4. 5. d. f. There is a lack of upkeep of houses and property; homes are poorly built. It takes a long time to have repairs made. Some people have to take out loans to get their homes fixed. i. ii. Many families cannot afford to pay monthly utilities bills because they never paid such expenses. They are used to being independent in hauling their own water and firewood. Electricity and water are usually shut off due to lack of payment. Overcrowding in homes because not all family members are Confinement to one acre homesites, where people cannot even plant corn. watermelon, etc. Livestock have to be fenced in or kept away from the home. Police Protection - The County Sheriffs patrol in the area, but they do not enforce laws at the liquor establishments, because the owners are related to the Sheriff. People drink to death, die of exposure or walk on to the road where they get run over by vehicles. Navajo families living off-reservation: a. b. Lost of property: i. ii. iii. Many relocatees lose their homes by using it as collateral for loans. Relocatees lose their homes in divorce cases where homes are awarded to Non-Navajo ex-spouses or to an ex-spouse who is not originally from HPL. People chose to remain registered at their original chapters and now feel isolated. Homelessness - Many families are ineligible due to being away home at the time applications were submitted. i. People unable to adapt to living anywhere other than their Effects of Relocation on the rest of Navajo Nation communities: a. Relocatees obtain homesites in other chapters but those homes are left 8 b. C. vacant, because the owners return to their former lands. they do not Relocatees will not register with chapters, therefore cannot be assisted with chapter funds. Relocatees rent their homes to other people. The Navajo Nation is expending money on problems created by relocation. The United States should provide funds to pay for the impacts caused by their relocation policy. The Navajo Nation expenditures based on this Federal policy take away from other areas of need of all the Navajo people. ISSUE THREE NATURAL RESOURCES ISSUES: WATER, RIGHTS-OF-WAYS, LANDS, ETC. 1. · 2. 3. Pursuant to P.L. 96-305, the Secretary of Interior was suppose to select 35,000 acres of land to be used for the benefit of the Navajo relocatees. The land selected to date is less than 35,000 acres. a. b. C. d. e. There are current problems with the lands selected because Navajo people in the area are utilizing these selected lands. The lands are not being used for the benefit of the relocatees. The lands are checker boarded and under various jurisdictions. There are United States Bureau of Land Management lands, New Mexico State lands, Tribal lands, Executive Order lands and JUA selected lands. In order for the land to be used for the benefit of relocatees, other Navajo families who have been utilizing the lands have to be denied any further use of the lands. Local people and communities surrounding the selected lands want Development and running of Paragon Ranch failed. It was supposed to be developed to benefit the relocatees. The whole Paragon Ranch was not selected, only a portion of the land was selected and acquired. Navajo Transmission Project may run through the Hopi Reservation because that may be the preferred route. Dine Power Authority was authorized to develop Paragon Ranch but since failed. Secretary Babbitt promised the Hopi that he would support their request for 9 4. NTUA and DPA may be going beyond the statutory authority given them by the Navajo Nation Council by dealing with the Hopi Tribe without having the plans of operation amended. ISSUE FOUR WHAT IS THE COST AND LIABILITY OF THE NAVAJO-HOPI SETTLEMENT ACT? 1. More than $300 million has been spent by the Relocation Commission to date. 2. About $17 million has been spent by the Navajo Nation (since 1991) on the 3. The Navajo Nation must pay $21 million for the damage, rent and owelty cases. ISSUE FIVE WHAT ARE THE POSITIONS OR CONCERNS OF OTHERS ON THESE 1. Federal government says AIP must be implemented even without Navajo 2. Navajo County says Navajo people were not educated on taxes, loans and mortgages, etc. Navajo County is trying to assist the Navajo families but the county laws dictate collection of property taxes. 3. 4. Flagstaff schools district has Navajo relocatee students; the students are having difficulty dealing with city life. Special arrangements must be made for Native Americans students so they can get medical and other services. Navajo Americans for Community Action says only 20% of the Navajo relocatees successfully acculturated into the main stream of city life. ISSUE SIX IS A MEETING BETWEEN THE ELDERS OF THE NAVAJO NATION AND ELDERS OF THE HOPI TRIBE TO DISCUSS THESE ISSUES FEASIBLE AND IF SO WILL SUCH A MEETING HELP TO RESOLVE ANY OF THESE ISSUES? 1. There are mixed feelings about the Hopi Tribe. There were friendly relationships 10 2. 3. 4. a long time ago, but now they are unfriendly. Medicine men do not want to conduct any ceremonies against the Hopi Tribe because Navajo and Hopis are intermarrying. Navajo families requested that medicine men refrain from such ceremonies at chapter meetings. Hopis came from Mexico area and did not live here before the Navajo people. It seems as though Navajo elders and Hopi elders may not meet because of numerous confrontations over the years. Although some Navajo families believe that a "meeting of the elders" will resolve the "land dispute." Further examination of such likelihood should be conducted prior to hosting such meeting. I, Roberta Blackgoat, a plaintiff to the Many beads, at. al.. VB. United States of America, et. al., on this date declare Attorney Lee Brooke Phillips to no longer represent my interest in this case. Attorney Phillips has repeatedly failed to adequately communicate his activities on my behalf. He has ignored my advice to him on how to proceed in this case and has taken actions which are harmful to my interests. I ask the Ninth Circuit Court to recognize Attorney Bruce Ellison of Rapid City, S.D., as my current and sole legal representative in this case. Roberta Blackgoat designed Plaintiffs, agree with the above statements and are represented in this case by Attorney Bruce Ellison. 252 |