Let this be a lesson that we must choose our leaders wisely. We are Hopi. Our elected leaders must understand and respect our Hopi ways.
Our 1936 constitution reflects who we are as Hopi and Tewa Sinom; and respects our village inherent powers. It is a living document that is meant to protect and preserve our sovereignty.
Maasau gave us specific instruction that we must honor our covenant; that we have to hold on to and protect our Hopi way; and that we must not forget who we are.
I am glad that our people spoke against this potential atrocity. This was a dangerous non-Hopi proposal and would have caused irreparable harm to our people.
Our Hopi and Tewa Sinom stood unified in opposition to this bad idea. Our elected leaders need to listen to us and make sure they truly “preserve the good things of Hopi life”.
Now let us work together in the spirit of cooperation and make sensible improvements to our 1936 constitution.
Benjamin H. Nuvamsa
Village of Shungopavi & Former Hopi Tribal Chairman
Beyond the Mesas 
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I truly hope that the Hopi and Tewa senom will come together and work on making the 1936 constitution better. It is outlandish that our leaders seem to be so “out of touch” with what our needs really are. Unfortunately, I think is a reflection on the lack of their knowledge of what their job entails. Due diligence (education and investgation) prior to making/voting on actions is crucial. Those that voted for moving forward with this vote were “okay” with throwing out our well-thought out constitutional framework for a poorly constructed document. What a sad state of affairs our tribal government is in.
HOPing, thanks for taking the time to comment on this post. I also remain hopeful that people will work together to make our current constitution better. And I agree with you about the need for people to be informed voters. This is one of the main reasons why I published so many posts on my blog about the proposed constitution. Thanks again for your comments.