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Black Mesa Indigenous Support P.O. Box 23501, Flagstaff, Arizona 86002  Message Voice Mail: 928.773.8086 Email: blackmesais@riseup.net Newsletter:blackmesais@lists.riseup.net

To All My Relations
Nym Myo Ho Ren Gey Kyo

Yaa'at'eeh (Good Greetings),

Fighting in a true revolution is difficult. That is why a few of us continue to
rekindle a struggle on Big Mountain. A struggle that compose of much reality like
making a stand upon actual ancestral land. It is not like making a stand on city
property where the police has given a permit to protest. It is not making a stand
where we claim a basic right of government privileges such as Freedom of Religion or
U.S. Constitution.

We are a few because we stand for the Right of the Core of Indigenous Beliefs. At
Thin Rock Mesa in west central Big Mountain, the late Roberta Blackgoat's homesite
still sits with the life and all the glory of the belief systems associated to the
Sacred Mountain Soil Bundle of the Dineh. This is true sovereignty. That is why the
U.S. Justice systems is coerceing the Hopi tribal rangers to be the point in this
aggression to eliminate the continuous, flickering flame of aboriginal sovereignty.

We are not activist --those of us that gathered at the late Roberta Blackgoat's land
throughout May 6-9, 2004. Activist are people who argue a policy based on the
principles of that policy. An activist is someone who tries to acquire rights based
on existing or outlined rights of governmental privilege designs. Those of us, like
the late Roberta Blackgoat, who are making a stand at the frontlines of corporate
draining of the ancient aquifer are freedom fighters. Those of us who make a stand
knowing that we might risk our "American" comforts, and may have no basis to protest
are only enforcing Great Spirit or Creator's divine gifts of principles from ages
ago. This is what freedom fighters are all about.

This very day the reprecussions are taking place because of our victory to carry out
Great Spirit's way by not acknowledging the false ordiances so-called, Hopi tribal
jurisdiction. A stand had to made and it is urgent because we are tired of seeing
our elders being driven into submission because of 'lawful' threats in the name of
Peabody Western Coal expansions. "Hopi jurisdiction" will never become a reality
while our ancestral land is laden with 'black gold.' Coal is the answer to our
future of American comforts and to (their) American global power. "Hopi
jurisdiction" does not mean the Hopi will develop these lands for their villages or
cornfields. Even Hopi people are harassed if they haul firewood or attempt hold
religious activity on the new lands that are supposedly "reserved for them." They
need a "permit" also. There are no plans to build village complexes but there are
possible long-range plans to build rail roads, dams and boom towns, and this will
generate more revenues to outside corporations and a little will go to the Hopi
tribal government.

The threats to, now, bulldoze or level the late Roberta Blackgoat's homestead is
another attempt to "kill" the rebirth of the original Big Mountain traditional
resistance. If the homestead is desecrated, it will only rekindle Dineh resistance
more because those elders that had come to the gathering showed their support and
are concern. This will only unite the Dineh once again. There might be a few of Us
but we are here. The federal government bulldozers will only put a huge scar in our
history of maintaining our aboriginal sovereignty. That scar will not go away
--ever! Our future generation will be the much smarter and they will not only see
that scar but they will feel it, too.

My Hopi relatives, do not go along with the laws of the Baahanas. Return to the the
original road of Masawa. Stand with your Dineh neighbors and pray for peace.

Thank you for listening.

Bahe Katenay
Dineh of Big Mountain
Supporter of the Blackgoat Family

P/S (They) wear their side arms while their semi-automatic rifles are in their
vehicles and they make the threats. Our threats, if they wish to call it that, have
only been the sacred hoop, the sacred fire, the sacred tobacco, the sacred cedar
smoke, the sacred ancestor rocks, and the sacred sweet grass smoke.