Letters: AIM gave voice to ‘silent minority’

I did not see anything about American Indian Movement leader Dennis Banks’ recent passing. Just want to remember this great leader of the indigenous community. He was primarily responsible for the re-awakening of the American Indian.

Prior to AIM, I, like so many others, was still recovering from historical trauma of the attempted genocide of our people. The younger generation had not yet been told the truth. The elder generation was silent due to fear of the federal government. There was discontent among the Native Americans and it could no longer be tolerated by those who were living the horror occurring in the cities. Natives were being targeted.

This was happening in Minnesota as well as other cities such as Farmington. Natives were being murdered. Leaders like Dennis Banks and locally, the late Fred Johnson, began addressing the problem. Natives were politically known as the “silent minority.” It was unheard of for Natives to speak out and when they did it caused waves of anger.

Finally, the steam engines were let loose. A mentor once told me that AIM was a vision come true. The U.S. Supreme Court ruling of the American Indian Religious Freedom Act of 1974 might not have come about and we would still be going to jail for practicing our beliefs. AIM came to the aid of the Big Mountain people at the request of our AIM leader, Larry Anderson, when the people were facing the crisis of relocation. The Sundance came about to strengthen the community and it did. Many Natives such as myself began to learn about Native American spirituality. Up until then we only knew of Christian spirituality. My learning of Native spirituality gave me an expanded awareness of Christian teachings and the universalness of spirituality.

These are what I remember of the 70s and AIM’s special role and the powerful Native leaders who took risks and made sacrifices for their people’s survival. Gratitude to Dennis Banks and others forever.

Sharon Manuelito
Window Rock, Ariz.

BIA has refused to rebut my complaints

This is a continuation of complaints of top BIA officials. BIA refused to rebut all my past complaints since 2012. BIA has not proven me wrong.

At a District 18 grazing meeting last week, an elder land permit holder presented his 20-year-old complaint with BIA. The man felt humiliated and abused. It is demoralizing and unethical for BIA’s past wrongdoings to blame grazing committees. Frankly, BIA created grazing and land disputes for decades.

My dispute is not with land users. It’s with BIA that created the dispute in 1984, 33 years ago, through its non-compliance with federal trust responsibility and failure to comply with federal/tribal government-to-government relation Interior policy. It appears BIA is now objecting to its approval of the 1984 District 18 Grazing Committee recommendation to approve permit exchange.

BIA approved and issued a new Seasonal Grazing Permit in 1984 in exchange for District 17-year-long grazing permit. Grazing permit Transfer Agreement was authorized by former permit holder of the seasonal permit as agreement to exchange permits. Why is BIA objecting its approval 33 years later?

Records further show BIA failed to follow 25 CFR 167 regulations, 55 IAM BIA manual, congressional mandates, interior policies, etc., at the 1984 committee meeting. No record of regulation compliance to do range assessment, no commitment resolution, no grazing plan of operation, no field investigation, etc.

Now, 33 years later, BIA questions the origin of the seasonal grazing permit. Field investigation is BIA’s duty and responsibility. BIA failed to do field investigation in 1984 before they issued a new grazing permit.

In 1969, the original permit was issued as a seasonal permit in District 18 and District 17 jointly, with six months use period in two districts. Another BIA failure. The 1984 grazing permit TA show the 1969 seasonal permit was probated to the widow after the permittee died. It appears BIA failed to assess and recommend what, where and how the seasonal permit will be probated. Did BIA provide information on the use of the seasonal permit in two districts six months apart for Navajo Nation probate court decree? If this is what BIA recommended, then why do they seem to question the origin of the permit?

The 1984 grazing committee minutes does not show discussion of the permit origin. Regarding the court decree, regulation 25 CFR167.9 (a) is very clear: “In cases where grazing permit changes recommended by grazing committees or Tribal Judges do not conform to these regulations or other Bureau or Tribal guides or policies, the matter will be referred back to the Grazing Committee or Judge for clarification before new permit will be reissued.” It appears everything went OK. In reality, continuation of dispute cases are results of BIA refusal to take administrative action in 2005 when the agency resource manager requested natural resource program review of Fort Defiance Agency. If BIA had taken action they would have dealt with appropriate action to correct negligence that went on at the agency for decades.

Besides whipping the messenger for revealing past mistakes all BIA regional director has done is cover up the mess created by the agency decades ago. BIA, stop blaming grazing committee’s recommended actions. As federal trustee BIA can still reject recommendations if requirements of the grazing regulation are not followed. Any questionable issues should be resolved first, not 33 years later.

Agency resource managers are expected to ensure the procedures are followed before grazing permit transactions go to the region for final approval. This includes probate actions.

Attention: New Lands beware of BIA plans to get New Lands assigned to Fort Defiance Agency after termination of Navajo-Hopi Relocation Office. Agency has history of poor management. Agency ma’iis are overseeing the chicken house. And American taxpayers pay their salaries? BIA, rebuttal please! Prove me wrong.

Nels Roanhorse
Oakridge, Ariz.

Citizens not completely to blame

I expected someone would take offense to my letter about the worst president in history but I didn’t expect a person like Mr. Wally Brown (“Citizens should take blame for whole mess,” Nov. 16).

I met Mr. Brown back in days of the 1970s at the time he was working for the Salt River Project in LeChee, Arizona. I wish to make a brief response, short and sweet. His response was not real negative which I thought would be and is acceptable. However, I wish to say I stand firmly on my position that we have a president that is inhumane and not suitable for the job due to his behavior and attitude. True, as citizens we should be taking the blame for the whole mess. The mess in the past year has been caused by the electoral voting system not necessarily the citizens if the election was decided by popular vote. By the popular votes, Mr. Trump lost by more than 3 million votes. If the popular voting system was the valid deciding factor in 2016 in electing President Trump then there would be no one else to blame but ourselves.

The current electoral voting system needs a complete overhaul and develop a system tailored to the needs and rights of the citizens. It needs to be repealed and I would like to ask Mr. Brown to join me to work with Congress in making the repeal possible. He has good writing skills.

Expressing my concerns about President Trump is not new. I have been expressing my disappointment since he was elected. It’s not made up at the spur of moment as mentioned by the letter.

There is no better word in describing the current mess or corruption than Divided States of America. The same holds true for the Pledge of Allegiance, which ends with the words “justice for all.” It should be justice for only a few. That is really messed up.

My prediction on the Keystone Pipeline was on the right track. Look all around and look at what is happening with the break-proof pipeline. It’s already breaking and many types of contamination may result from it.

The president needs to change completely if he is to survive his first term. This country is getting more corrupt more than ever before, not better. There is only so much someone can do which is not fake news.

Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to respond. Happy Holidays.

Vern Charleston
Farmington, N.M.

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