is the preservation of our religion, culture, and our way of life. It was not about politics or economics. During the many years, we have seen the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Hopi Tribe destroy our sacred sites and disturb our burial sites, with their development projects.

I have been working with these issues for 12 years. Initially, I worked on voluntary basis at the Big Mountain Legal Office for six [6] years and later with Navajo-Hopi Legal Services for another six [6] years. During this time, I have worked very closely with the families on the HPL and on the Bennett Freeze Area.

When the mediation was ordered by the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, the families of the HPL felt that there may be a chance to change the 1974 Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act. During the mediation, it was very difficult for the HPL family representative to sit at the same table with the Hopi Tribe and United States Representatives whom they have seen as enemies. During the four [4] years, I believe one of the most important things that happened between all of the representatives was that friendships and trust started to develop.

I feel that the Accommodation Agreement has both good and bad for the families of the HPL. The Accommodation Agreement addresses the protection and access to sacred sites, existing burial sites on the HPL, and herbal gathering areas. There are several issues that I feel still need to be addressed by the HPL family representatives and the Hopi Tribe. Those issues are: Future burials, third party dispute resolution other than Hopi Tribal Court. [Ex. Lonewolf, Deer, Katenay and Tso v. Hopi Tribe, Mae Tso v. Hopi Tribe. We were not able to get any jury selection because of the religious and emotional issues involved]. Many of the families feel that they will not be treated fairly by the Hopi Tribe.

My other concerns are: Young families that are listed on the B list, not being able to obtain their own homesite lease, farm plot, and grazing permits. I am listed on the B List on the enumeration that was compiled together for the mediation. This is because I was working in Tuba City during the week. That puts me in the second class of families on the HPL who wants to stay on the land. I did not apply for the Relocation Benefits, because of my religious belief. I would like to continue to live in the traditional way and bring up my children in that lifestyle. The Accommodation Agreement states that I can continue to reside on my mother's homesite lease, if she signed the accommodation agreement. If she does not sign the accommodation agreement, then I would become ineligible to live on the HPL and I would not be able to pursue the relocation assistance and benefits because I did not apply by the deadline date, which is July 7, 1986. Then what happens to me and my family? I have lived all of my 32 years of life in the Mosquito Springs. My connections to the land is very strong in the religious ways and I cannot see myself living somewhere else. My elders taught me to live in a respectful way and to follow the natural laws of our religion.

I am asking the U.S. Congress to take a look at these issues again. Young people of the HPL who are in similar situation as myself need to be addressed, either by allowing them to apply for Relocation Assistance and Benefits or by allowing them to apply for their own HPL homesite lease. I would like to have applied for the homesite lease, farming plot and grazing permit. I realize that Congress has spent millions and millions of dollars on the Relocation program and there is a great need to balance the Federal budget. Navajo-Hopi-United States land dispute cannot end without settling/addressing these concerns/issues.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JACK HATATHLIE

My name is Jack Hatathlie. I am 67 years old and 6 months. I am of the Salt Clan. I am a lifetime resident of the Coal Mine Mesa area. I have lived at my present homesite since 1951, a total of 44 years. I am married and have 42 children, in-laws, and grandchildren.

I think about the lease concept which is an integral part of the accommodation agreement. I agree with it and support it. I anticipate further positive refinement

to it.

The concern that I have about the accommodation agreement is the lease term; I desire the lease term to be perpetual. This way my children and grandchildren will not be saddled with the problem of renegotiating it at the expiration of the 75 year lease.

The relocation law made in 1974 inflicts pain and suffering on us. It affects our livestock holdings. We had to reduce our livestock pursuit to the law. We have farm plots but no rain to wet the soil. The relocation law caused a reduction in the amount of rain we get.

If we move over across the line [relocate], we will continue to suffer even more. For this reason I am staying.

I agree with the lease concept that is central to the settlement talks. It appears that we will get additional livestock.

My ancestors, including my grandmother and her mother, lived in the Coal Mine Canyon of the Coal Mine Mesa area. The wood supports for their structures still stand in the ground. My grandmother was born there; she died there 46 years ago. She was blind when she died of old age and affirmity. She lived in the canyon. I think about this... that my grandmother lived there. My mother was born near the Coal Mine Mesa chapter 96 years ago. I was born near Howell Mesa 66 years ago.

I belong to the land. This is my land. I have been living on it before the start of the land dispute. I yearn for some type of settlement to the land dispute. The recent settlement and accommodation agreement appear to be the answer.

None of my children, except for one, signed for relocation. They probably want to stay at our homesite. If the young ones who have become adults since 1986 could receive relocation assistance they would prefer to move. This would help us alot because the homesites would not need to be expanded so much, the farming and grazing would not be so large because there would not be so many people here at our homesite.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ANNA H. BEGAY

My name is Anna H. Begay, C#000,475. I am sixty-five [65] years old. I live in the western part of the Hopi Partitioned Lands [HPL], in the Coal Mine Canyon. I am of the Tangled Water Clan, and born for the Tacheeni Clan. I have lived off the land there for sixty-five [65] years. My ancestors also lived here.

My health is suffering because of the relocation law. I wish it was not like that, and that it would go away. I oppose relocation and I will not relocate. The reason is that my soul and well-being is not meant to be at another place, other than where I now live.

Since my childhood days, I have "Walked in Beauty" where I live. Here on my land, I feel no stress or pressure. When I am elsewhere, I long for this place [Coal Mine Canyon] and come right back.

I agree with the lease concept. I have stayed here for many years. Under the proposed Accommodation Agreement, I will stay here for many more years. I am also a member of the mediation team and I have attended many mediation meetings with the Hopi Tribe.

I do not have any concerns about the proposed Accommodation Agreement. The Hopis assure me that I will continue to live as I am living now. I will receive additional livestock under the proposed agreement. Life will be the way it was prior to the relocation law.

In conclusion, I favor the lease concept, as I understand it, in the proposed Accommodation Agreement.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF LOUISE BEGAY

My name is Louise Begay. My clan is Tse'ni'jikini [Honey-Combed People, or Cliff Dwellers], born for the Toh so ni [Big Water] clan. My maternal grandfather is of the Chishi [Chiricahua Apache] and Todacheeni [Bitterwater] clans. My paternal grandfather is of the Kiyaanii [Towering People] clan. I am also a member of the Navajo Families mediation team. I live about 6 miles north of Jeddito Chapter. This is my statement to the Honorable John McCain on behalf of my family and relatives who are living in the Jeddito-Hopi Partitioned Lands [HPL].

I am talking about the land that we do not want to relocate from, and the hardship that the 1974 act has caused us and my children. I do not want to move off of this land. We want to stay here, and I know that the people that are living here feel the same way that I do. In the future, we do not want our children to move out again. We do not want them to suffer as we have. This is why we say Congress should make this proposed Accommodation Agreement permanent. If the agreement was permanent, then we will be satisfied and we will not have to worry about the future of our children.

The reason we do not want to move off our land is because of our philosophy and religion. We live near a mountain that has many different types of herbs for healing different illness. Medicine men from all over come to collect the herbs from the mountain. My grandfather and father has told stories that this sacred mountain is like a human being. The mountain has its physical resemblance like a Human being

with its head, arms, and legs. The medicine was put here for us by the Creator, and that is the reason I do not wish to relocate.

I make medicine for my children, livestock, and myself when I need it. We also have a sacred rockpile where we put our offerings for our livelihood and well-being. The Accommodation Agreement has some good points, but we are still reluctant to sign it. I have many concerns, i.e., the Accommodation Agreement should be made permanent, not for seventy-five [75] years. If its temporary, it will only prolong the land dispute. The construction freeze is another concern. The freeze has forced us to live in unsafe environment with rundown homes. We are told that if we sign the Accommodation Agreement the freeze will be lifted, our livestock will be increased, our religion will be recognized, et cetera. We want to believe this, but it makes us wonder, what will really happen after the Accommodation Agreement is signed. We want to continue to live in our traditional lifestyle with our children and grandchildren the way our grandparents lived on the land. The livestock that we are caring for belongs to our children and grandchildren. Every other day we are harassed by the BIA rangers threaten to impound our livestock, daily we live in fear.

The Accommodation Agreement that we are going to sign, is it really going to become a law? If they say, "Here is the Accommodation Agreement. Sign it. We will not bother you any more and let you live your traditional way of life on the land.” Then we believe and accept the agreement. We want to build new homes or make improvements. The houses we live in were built in the 1940's and some of the foundation on our structures are deteriorating and unstable. Especially those that are made out of lumber. We are tired and vulnerable. We want to work with the Hopi Tribe and not have them harass us, or give us the run around and fight their tribal bureaucracies to build new homes. We want our grandchildren to build their homes wherever they want to build and to have their own grazing permit, because they will have families of their own. I have only one daughter and she has two children. About 2 weeks ago, the Hopi Rangers came out and saw some dead lambs, and I told them that I could not build a new corral to shelter my lambs so they had died from the cold. Our outhouses need replacement. Maybe the Hopis noticed that when they came out to my place.

We would also like to have running water, electricity, and to have the windmills, earth dams and roads repaired. If we cannot get electricity right away, maybe we could get solar power. I pray for these things and I know the rest of the HPL people feel the same way. Maybe the Hopis think we are lying, but we are not. I still want to make another remark about the seventy-five [75] year lease. I want that to become permanent. I feel this way because I have children and grandchildren.

In 1988, the Manybeads v. United States lawsuit was filed for our religion to be recognized. We have received several documents, and some were not explained fully to us, or telling us exactly what it contains. Many times we were told, it sounds good, and they would briefly inform us on what it contained. So, we are behind on these documents. As HPL residents, we did not collaborate in these documents. We were not able to mention our concerns. So later on we think, "Yes, this is not night. I should have said this." For instance, I am concerned about the requirement that religious structures still must be taken down within fifteen [15] days of a ceremony. Our prayers are done in hogans. We are allowed to use it for fifteen [15] days, and then we have to dismantle it. We do not feel well again because the hogan we have said our prayers in has been dismantled. In the old days, the medicine man had their paraphemalia hanging in the hogan. We are told we have to do what the Hopis want and we must agree to this. That is my main concern. We want Senator McCain to think about this. We do not want our church dismantled. The HPL; presidents have recognized and respected the Hopi religion. We do not require that they build their church in fifteen [15] days and then to dismantle it. I only ask that we be treated the way the Hopis want to be treated.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF ALICE TSOSIE

My name is Alice Tsosie. I am of the To'adeedliinii [Water Flowing Together] Clan, born for the Nat'oh Dine'e Tachii'nii [Tobacco-Red Running Into the Water] Clan. My paternal grandfather is of the Tsi'naajinii [Black Streak Wood] Clan, and my maternal grandfather is of the Tse'ni'jikinii [Honey Combed Rock, or Cliff Dwellers] Clan. I live about 8 miles southeast of Whippoorwill Chapter House in the Whippoorwill Community. I am also a member of the Navajo Families mediation

team.

We moved with our parents into this area in 1940 from District Six [6], and in the 1950's our relatives were evicted from Echo Canyon. There are four [4] homesites in the present area where my sisters, brothers, and I live.

Our current hardship with the freeze and impoundment has always existed, even before 1974 under the Former Joint Use Area. There is a freeze on building structures, unless we get approval. We are told to get permits to cut wood, and we have to have approval to build a hogan for ceremonies. Another problem we are faced with is our Navajo Partitioned Land [NPL] neighbors who are cutting the Bureau of Indian Affairs' [BIA] fence and herding their livestock into the Hopi Partitioned Lands [HPL] causing impoundment.

To our understanding, the Manybeads v. United States lawsuit was filed to have our religion recognized and respected. We have negotiated with the Hopis on several issues and from that we have come up with the Accommodation Agreement, which we want to sign.

We are told the Accommodation Agreement will allow us to remain on our land and practice our traditional way, as we are use to. It also states that the freeze will be lifted, and finally, along with our children and grandchildren, we will be able to have new homes, corrals, sheds, and other structures built. We all want running water, and electricity in our homes and to have good roads. We have suffered this long, and we want Congress to listen to our plea. One of the concerns is, if more HPL people do not want to sign the Accommodation Agreement, will the ones that want to sign be affected? The Hopis are still coming around counting our livestock, and yet the Accommodation Agreement states that the livestock will be increased. What will happen to our children and grandchildren if the Accommodation Agreement is not permanent? And, will our religion really be recognized and respected? We need to finish the issues that we did not finish discussing. For instance, the burial issue.

Since the U.S. Government drew the 1882 boundary line and passed the Public Law, we feel that you created this problem. We believe the U.S. has a duty to provide funding for housing, roads, grazing studies, and infrastructure.

The Manybeads v. United States was mainly filed for our religion to be recognized, respected and protected. Through this mediation we have negotiated on several issues and through that an Accommodation Agreement was made. This agreement is allowing us to remain on the land, which we are all hoping to do. We do not want to move, and we want to continue our traditional way of living with our children and grandchildren. The Accommodation Agreement also promises to lift the freeze. We want to rebuild our homes, have our roads repaired, and to get water and electrical lines to our homes. We are so far behind other Americans, and we are anxious to see some developments and improvements for our people. Our livestock will be increased too, but we are wondering whether that is true because of the constant threat of impoundment.

We are concerned about the seventy-five [75] year lease. If the solution is not permanent, our children and grandchildren will have the same problem in seventy-five [75] years. For this reason, we hope that Congress will consider our concerns. We feel that we are not treated fairly because of the impoundment and the Hopi Tribe's refusal to recognize our religion and sacred places. We also are discriminated against and suffer from the construction freeze. We pray for a good and fair settlement which will let the Hopis and Navajos be friends again.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF MARIE ANN LEE, SANDSPRINGS, AZ

Hello. My name is Marie Ann Lee, C#302,676, and I live on the Hopi Partitioned Lands [HPL] in Sandsprings, AZ. My mother is Eva Begay Lee, and my father is Jimmy Lee, deceased on June 8, 1995. Terry Lynn Cornwall and I have three children: Theresa Lee Cornwall, Jimmy Lee Cornwall, and Johnny Lee Cornwall. Theresa is 3, going on 4 on April 1, 1996; Jimmy is 3 on March 15, 1996; and Johnny will be 1 on November 22, 1996.

Theresa was born by caesarian section in Tuba City. Jimmy was born 2 months prematurely at Flagstaff Medical Center. And, Johnny was born at Winslow Memorial Hospital.

I have been denied relocation benefits from the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation. I was denied because I was not considered as the head of the household in 1974. At the time of the deadline [July 6, 1986] to apply for relocation assistance, I was twenty-four [24] years old. I was born on November 13, 1962 at the Tuba City Hospital. I have one brother, Harry; five sisters, Diane, Helen, Ella Mae, Evelyn, and Mary Jean. Since 1986, Í have attained the head of household status. If I cannot relocate, I will stay with my mother at her homesite.

I remember things since I was 5. We lived in a hogan at Sandsprings about 1 mile northeast of Sandsprings bridge. My childhood years was mostly herding sheep, and rounding up cattle and horses. You never sleep because my parents use to say, "The sleepy man is puffing his arms around you. Get Up." I started school at Leupp when I was 6 years old. All of us went to Leupp Boarding School. From Monday to Friday, we were at school. On Friday, at about 5 p.m., our parents use to check us out. We would be very happy to come home to our parents for the weekend. Saturday, we would herd sheep to the wash, and my dad would drive up to the wash to check on Evelyn and me to see if we still had the sheep. Maybe about 10 times we lost the sheep. We also use to round up the cattle with my dad. There was one boy in our family, and six girls, so it did not matter who had to round up the animals. Livestock is very important to us. We were raised with livestock.

In 1977, when I was in 7th grade, we moved into the house. The house was partially done but we put in the insulation, painted and put boards in. It is called twoby-fours. Our summers were mostly working on the house, rounding up livestock. Everyday traditional living.

The construction freeze affected all of us. It is a good idea, under the Accommodation Agreement, that the freeze will be lifted. It has caused much pain and suffering among the Navajos.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF MARY JEAN LEE, SANDSPRINGS, AZ

I, Mary Jean Lee, was born March 8, 1965, at the Tuba City Hospital, in Tuba City, Arizona.

I have one daughter, Melanie. I have also been denied assistance for relocation benefits. I moved to California for employment purposes because there are no jobs here.

We have been experiencing problems with finances. Rent is extremely high for two-bedroom apartments in Los Angeles. I intent to move back to the HPL on a fulltime basis. I am agreeable to the proposed Accommodation Agreement.

PREPARED STATEMENT OF JENNY PADDOCK, TEESTO, AZ

My name is Jenny Paddock. My maternal clan is Tacheenii Na'toh Dine' [Tobacco Clan]. My paternal clan is Ashihii' [Salt Clan]. I am eighty-three [83] years old. I have lived here all my life. Nine generations of my family have lived here. I have my great-grandmother and grandfather that went to Fort Sumner, who are buried here. My aunt, Mae Thomas, died recently at the age of one hundred and twelve [112]. So, we have stories of the Spanish conquest and many stories of the Fort Sumner experiences. You may think that is not relevant to this hearing, but my history and roots in this land are who I am, and this is very important to me.

I am willing to work with the proposed Accommodation Agreement that is before us. This proposed agreement says it will allow me to care for and protect my ancestral burial plots. This proposed agreement also says that it will allow me to protect our sacred sites, offering places and ceremonial places. I will continue to pray and remain on our ancestral land among the familiar surrounding of the mountains, Betoney Butte.

I am mentally drained and physically exhausted, but I am willing to remain here for my great-grandchildren to arrive, the unborn ones, although the burden is passed on to them to carry on in making the payments on the lease agreement.

The United States Government does not understand the importance of identity of their host and what it means to be who we are. The spirituality that we live by, which I understand is the supreme law, the treatment of nature, our mother, the earth.

The line has been drawn between our neighbors, the Hopi Tribe, and us because of a fight over the land. Finally, we have hope that there will be an end to this long standing land dispute under this proposed agreement.

Senator McCain, please see to it that the proposed agreement is what they have promised us, and let us continue to discuss some of the remaining concerns over equal treatment, burial, and new structures. I want to live my remaining years in peace without fear that my family, or I, will be forced to relocate from our sacred land.