such an extent in boarding schools and public schools, that they are now manufacturing weapons which ultimately kill other Indigenous Peoples.
Navajo Agricultural Products Industry is located in the same area where Navajos who live on the land are fighting a third power plant, Desert Rock. It is power plant development driven by Navajo politicians.
It is the same area where the US government sent Navajos to their deaths with cancer and respiratory diseases from radiation exposure, during Cold War uranium mining.It is the same area where Utah Navajos with respiratory diseases have long fought the oil and gas wells around their homes.
It is the same area of the Navajo Place of Origin, Dinetah. Bahe Katenay, Navajo from Big Mountain, spoke out in defense of Dinetah, in northwest New Mexico. Katenay's comments came during the Bush energy exploitation of the land. Katenay opposed extensive oil and gas wells around Dinetah. Katenay was censored by Indian Country Today.
It is the same area where the land, water and air has been mined, desecrated and polluted by both the US government and Navajo politicians.
It is the Four Corners region.

Bahe, the uncensored article about Dinetah:
http://bsnorrell.tripod.com/id104.html

Making missiles on the NAPI farm:
The work done at NAPI is for weapons currently in use by U.S. and allied armed forces: the Tube-launched, Optically-tracked, Wire-guided (TOW) missile; Javelin Close Combat/Anti-armor Weapon System; Stinger; Phalanx Close-In Weapon System and Excalibur Precision Guided Extended Range Artillery Projectile, according to Raytheon.
click on photos to enlarge

Censored News Blog Radio

Mark Anquoe, Kiowa, AIM, El Salvador and Carpinteria
Mark Anquoe of the American Indian Movement speaks on the elections in El Salvador and the racist mascots in Carpinteria, Calif, where a 15-year-old Chumash boy received death threats after opposing the offensive images. (10 min)

Tohono O'odham: Militarization of the border
Listen to Mike Flores, Tohono O'odham, describe the increased militarization of the border and human rights abuses by border agents, acting in complicity with the tribal government. Flores is introduced by Mark Anquoe, Kiowa. Flores and Anquoe, of the American Indian Movement, spoke at the Anarchist Book Fair in San Francisco March 14. Recorded by Censored News. (60 min)

UN Action Western Shoshone:
Julie Fishel Bill of the Western Shoshone Defense Project describes the United Nations actions to protect Western Shoshone Territory, including CERD action (60 min)

Defending Sacred Mountains and Lakes
Manny Pino, Acoma Pueblo, speaks on defending Zuni Salt Lake, San Francisco Peaks and Mount Taylor (45 min)

Carrie Dann and Manny Pino
Radley Davis, Pit River, presents Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone, and Manny Pino, Acoma Pueblo, with Human Rights Defenders Awards. Carrie speaks on respect for one's self and Manny speaks on uranium mining. (70 minutes with 20 min end music)

Indigenous Defenders Sacred Places
Northern California Natives Ann Marie Sayers, Radley Davis and Mark LeBeau speak on protecting sacred lands. Carrie Dann speaks on protecting sacred Mount Tenabo from Barrick Gold Mining. (90 min)

CENSORED NEWS BLOG RADIO
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Brenda-Norrell

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Mother Earth and Father Sky Music Festival 2009

Dooda Desert Rock readies for 2009 music festival

Dear Musicians and Poets,
Photo Youth Climate Movement

If you agree that Mother Earth & Father Sky should not be desecrated, that the health of humans and the environment should not be put at risk, then please accept this invitation to join Dooda (NO) Desert Rock (DDR) and perform at the 2nd Annual Mother Earth & Father Sky Music Festival. This event is scheduled to take place at the DDR Camp in Chaco Rio, NM (35 miles SW of Farmington, NM) on April 4 & 5, 2009; however we may extend the dates to the 2nd & 3rd also, due to the many musicians that want to be a part of this festival. The sooner you let us know if you’ll be performing the better it will be for all of us. We will stop accepting entries as soon as we have a full schedule.
Dooda (NO) Desert Rock Organization is a group of indigenous residents dedicated to stopping the ill-conceived coal-burning power plant (Desert Rock Energy Project) proposed by Sithe Global, LLC corporation, Desert Rock Energy Company, LLC and Dine Power Authority. We believe economic development must not come at the expense of the health of our children, the air we breathe, our sacred land and water, and our way of life. As Navajo people, our work and dedication is centered on the Dine philosophy of Balance, Harmony, Respect and Equality. Our responsibilities are not limited to the four elements of life. We are responsible to all life that encompasses our very existence as humans. We aim to honor our fore-fathers’ teachings and wisdom against all desecrating entities, corporate intrusions, and environmental injustices.
Unfortunately, we do not have the funds to pay musicians; therefore, this is a volunteer event. We believe that our battle ground is your battle field also. We all breathe the same air, we all drink water, and we are all dependent on the precious resources of Mother Earth for our existence. Please support our mission by donating your talents to this public education event.
Please bring your own camping gear, chairs, and eating utensils. Because we will be serving food to all visitors, we appreciate any donations of food, financial contributions, or firewood for this event. All proceeds will go directly towards maintaining a strong voice against any challenge to the Dine way of life.
We thank you for your support and prayers, and we invite each and every one of you to visit our beautiful homeland to see first-hand the assault we are under and the threats we face. We look forward to meeting you at the Camp in April. Traveling together in the time of music and poetry, we will honor our ancestral home and the health of our children’s children.
May you travel in the paths of the corn pollen!
Elouise Brown,
thebrownmachine@gmail.com PO Box 7838, NewComb, Navajo Nation, NM, US, 87455

Bahe Katenay: On Big Mountain, building the earth lodge

By Bahe Katenay
Sheep Dog Nation Rocks

Published with permission

Navajo Big Mountain matriarch Pauline Whitesinger stands next to her earth lodge that began collapsing in late 2007. Photo copyright Bahe Katenay.

BIG MOUNTAIN, Black Mesa (Arizona), November 18, 2008 – A nice peaceful morning in the Dineh resistance stronghold known as Sweet Water was again disrupted by a uniformed officer from the Office of Hopi Lands. This officer who had a badge that indicated he was with the Hopi tribal police claimed he was not serving a “noticed” on behalf of the Bureau of Indian Affairs, nor the U.S. government. The small 82 year old matriarch, Pauline Whitesinger, was trying to speak in the Dineh language to the thick and tall Indian officer that cannot understand Dineh and who was ‘assigned’ to meet with (grandma) Pauline about her “unauthorized” reconstruction of a traditional earth lodge.
He had photo-copies of Pauline’s earth lodge with some additional documents that he referred to as ‘complaints’ from a recent officer that discovered this construction in May 2008. As another Dineh gentleman showed up at the scene, the officer immediately walked over to seek a translator –something he should have seek within his own law enforcement department. The officer only wanted two questions answered:
‘Why is she building this hogan without Permission?’
‘What is she going to do with this hogan or why does she need it?’
The Dineh gentleman attempted to clarify the issues by asking if the tribal police agency keep a record of conversations made with Grandma Whitesinger or other documents related to her position about residential rights that she has been denied. The officer had no knowledge about recent records or about the history of this resister’s position toward the relocation and the land-partitioning policies throughout the 30 plus years, or throughout all the years that equaled this young officer’s age.
“Why she does this without permission is because she does not recognized the authority of the U.S. government or (your) alien and foreign authority,” the Dineh man clarifies.
“Grandma, here, still recognizes the supreme authorities of the local deities and she also honors her ancestors’ legacies. She truly and deeply believes that is where she receives the ‘official’ authorization to rebuild this traditional lodge.”
The translator adds, “The hogan is part of her ancient culture and it is necessary to her being. Not only is it for ceremonial purposes but it is her home where she will be warmer in the winter as opposed to that cinderblock and un-insulated house. There, you have heard the same repeated answers to your same concerns!”
The officer who seemed to be wasting his time by bringing up the same concerns and question asked as he tried to keep his authoritarian composure, “What do you mean ‘alien’?!” The translator’s reply again is rhetorical, “Well, since you are not here on behalf the feds or the BIA, are you here on behalf of the traditional Hopis?”
As if he had to answer that question, the officer explained, “The traditional Hopis are all gone!”
The translator reassures, “Your official duty today is alien because of that, because you represent something alien and a traditional Hopi would not tell us that we, Dineh, exist without permission…”
“No, (we) are a ‘new’ generation,” states the young but determined and armed officer.
Still at ease, the translator wishes no further dialogue concludes, “Yeah, a ‘new’ generation with alien-forms of idea and perceptions…”
Grandma Pauline who hates these sorts of police visits tells the translator, “I like to hear a summary of what you two have said to each other, but I also want to say this to him. Since May of this year your fellow officers and perhaps, you yourself as well would drive by slowly or sometime they would stop along that road, there. Then, very recently when I asked some helpers to begin working on the roof of the lodge, a ranger truck parked on that road and they seemed to be looking through binoculars. After all the prowling around and all this time, you finally come to me asking two questions.
“Leave the lodge alone! Let me dwell here freely! My only intention is to exist here as my forefathers have and I don’t intend to bother you.”
A Commentary with Recommendation:
After the lost deputy left, Grandma Pauline made further comments about the state of society, Chief Loner wonders also: “Where is that activism? Especially, indigenous activisms like AIM or other urban Indian bands of activist? Is activism only a fashion or an expression trend?”
This grandmother matriarch has stood her ground out in the remote country of Big Mountain for over thirty years. Now, it really seems that society sees her the same way the oppressors does, “those lawless Navajos.” Members of society who expressed humanitarian thought through Gandhi or MLK, or those who recently ‘voted’ to put colour in the White (marble) City of the district of Columbus do not seem to care about spirituality and ancient culture.
Does (it) only come down to fulfillment? Like, “I have voted and I won so, my efforts were fulfilled.”
There is evidence that the traditional Hopi resisters to modernization have questioned the state of society and perhaps, they felt that society has no time for ancient cultural and spiritual ways. So, as long as one, individual traditional life knows they have fulfilled their spiritual obligation and if the rest of the community chose to adapt to the “new generation,” an individual traditional life will conclude it has fulfilled his or hers.
Society and non-Indian activism are more into an eco-management mentality by addressing institutional-designed environmental policies and questions. The old Indian traditions of land base society are now obsolete. Pauline Whitesinger in her remote corner of the universe somehow and always know about the state of the world politics without going on the internet or reading bibles on how to be an activist and to have ‘love.’
Grandmother Pauline who is still strong said something that was quite shocking, “I don’t care anymore. I will build that lodge and (they) can come out with their heavy machine and level the hogan! I don’t care anymore because I’m old and cannot maintain my herd of sheep and goats, and (they) can haul all them away, too. At least, I may have fewer worries and just sit in this little house everyday and look out onto the empty lands.”
Grandma’s final comment about that morning’s disruption was that the ranger-police was actually not wasting his time:
“He is the initial point of a plan. What will follow after today’s visit might become a stupid move for them. All these years the United States has been trying to make the so-called, ‘Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute’ happen…”
© Sheep Dog Nation Rocks 2008

“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)