Letters | Trauma and media

Trauma and media

I am writing in response to the article, ‘She is here in sprit,’ Kirkland Central gives parents honorary diploma for late Ashlynne Mike, in your Monday, June 5, 2023, online edition. I live in Chimayo, New Mexico, and work locally in the construction industry.

I think it is wonderful to lift up Ashlynne. She deserves this and so much more. I am also struck by elements of that article that seem gratuitous and elements that are missing.

Ashlynne’s mother, Pamela Foster, is a friend of mine. I shudder to think how she would respond to read the details of Ashlynne’s death in this article. Of course, there is a journalistic responsibility to report who Ashlynne was and why she was being honored. However, “sexually assaulted and murdered,” is plenty of detail. I don’t understand the need to be any more explicit than that – other than a desire sell more papers.

I also question whether Pamela was consulted in this use of descriptive language. Publishing without her express consent is at best in bad taste and at worst risks perpetuating Pamela’s, Gary Mike’s, and Ian’s own trauma from that day. I trust this was never your intent, however, please consider your potential impact.

The story omitted from your article (at least online – I have not seen the hard copy), is of the Ashlynne Mike Amber Alert in Indian Country which became Pamela’s mission since Ashlynne’s death. That program is designed to prevent exactly the kind of thing Ashlynne, Ian, and their family suffered. Certainly, it’s not as click worthy as details of Ashlynne’s murder, but by far more responsible and respectful to Ashlynne’s memory and surviving family.

This tendency to “trauma porn” is of course not unique to your publication. It is a problem throughout media outlets. But each journalist and editor has a choice to continue sensationalizing pain and violence, or look towards healing. And this can be done without sacrificing any journalistic integrity. We – the reading public – don’t need to have an image of Ashlynne’s abuse burned into our minds through reading your article.

Please edit this article to omit the details of her death. Identifying the sexual assault and murder is plenty without the descriptive language of what she suffered.

Scott Davis
Chimayo, N.M.

Learn CPR

There appears to be an unhealthy trend going on the Navajo Nation. This concerns Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, First Aid, and Automated External Defibrillator (CPR/First Aid/AED) training.

Let’s start with the non-emergent transport companies, which a lot of people use to take their family members to hospitals. I heard there is about 20-25 transport companies on the rez. The problem here is that a lot of these drivers don’t have a CPR/First Aid/AED certification or training, so if a medical problem occurs during transport and the driver does not know how to handle it there could be a bad outcome for your family members. From what I understand, all these drivers are required to have this training, but a lot of them don’t. I tell my classes to check the driver they use to make sure they have this kind of training to protect their family members. Either the companies don’t care, or the drivers don’t care – an unhealthy trend.

Let’s look at the chapter houses and communities. Very few chapter houses schedule this training for their staff or community members. If you live a distance from the nearest hospital or ambulance service and you don’t have this kind of training again there could be a bad outcome. Time is critical when a person has a heart attack or a stroke plus other serious injury.

EMS service is not always available. I know Covid had something to do with chapter houses not opening up for training for their community members. Traveling across our rez doing these classes I have learned a lot of stories from people, some good, but mostly bad stories of family members not surviving at home. Maybe these chapter houses don’t care or people just don’t want this kind of training. Again, an unhealthy trend.

Now, how about schools, daycare centers, and preschools? Most schools off the rez require this training for their staff and employees for safety and protection for their students, staff, and parents, but again, a lot of rez schools don’t require this training. Maybe because of Covid, lack of funds, no interest, or for some other reason.
Just the other day, the Phoenix news reported a high school student saved a little girl from a high school student saved a little girl from drowning. When asked where he learned to perform CPR, he said he learned at his high school. This high school had provided CPR training for their students. Wow! Must be a great high school to provide this training for their students, but on our rez, this does not happen. The more people who know this kind of training, the better off everybody is. Again, a lot of schools don’t require this training anymore for whatever reason. Again, unhealthy trend.

We never know what can happen to anyone at any time. Human life is very fragile and what I understand, human life is the most important thing on this earth. Thank you for your attention and take care of yourselves, your family, and your community. As the saying goes, “Learn CPR, save a life.”
Now, that is a healthy trend.

David Sangster Jr.
Gallup

Planting seed for ‘beautiful result’

Thank you for covering the Chilchinbeto Pumped Storage Hydropower Project in your May 25 issue. We write to provide more information about the Project and why the Chilchinbeto Chapter leadership and the Chapter members support it.

The current leadership of the Chilchinbeto Chapter was elected to actively improve our members’ standard of living through economic development while respecting our land. Thus, in our leadership role we have sought out development opportunities.

The idea for a pumped storage hydropower project came to us in 2021 and we investigated the technology and the impact on the environment. We found that the technology is proven, and the Project will contribute to the reliability of electricity in the Nation and the region. Potentially Project infrastructure can help the Nation to build more solar projects.

We found that the impact of the Project to be small while the benefit to the Nation is large. The Project will use only a small amount of Chapter land, about 100 acres on the mesa and 100 acres at the base of the mesa – less than the grazing area of two cows. The funding of programs to increase biodiversity will more than offset any loss from construction.

After gaining a full understanding of the Project, we proposed, and Chilchinbeto Chapter has voted to support the Chilchinbeto Pumped Hydro Storage Project. The Project will bring jobs, water, improved roads, improved broadband, economic development, and funding for cultural and other activities to our Chapter and the Nation.

People are the most important natural resource of the Chilchinbeto Chapter. The only employers here are the BIA school, Canyonland clinic and the Chapter, collectively only 26 jobs. We were elected to bring jobs to the Chapter and the Project is anticipated to bring directly or indirectly 1,000 jobs during construction and 100 permanent jobs. The Project will bring funding for training so that Nation and Chapter members qualify for most of these jobs. Thus, the project follows the Diné teaching of T’áá hwó’ ajít’éego, self-reliance or self-determination.

For Chapter members living on top of Black Mesa, the Project will improve their lives in several ways. The road to the top of the mesa is frequently impassable. Just this winter a snowmobile had to be rented to bring a member food and medicine. Moreover, these members have to drive two hours for their water and only can do so when the road is passable. Furthermore, all Chapter members will benefit from water being available locally, particularly as climate change threatens our farms and livestock.

Water is life and a great concern particularly in our area.

We share these concerns. Thankfully the wells on Black Mesa have recovered over 50% and the aquifer is strong. Our first preference is for the Project to use river water. For example, if the Nation decides to use Colorado River water throughout Nation land, the Project could help pay for the pipeline for the good of many. We welcome finding a way to bring Colorado River water to Chilchinbeto.

Unfortunately, we can’t depend upon river water being available so we must consider using our own water under Chapter land carefully. The Project will use 6,000 acre-feet and minimize water use by creating a closed loop so when the Project is operating, water will flow up and down the mesa over and over. Evaporation of less than 500 acre-feet per year will be reduced by installing floating solar panels or other methods. If river water cannot be arranged, a small portion of aquifer water, significantly less than 0.1%, will be used for the Project.

We feel using a small amount of aquifer water is a worthwhile use considering the benefits the Project can create for the Nation. Project payments to the Nation can help pay for the electrification of remote homes, road repair, broadband, veterans, housing, scholarships, and other government programs. Under consideration is the option of Nation majority ownership of the Project. T’áá hwó’ ajít’éego’.

In closing, while we respect that some chapters on Black Mesa do not want to pursue a pumped storage hydropower project at this time, upon further reflection and as our project moves forward, we hope other chapters will see that using a small portion of their land and water for a project will be in the interest of their members, their children, and their grandchildren.

As President Nygren has said, “The Navajo Nation has always been an energy Nation, hands down. We do not live next to Phoenix. We do not live next to metropolitan areas. But what we do have is what we have always had, energy. Whether it is oil and gas, whether it’s coal, solar, no other tribe can even match us.”
When President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer signed the Navajo Sunrise (Hayoołkááł) Proclamation, President Nez said the proclamation “creates a new economic vision for the Navajo people through healing the land, fostering clean energy development and providing leadership for the energy market.”
He went on to say, “This is nothing new to us as indigenous peoples — being stewards of the land and using what Creator has given us in terms of natural resources. It’s time for our land to heal and become green again. What we’re doing today is planting a seed for our future and for our younger generation.”
The Chilchinbeto Pumped Storage Hydropower Project will be one beautiful result of planting this seed. T’áá hwó’ ajít’éego’.

Chilchinbeto Chapter
Paul Madson, president
Thomas Bradley, vice president
Virginia White, secretary-treasurer
Chilchinbeto, Ariz.

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