Dear HCN,
Hopi Tribal Chairman
Ferrell Secakuku announced on April 1 that the Navajo squatters
remaining on Hopi land would be given until Feb. 1, 2000, to sign
75-year leases, yet Cate Gilles’ article (HCN, 3/31/97) portrays
the Hopis as villains in this sad affair. The truth is that the
U.S. government created the problem in 1882, and the Navajos have
aggravated it by their continuing arrogance and intransigence. In
1868 there were fewer than 300 Navajos living within the so-called
Joint Use Area. Contrary to many outrageous statements made by
Navajos on Big Mountain, the Navajos have not occupied this area
for “thousands of years’ but for about 150
years.
Despite repeated episodes of violence by
Navajos against Hopis, the Hopis have shown unbelievable patience
and compassion to Navajo squatters on Hopi land. It’s about time
that responsible journals like High Country News reported the facts
of this tragic story so readers can know the true history of a
problem that has become as intractable as the Arab-Israeli
conflict.
Steve Blodgett
Butte,
Montana
This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Hopis aren’t the villains.
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