Cross Posted from Censored News
Native Americans in Arizona and South
Dakota delivered powerful testimony on the destruction of their
homelands by uranium mining, coal fired power plants and oil and gas
drilling, during sessions with UN Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous
Peoples James Anaya.
Debra White Plume, Lakota, delivering
testimony at Sinte Gleska University, on Sicangu Lakota Nation, Rosebud,
South Dakota, May 1 — 2, said it is time to halt the eco-cide of Mother
Earth.
During testimony in Tucson last week,
April 26 — 27, Navajos from Black Mesa described the corporate crimes of
Peabody Coal, Arizona senators and non-Indian attorneys that have led
to the relocation of Navajos, coal mining on Black Mesa, and the
continuance of some of the dirtiest coal fired power plants in the US on
Navajoland.
Havasupai demanded a halt to the uranium
mining in the Grand Canyon that now threatens future generations in the
Southwest with the poisoning of the water.
Damon Watahomigie, Supai, said, “As the
first born warriors of the Grand Canyon we refuse to become the next
millennium’s world terrorists by allowing mega nuclear industrial
complex mining industries to mine in the Grand Canyon.”
In South Dakota, White Plume, Lakota, said,
“Mr. Anaya, I ask you to keep this message clear, do not pretty up my
testimony. I am saying that America is committing ethnocide against our
way of life, eco-cide against our Mother Earth, and genocide in our
Lakota Homelands. Our Human Rights are being violated and our Inherent
Right to live as Lakota People and Nation is being violated as well.
Without access to our lands and waters we cannot live our collective
Inherent Rights to be who we are.
“There are uranium, oil, and gas corporations here now, and more want to come. We did not invite them.
“America welcomes Canadian-owned Cameco
uranium corporation, TransCanada oil pipeline corporation, and PowerTech
uranium corporation to come and obtain permits to mine uranium and
slurry oil in our Territory against our wishes, this extraction and
pipeline threatens our Oglalla Aquifer, which gives 2 million people
drinking water and irrigates the world’s bread basket.
White Plume said, “We have not given our
free, prior and informed consent as required by the Declaration of the
Rights of Indigenous Peoples adopted by the United Nations General
Assembly, we know not everyone is satisfied with the Declaration, but it
is a minimum standards document.”
In Arizona, Navajo Leta O’Daniel
testified of the horrors forced on Navajos, from the Long Walk to
relocation, coal mining and abusive boarding schools.“My
neighbors come from Yeii, Holy people from the ancient Anasazi. Three
of my brothers are Medicine Men and I listen to their stories. I can
show you where our tracks are side-by-side with the dinosaurs and share
origin stories back to the time the dinosaurs ate some humans and our
ancestors lived in the cliff to stay away from them and the twin
warriors, Monster Slayer and Born by Water helped save our people from
the dinosaurs.
“We have prayers and songs for our
livestock given to us by the Holy People. Our oral tradition, passed
down from generation to generation instructs us to hold on to and take
care of our livestock. Spider Woman taught us how to weave rugs. Our
designs tell woven stories. It sustains us and provides a livelihood.”
Leonard Benally, resisting relocation at
Big Mountain for decades, described the scheme behind Navajo relocation
and the current attempts to steal Navajo water rights. Benally said it
is time to hold Peabody Coal responsible for genocide, and expose the
role of corrupt Navajo politicians, Arizona Congressmen and non-Indian
attorneys.
Benally said Navajo President “Ben
Shelly of the Navajo Nation is working with Senator Kyl and McCain to
pass legislation for the Little Colorado River Water Rights Settlement
that gives away our water rights to Peabody Coal Company and Navajo
Generating Station. We believe the Settlement is a tragedy not only due
to the minimizing Navajo rights but is waiving hundreds of millions of
dollars in potential compensation for rights waived.
“Our liberty is being sacrificed for an
economic bonanza based on fraud and corruption. Our justice has been
prostituted by hand outs, hopelessness, and conformity elevated to the
status of the National Security doctrines. We are the historical lot of
the dispossessed. Democracy has been whitewashed with imported detergent
that allows reclaimed sewer water to get dumped on our Sacred San
Francisco Peaks.
“Peabody’s collusion with the US
government has resulted in a dark infamy of genocide and crimes against
my people and the environment – relocation, the Bennett Freeze, uranium
mining, all in the pursuit of energy resource development fueled by
corporate and governmental greed and collusion.”
Navajo elder Glenna Begay of Black Mesa said Peabody Coal has no respect for the dead.
“Residents in the mining area have been
jailed or threatened with jail for trying to protect their burial and
sacred sites. Other residents have watched the unearthing of graves.”
Hathalie (Medicine Man) Norris Nez said the prayers of the Dine’, Navajos, are for all mankind.
“In Big Mountain, Black Mesa, on Hopi
Partition Land (HPL) there were many sacred sites where offerings were
given.The Holy People, the Star People recognize us by these sites that
are sacred where we Diné, five fingered humans give offerings. They
acknowledge that we are doing our duty to give our offerings to the Holy
People.These places are for the wellness of the people, not only the
Diné.Our prayers are said for all mankind.”
As the sessions continue across the
United States, the Rapporteur and the United Nations are being pressed
by Native Americans to use this testimony in a way that will result in
real benefits to the people, instead of simply gathering words and
reducing those words to brief summaries that lead to no real change.
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