made it much easier for large corporations to obtain Indian lands since they did not have to deal with individuals, but with tribal councils which were manipulated by the attorneys representing these "Indian corporations." The ultimate power over these new Indian corporations, the tribal councils, lay with the Secretary of the Interior, who, as ultimate trustee, could approve or disapprove any or all of their decisions. And these decisions were made largely by the white attorneys who represented the tribes, and then submitted them to the council for what generally has been their rubber stamp approval. Many of these attorneys represented outside corporations seeking access to the reservation at the same time they represented the tribal councils. Thus, the facade of democratization of the Indians represented by the IRA and the New Deal was really a more efficient way for corporations to gain access to their land, and a bonanza for the white corporate attorneys, who added a new kind of corporation to their client lists. Report to Kikmongwi,E 3h 1935 BIA ESTABLISHES GRAZING DISTRICTS ON NAVAJO RESERVATION 1936 BIA ESTABLISHES DISTRICT 6 AS EXCLUSIVE HOPI GRAZING AREA At this time District 6 had an area of 499,248 acres. District 6 was later increased to include 631,194 acres on April 24, 1943. Report to Kikmongwi,p 56 1936/03/29 E.R.FRYER APPOINTED SUPERINTENDENT OF NAVAJO RESERVATION Fryer was a Mormon from Mesa, Arizona. He was superintendent until 1942, when he left the reservation to work on Japanese relocation. Fryer presided over the most brutal period of Navajo livestock reduction. Fryer also completed the consolidation of the six BIA Navajo agencies into one central office. Fryer attempted to regain the superintendency of the Navajo Reservation in late 1947 and was supported by the BIA, but strenuous objections from Norman Littell and Navajo leaders forced the BIA to withdraw his appointment. Stewart Udall appointed Fryer to the office of Assistant Commissioner of Indian Affairs in charge of resources in 1961. Navajo memories of Fryer were strong even at that time, and Chairman Paul Jones made these comments: "We have had extensive experience with him in the most painful period of recent Navajo history in the forced stock reduction program of the late 30s and early 40s, when highly arbitrary methods were used on the Navajo Reservation, methods which were subsequently found by the Secretary of the Interior to be illegal. Mr. Fryer, at that time forfeited completely the confidence of the Navajo Tribe." Navajo Times, 10/11/61,p 3 The Navajos and the New Deal,p 107 1936/04/07 JOHN COLLIER LOBBIES FOR HOPI CONSTITUTION IN ORAIBI Collier said, "The tribes who do organize and get their charter are the ones who get the money, not the ones who fail to organize ... In organizing to obtain the benefits of the reorganization act, the tribes require the help of the Commissioner and the Secretary of the Interior. Without that help they cannot organize." Collier also threatened the Hopis with Navajo encroachment unless they accepted an IRA constitution. "The time is drawing near when there will have to be something done toward deciding what is the Hopi land; what is Navajo land; ... the Hopis are going to get the bad end of the deal if they stay unorganized." Report to Kikmongwi, E 7 1936/06/01 OLIVER LaFARGE ARRIVES IN HOPI TO FORMULATE HOPI CONSTITUTION LaFarge had been president of the National Association on Indian Affairs at the time of the passage of the Indian Reorganization Act. From his position he had been instrumental in writing the bill and lobbying for its passage (RTK,E 6a). LaFarge had a reputation as a friend of the Indian and had published a book about the Navajos, Laughing Boy. He had visited Oraibi in Sept. 1933 to propose setting up a tribal council. LaFarge stayed in Hopiland until Sept. 11, 1936, hammering out the Hopi Constitution. ... LaFarge kept a diary during his stay. Excerpts follow. "All the Hopi villages are filthy, but this (Mishongnovi) is the worst of the lot." "These Indians are good business men, penny squeezing, avaricious, fearful of the future, suspicious. Their good manners are from the lips out." LaFarge believed that there were three types of Hopi: progressive, smartie, and traditional. He characterized the Smarties as "semi-progressive, flavorless, and unattractive." He warned the BIA about a smartie by the name of Byron Adams, whom he characterized as a "deeply dishonest, able self-seeking, slick and " man. Byron Adams later became Chairman of the Hopi Tribal Council just before its dissolution in 1943. At first LaFarge described the Traditionals as his favorite group. But as his campaign for the constitution wore on he grew to dislike them. "These people think they're doing you a favor if they let you do something for them ... I really think I'd recommend that the whole matter be dropped for a generation. They are too gutless... They regard it as their sacred trust to maintain a rigid attitude of hostility to the government, which does not conflict with grabbing every benefit and free handout which comes their way, and yelling for more. The Hopis will accept a constitution which includes self-government and the best transition into our democratic system I could devise because Edwin Marks and Lorenzo Hubbell and Alexander G. Hutton and I decided they should." LaFarge sent Collier a copy of the Constitution he had devised on August 28, 1936. He said "Progressives and Conservatives alike are agreed on the document thus formed." This was an obvious lie. These are some of the thoughts of the founding father of the Hopi Tribal Council. Report to Kikmongwi, E 6a 1936/10/24 VOTE BY HOPIS ABOUT ADOPTION OF CONSTITUTION The official tally was 651 in favor of the constitution and establishment of a tribal council and 104 opposed. On this basis the U.S. government recognized the tribal council as the sole legitimate representative of the Hopi people in Dec. 1936. Traditional leaders had urged the people to abstain from voting. The 651 yes votes represented 15% of the Hopi population, and 42% of the eligible voters. 803 Hopis (51%) abstained. An "X" was used on the ballot to indicate a yes vote. This symbol was a sign of Christianity to the Hopis. So perhaps the election was a referendum on Christianity. Many Hopis asserted that they were told they were voting for retention of their land, not for reorganization; that registration papers were falsified; and that votes were fabricated. Whatever the case may be, the election was a paternalistic fraud produced by John Collier and Oliver LaFarge. As of this date, further Navajo settlement in the 1882 Executive Order reservation was made illegal. (Letter of Jan. 8, 1942, from the Comm. of Indian Affairs to the Hopi Superintendent). Report to Kikmongwi,p 28 1937 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE COMMISSIONS SOIL CONSERVATION SERVICE TO CONDUCT DISTRICT 6 LAND USE STUDY This resulted from Hopi complaints about being restricted to District 6 and their request for an enlargement of the District. Gordon B. Page conducted the survey. He released a report in 1939 recommending an enlargement of District 6. There were 119 Navajo families living in the proposed enlargement. They were eventually relocated in the 1940s. Dine Evictees of District 6, pp 17-18 1937/06/02 GRAZING REGULATIONS ISSUED FOR DISTRICT 6 ... ... In a document entitled "Grazing Regulation Navajo and Hopi Reservation", it was stated, (it) shall constitute the (virtual) Hopi Reservation until the boundaries thereof are definitely determined in accordance with the Hopi Constitution." The regulations were rescinded for District 6 on April 1, 1943. Report to Kikmongwi, E 52b 1938 SECRETARY OF INTERIOR PROMULGATES RULES FOR NAVAJO TRIBAL COUNCIL The new regulations were issued in a document entitled "Rules for the Navajo Tribal Council." The process leading to this document had been initiated in 1936 by a group led by Father Berard Haile. At that time the old Tribal Council was dissolved, a group of 70 Navajos were selected to form a constitutional assembly, and a provisional Executive Committee was appointed to carry on routine Tribal business until the new constitution could be completed and a duly elected Council developed. The new rules provided for a council composed of 74 members and a Chairman and Vice Chairman. They have provided the basic framework for Navajo government ever since. The first tribal election under the new rules took place on September 16, 1938. an The new rules also provided for the establishment of Executive Committee to be composed of one Council Delegate from each district. Since the Executive Committee of the old council had been closely associated with the livestock reduction program of 1937, the Council refused to establish an Executive Committee. It was not until 1947 that the Executive Committee was reestablished. Navajo Yearbook, 1958, p 194 1939/12 RACHFORD REPORT RECOMMENDS INCREASING SIZE OF DISTRICT 6 The Rachford Report recommended increasing District 6 from 499,248 to 528,823 acres. It was rejected as unacceptable by the Hopi Tribal Council in a resolution dated Mar. 28, 1942. Report to Kikmongwi,E 52b 1940/10/09 BIA SUBMITS PLAN TO PARTITION 1882 RESERVATION TO The proposal was to make District 6 the official Hopi Reservation and to make the rest of the 1882 Reservation part of 23-639 0-96-16 the Navajo Reservation. This plan was rejected by the Interior Department Solicitor in February, 1941. Report to Kikmongwi, E 52b 1941/02/12 SOLICITOR REJECTS PLAN TO MAKE DISTRICT 6 THE The Interior Department Solicitor responded to a Bureau of Indian Affairs plan to make District the exclusive Hopi Reservation. He ruled that the 1918 congressional act precluding creation of further Executive Order reservations barred such a move, but did note that the same effect could be achieved by not issuing any permits to Hopis outside of District 6. This Interior Dept. plan was the result of several studies which established actual land use by Hopis and Navajos. District 6 was the area most closely approximating actual use and minimizing relocation. Report to Kikmongwi,p 61 1942/07 CENTERWALL REPORT RECOMMENDS ADDING 100,000 ACRES TO The original District 6 had been about 500,000 acres. Centerwall's new District 6 included 631,717 acres. Willard R. Centerwall was a regional forester from Phoenix. This recommendation was approved by the Supt. of the Hopi Agency (BIA) and signed as approved by Byron Adams, a Christian missionary who was then Chairman of the Hopi Tribal Council. Boundaries were approved by the BIA in 1943. The signing by Adams was the kiss of death to the Hopi Tribal Council. When the boundary was finalized the joint Navajo-Hopi Agency at Keams Canyon was separated and became the Hopi Indian Agency. Report to Kikmongwi,p 63 1943/10 HOPI TRIBAL COUNCIL COLLAPSES The BIA withdrew its recognition since the council could not muster a quorum for meetings. No officially recognized tribal council existed until 1955. The immediate cause was the beginning of a stock reduction program in District 6 by the BIA. Stockmen from Third Mesa, stronghold of Hopi traditionalism, had their herds reduced the most severely. Report to Kikmongwi,p 66 1944/02/15 HOPI SUPERINTENDENT ASKS BIA ABOUT IMPENDING OIL LEASE The Superintendent, Burton A. Ladd, wrote to the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, asking what procedures were to be followed in |