Month: April 2012

SB 2109 and Sovereign Rights of Hopi Villages

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Benjamin H. Nuvamsa, Hopi activism, Hopi and S.B. 2109, Hopi Government, Hopi Tribal Council, Hopi water rightsLeave a comment

Below is an email from Ben Nuvamsa, former chairman of the Hopi Tribe, that he sent to a number of Hopis (including myself) on April 25, 2012. Please note that the documents that Nuvamsa refers to are included at the bottom of this post. Many thanks to Mr. Nuvamsa for allowing me to publish his email on BEYOND THE MESAS.

Hello Everyone.

Attached is a copy of the tribal council agenda which contains Action Item No. 053-2012 and proposed council resolution that George Mase (Sipaulovi) endorsed as Chairman of the Hopi Water and Energy Team.  Also attached is a copy of the March 8, 2012 Agreement-in-Principle that attorneys for the parties have signed, including Joe Mentor on behalf of the Hopi Tribe.  Note that the Agreement says they will endeavor to support S.2109, subject to the review and approval of the governing bodies.

Remember, neither Leroy Shingoitewa, George Mase, the Hopi Water & Energy Team, nor the Hopi Tribal Council have the legal authority to commit to endorsing S.2109.  This is the sovereign right of the villages.  Only the villages have a legal and sovereign right to decide on this matter.  In addition, only four (4) villages are represented on the tribal council, leaving out the remaining villages.  None of the traditional villages are represented.

Impose on your representatives to require that Shingoitewa and Mase withdraw Action Item No. 053-2012 as it is not properly before the tribal council.  None of the villages have been consulted on this Action Item.  Also, we urge all villages to enact village resolutions or write letters to the tribal council to withdraw this Action Item as soon as possible; and instead to reject S.2109.

Signed Agreement in Principal (March 8, 2012)

Water Resolution (Action Item No. 053-2012)

Hopi Tribal Council March Agenda 2012 Second Quarter

Sailing Off Point Vicente

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Hopi photography1 Comment

I took this photo on Point Vicente in Rancho Palos Verdes, California. I wanted to capture the calmness of the ocean and the layers of colors reflecting off the sky and sea. From the shore, the sailboat in the foreground seemed so small and insignificant amidst the ocean’s vastness.

“Sailing Off Point Vicente” – July 2010, Photograph by Matthew Sakiestewa Gilbert

Katsina in Hopi Life exhibit to open soon

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Announcements, Hopi artLeave a comment
Many thanks to Polly Nordstrand (Hopi), a Ph.D. student in History of Art & Visual Studies at Cornell University, for letting me know about the following exhibit.
This exhibit opens June 29 at the Autry in Los Angeles. And is the culmination of a long project by Susan Secakuku
Katsina in Hopi Life, featuring remarkable Katsina dolls from the Autry’s Southwest Museum of the American Indian Collection, provides a glimpse into Hopi life and culture. Katsinam (the plural form of Katsina) are spiritual beings who represent all aspects of life and travel to be with the Hopi people six months of the year. Told from the Hopi perspective, this exhibition shares the unique relationship the Hopi people have with the Katsinam, focusing on the values, lessons, and encouraging messages learned from them.
 

Visiting Lecturer or Visiting Instructor – American Indian Studies / University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012-2013

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn AIS at Illinois, AnnouncementsLeave a comment

Visiting Lecturer or Visiting Instructor – American Indian Studies / University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2012-2013

https://jobs.illinois.edu/default.cfm?page=job&jobID=17893

Position Description:

American Indian Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign invites applications for a position as Visiting Lecturer or Visiting Instructor for the 2012-2013 academic year. Renewal of this position beyond the first year is possible depending on the program’s needs and demonstrated classroom success. For information about AIS at Illinois, see http://www.ais.illinois.edu.

The primary duty of this faculty member will be teaching general education and other basic courses in American Indian and Indigenous studies. Teaching load will be 3/3, with additional teaching in the summer possible. Depending on experience and scholarly background, courses might include Introduction to Native Studies, Indigenous Expressive Culture, Indigenous Thinkers, Contemporary Issues in Indian Country, Language and Culture of Native North America, Native Religious Traditions, Introduction to American Indian Literature, Federal Indian Policy, or American Indians of Illinois.

Opportunities for professional development are available for the faculty member in this position, including course development resources and travel funding. Further, the successful candidate will have the opportunity to participate in the life of the AIS program, including conferences, events, and program governance.

Candidates are required to have a minimum of 2 years’ teaching experience at the college level. In addition, candidates seeking Lecturer status are required to have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree. Those seeking Instructor status are required to have a Master’s degree. The target starting date is August 16, 2012. Salary is competitive and is dependent on qualifications and experience. The initial appointment will be for one-year. The appointment may then be renewed by the Program annually for subsequent years based on funding and strong performance reviews.

Applicants need to submit a letter of interest, a curriculum vitae, a teaching statement, and the contact information for three references on teaching accomplishments. The teaching statement should include evidence that the applicant has been or would be a successful instructor in sections of 40 or more.

To apply, create your candidate profile through https://jobs.illinois.edu and upload the applications materials. To ensure full consideration, all application materials must be submitted by April 30, 2012. Applicants may be interviewed before this closing date, but no hiring decisions will be made until after this closing date. For further information about the application procedures, contact the Program by email at ais@illinois.edu. AIS asks that all candidates review the program’s statement on identity and academic integrity, which can be found online at http://www.ais.illinois.edu/about/integrity/.

Illinois is an Affirmative Action /Equal Opportunity Employer and welcomes individuals with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and ideas who embrace and value diversity and inclusivity. (www.inclusiveillinois.illinois.edu)

Hopi Tribe’s Water Task Team to hold informational meetings on SB 2109

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Announcements, Hopi and S.B. 2109, Hopi water rightsLeave a comment

TO:  ALL  HOPI/TEWA  PEOPLE

The Hopi Tribe’s Water Task Team encourages you to attend scheduled

informational meetings regarding the Little Colorado River negotiations.

TEWA  VILLAGE  OFFICE

Thursday, April 12,  6pm

 HOTEVILLA  YOUTH/ELDERLY  CENTER

Friday, April 13, 6pm

VETERANS MEMORIAL CENTER

For Hopi-Tewa Member Employees

Thursday, April 12, 9am

Thursday, April 12, 1pm

BACAVI  COMMUNITY  CENTER

                                                                         MONDAY, APRIL 30,  6pm

Former Navajo Nation President Peter MacDonald on SB 2109

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Hopi and S.B. 210920 Comments

[UPDATE April 12, 2012: For a reason unknown to me, “This video has been removed by the user.” I’ve looked around on-line, but I’m unable to find the video through a different source. If anyone comes across the video, please let me know in the “Comments” section of this post]

Hopi and Navajo leaders respond to Senator Kyl’s editorial

On By Matthew Sakiestewa GilbertIn Benjamin H. Nuvamsa, Hopi and S.B. 2109, Hopi water rights5 Comments

To the editor:                                                                     April 5, 2012

We take this opportunity to respond to Arizona Senator Jon Kyl’s April 4, 2012, letter to the editor of the Arizona Daily Sun concerning Senate Bill 2109, the “Navajo and Hopi Little Colorado River Water Rights Settlement Act of 2012”, wherein he suggests that those who oppose this settlement are providing false information and leveling untrue attacks against the settlement.

The fact of the matter is that S.2109 is not an Indian water rights settlement act. It does nothing to quantify the water rights of the Navajo and Hopi tribal nations to the Little Colorado River and is in direct contravention of the Winters Doctrine. Rather, it is a backhanded approach to providing federal benefits and protections to entities that exploited the natural resources of our tribes for their own economic gain. It ensures that non-Indian corporate interests continue mining our coal and pumping our Navajo Aquifer to produce cheap electricity and deliver wet water to benefit southern Arizona, southern California and southern Nevada, under the guise of an Indian water rights settlement.

It requires the tribes to give Peabody Western Coal Company (Peabody) and the Salt River Project (SRP) and other owners of the Navajo Generating Station (NGS) tens of thousands of acre-feet of tribal water annually, without compensation. In other words, it gives NGS, a corporate entity, a federal water right. It also requires the tribes to extend the Peabody and NGS leases to 2044 without regard for past and continuing harmful impacts to our health, water supplies, water quality and damage to our precious Navajo Aquifer, as a necessary pre-condition to receiving minimal domestic water pipelines.

S.2109 requires the tribes to waive all protections against injury to water quality “from time immemorial and thereafter, forever”. It also requires the tribes to permanently waive all water rights to the Little Colorado River “from time immemorial and, thereafter, forever that are based on aboriginal occupancy of land by the (tribes) and Members of the (tribes) or their predecessors”. The settlement Senator Kyl is pushing is not “consistent with previous water settlements in New Mexico, Montana and Arizona”, as he claims.

We do agree that “it is time to set the record straight”. S.2109 is not a water rights settlement act. It is a license to continue the exploitation of our precious natural resources while threatening our tribal sovereignty. S.2109 is very dangerous for the Navajo and Hopi tribal nations and is not acceptable to members of our respective tribes.

Water is life. Water is sacred; it is central to our way of life, to our ceremonies and traditions. We must protect and preserve it for our future generations.

With all due respect,

Vernon Masayesva, Former Chairman – Hopi Tribe
Ivan Sidney, Former Chairman – Hopi Tribe
Benjamin Nuvamsa, Former Chairman – Hopi Tribe
Milton Bluehouse, Former President – Navajo Nation