Return to Support Front Line Resistance Communities on Big Mountain & Black Mesa, AZ. November 17-24th, 2012

Greetings from the Black Mesa Indigenous Support Collective,

With people across the country organizing protests, direct actions, and encampments and mounting anti-coal campaigns as a part of the 2012 Climate Summer of Solidarity* we wish to extend an invitation to return to Black Mesa. During this moment of peak visibility around climate chaos and extraction, we hope to honor and celebrate the nearly-40 year Indigenous-led resistance against cultural genocide, forced relocation, and massive coal mining on Black Mesa.

The genocide on Black Mesa has been recognized internationally. In the late 1980′s the United Nations described the case of the forced relocation as one of the most flagrant violations of indigenous peoples’ human rights in this hemisphere. As mentioned in the recent (2012) Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission report**, PL 93-531 violates human rights, not only because it relocated families to new home-sites on a contaminated uranium site, but also because the families remaining on their ancestral homelands, blockading the coal mining and continuing their traditional way of life, are living with daily harassment and intimidation, including livestock impoundments, and surveillance. Also according to the report, “Navajo people are empowered by [the resistance communities’] steadfastness, their sacrifice and their courage.” As part of the larger support network, we’ve been inspired by these same qualities in the resistance communities.

The aim of this caravan is to honor the requests and words of the elders and their families– to prioritize building with returning supporters, while encouraging new people to come out throughout the year. With their guidance, we will carry their wishes and demands far beyond the annual caravan to link this struggle to our own de-colonial practices and involvement in local social, environmental, and climate justice movements.

Click here to read more…

Taking livestock is ploy to force relocation, Black Mesa residents say

By Leslie Wilber, The Precarious

02/01/2012 – Rangers employed by the Bureau of Indian Affairs rode in on horse back and four wheelers, armed with portable corals and livestock trailers, to take horses and calves from Dineh tribal elders living on Black Mesa, last week. Residents of the traditionally tribal land say the livestock seizure is the latest push in a relocation effort elders have fought for more than three decades.

They’re violating universal human rights,” said Bahe Katenay, one of the Dineh people who lives in the Big Mountain Community of Black Mesa. Katenay grew up on Black Mesa and helps tribal elders maintain their traditions. “These people still have a right to food, to their culture, to safety, to health.”

Rangers with the Hopi Tribal Government told Black Mesa residents that the roughly eight cattle and 25 horses were taken because they were not properly registered, said Derek Minno Bloom, who volunteers with the Black Mesa Indigenous Support collective. The collective is made up of people who do not live in the Black Mesa area and are largely non-native, but have responded to elders’ requests for outside help in order to stay on their land.

Some of the animals have been returned, Katenay said, although he did not have an official tally. Black Mesa Indigenous Support is raising money to help elders get their animals back, Minno Bloom said.

Louella Nahsonhoya, who works for the Hopi Tribal Government, said she would send members of the press a written statement about the livestock by the end of the week. Before then, she will be unable to answer any questions about why the horses and cattle were taken.

“This is part of forced relocation,” Katenay said, noting that the official U.S. policy is to relocate only those Dineh people who willingly leave their land. Approximately 40 tribal elders remain on Black Mesa, many of whom are at least 80 years old, Katenay said. None of them is willing to relocate.

They are trying to maintain their culture, their heritage,” Katenay said.

The back story is convoluted, but the conflict stems from the U.S. government’s collusion with Peabody Coal Company Since the 1970s, the company has steered efforts to remove Dineh and Hopi people from their ancestral homes on Black Mesa, in order to mine coal there. The Bureau of Indian Affairs-approved Hopi tribal government is not so much a traditional authority. Rather they are deputies of the U.S. Federal Government, Katenay said.

Efforts to remove remaining elders from the land have made life there more difficult. Although people depend on animals for their livelihood, livestock roundups happen as often as twice a year. Officials have capped off water wells and destroyed pumps, although water is hard to collect on the arid mesa, Katenay said.

Still, relocating is not a viable or easy solution for the elders. Many do not speak or read English. They have a deep wealth of knowledge, but it largely pertains to traditional life: herding, weaving, histories and rituals.

Those who are relocated are put in modern homes, with less land and fewer animals. The amenities are unfamiliar: Someone who grew up without electricity and running water might not know which foods go in the refrigerator and which go in the cupboard, Katenay said. Younger people often are surrounded by modern distractions, leaving their elders in solitude.

They’re not going to force these people out,” Katenay said of the remaining elders. “These people have been resisting for more than 30 years.”

Elders have seen, first hand, that coal mining leads to pollution, the depletion of clean water and other problems, Katenay said. In a sense, they resist relocation to help everyone. He tells the story of one woman who speaks no English, but has come to understand there is war and upheaval in the world outside Black Mesa.

She is doing it for all the people in the world,” Katenay said. “They’re not only doing it for themselves. They’re doing it for all of humanity. If we allow this coal company to do what they want to do, we’re all in danger.”

Leslie Wilber is a journalist who has covered police misconduct, courts, high school sports and other disasterous things. She lives in Denver and is an editor at The Precarious, a media project with a mission to use in-depth journalism, storytelling and cultural analysis to re-frame the revolutionary as regular. They investigate oppression and celebrate liberation with relentless curiosity, critical minds, style and humor. They’re not here to merely convey information, and they hope their readers aren’t content to idly consume media.

RED ALERT! Black Mesa/Big Mountain livestock impoundments happening now!

Updated Information: RED ALERT! Black Mesa/Big Mountain livestock impoundments happening now!

Alert! Take Action Now!

From Black Mesa Indigenous Support:

In the last two days, livestock impoundment crews have confiscated calves and stolen and immediately sold horses belonging to several Dineh people of Big Mountain/Black Mesa, Arizona. These livestock impoundments constitute human rights violations against traditional Dineh (Navajo); they take away one of their major food sources and one of the main sources of their livelihood. This is a tactical move to further genocidal relocation policies.

Even though it is Saturday, call now and throughout the week and flood their lines and answering machines.  Say that the elders need their animals to survive, these confiscations are WRONG, that we are watching, and that we see this ongoing harassment as part of cultural genocide.  Also, make sure to ask that they stop driving quads illegally through sensitive environments.

Please Call The Hopi tribal chairman’s office @ 928-734-3102. Ask for the chair, LeRoy Shingoitewa who made the direct order for the impoundments and stolen horses.

We’re collecting funds to pay for livestock reclamation. We know it will be at least $500. The amount increases daily.  You can go here to donate now: http://blackmesais.org/donate/

Many Thanks for Your Support. Stay in touch!

The BMIS Collective

UPDATE! Black Mesa: Navajo horses impounded being sold:

Impoundments are currently happening on the HPL

In a phone call, Hopi ranger Ronald Honyumptewa confirmed that animals were impounded from range units 257 and 259 of the HPL from Monday through Wednesday. He stated that all unbranded horses have already been sold, that a buyer was identified so they went out with quads to round them up, then sold them. He also said the order came down directly from the Hopi Chairman. They were all sold to Sun Valley. Ranger Honyumptewa said they have the legal right to confiscate them under ordinance 43 in the Accommodation Agreement and are not obligated to hold impounded illegal animals for the residents to claim. He also said they will be rounding up from the rest of the HPL range units.

Letter of Concern to Hopi Tribal Council regarding the recent impoundments on Black Mesa and Call Out for Human Rights Observers:

Note: Below is the letter of concern we sent to the Hopi Tribal Chairman this morning, January 31, 2012. In light of the impoundments that took place last week and those that could happen this week and beyond, we are putting out a call of support to all persons interested in doing Human Rights Observation and support for the elders on Black Mesa during the harsh winter months. As in the past, cameras, video cameras, voice recorders, and journalism skills are needed to help monitor and document the activities of the Hopi Rangers on the “Hopi Partitioned Lands” of Black Mesa. Please contact us at blackmesais@gmail.com if you are interested in participating.

We also ask for people to call the Hopi Tribal Chairman’s office letting them know that you are in support of the letter we sent and that you want the impoundments to stop. Ask for Chairman Shingoitewa (928) 734-3102

Thank you for all your support! May the indigenous communities of Black Mesa be remembered and supported, now and always!

Hopi Tribal Council
P.O. Box 123, Kykotsmovi, AZ  86039

Dear Honorable Chairman Shingoitewa,

It is with great concern that we write to you today, January 31 year 2012.

The undersigned are members of a group called Black Mesa Indigenous Support
(BMIS) that exists to promote respect and support for the elders of
Black Mesa/Big Mountain, specifically those living traditionally on the
Hopi Partitioned Land (HPL). We write with support and encouragement
from that community.  As you know, many of these individuals are related
to those of you directly.  BMIS has worked with you at Hopi in the past
on many issues, and have recently been honored to support your work and
the work of others in protecting the sacred San Fransisco Peaks by
stopping Snowbowl.  

It has been brought to our attention that on January 25 and 27, Hopi
rangers impounded animals belonging to Dineh families who live on HPL.
These animals were rounded up by Hopi rangers using quads, on grazing
districts 257 and 259.

According to acting chief Hopi ranger, Ronald Honyumptewa, the order to carry out
these impoundments came directly from the Hopi tribal council chairman.

Mr. Honyumptewa stated that they have the right to confiscate these animals
under ordinance 43 in the Accommodation Agreement (Public Law 104-301),
and said further that the Hopi authorities are not obligated to hold on to
impounded animals for owners to claim.

We are also very concerned to learn that a buyer of some of the animals
was already identified directly before the impoundments had taken place,
and that the animals were transported to Sun Valley for the purchase.

We understand that PL 104-301 authorizes such impoundments by Hopi
rangers, however we are troubled at the manner in which they were
carried out.  

As we have understood it, the owners of these now impounded animals, were
never given personal notice to sell or arrange for said unbranded
animals, nor told in advance that these impoundments were going to take
place. We have learned now, after the incidents, that notices were put
up in the Rocky Ridge store and some local Chapter Houses five days
before the impoundments took place.  The residents report that being
notified in such a manner is insufficient, considering that many of the
elders cannot read English and/or speak English and do not frequent the
Rocky Ridge store and Chapter Houses due to lack of transportation and
funds. In the future, we, on behalf of the elders, urge you to employ
direct, respectful, and personal communication with an aim to reach
mutual understanding and solve livestock problems.

Again, our purpose in writing this letter is to encourage mutual respect,
kindness, and moral responses to the issues that arise on the Hopi
Partitioned Land.  We received reports of Hopi rangers whipping
livestock and speeding on all-terrain vehicles in sensitive environments
in front of Dineh elders while rounding up livestock, and then laughing
at the elders who expressed dismay at the abuse of their land and
animals.  As you well know, life on the Hopi Partition Land has its
myriad difficulties, and we believe, as we know you do, that all people
deserve respect and have the right to live their lives in dignity.  We
value your commitment to stewardship of the earth and respect your
efforts at stewardship in various venues; it is our heartfelt hope that
that commitment extends to the HPL.  

The aforementioned act of selling the impounded livestock without due
process that would allow for the retrieval of said livestock is viewed
as disrespectful by the affected community and can be considered a
violation of Human Rights and a specific violation of the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples as articulated by the UN Declaration for Indigenous
Peoples’ Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

As you know, in that Declaration, which was adopted by the UN General
Assembly on September 13th 2007, it is stated that:

Article 20
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and develop their political,
economic and social systems or institutions, to be secure in the enjoyment of their
own means of subsistence and development, and to engage freely in all their
traditional and other economic activities.
2. Indigenous peoples deprived of their means of subsistence and
development are entitled to just and fair redress

Article 22
1. Particular attention shall be paid to the rights and special needs of
indigenous elders, women, youth, children and persons with disabilities in the
implementation of this Declaration.
2. States shall take measures, in conjunction with indigenous peoples, to
ensure that indigenous women and children enjoy the full protection and
guarantees against all forms of violence and discrimination

Article 24
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to their traditional medicines and to
maintain their health practices, including the conservation of their vital medicinal
plants, animals and minerals. Indigenous individuals also have the right to access,
without any discrimination, to all social and health services.
2. Indigenous individuals have an equal right to the enjoyment of the
highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. States shall take the
necessary steps with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of this
right.

Article 25
Indigenous peoples have the right to maintain and strengthen their distinctive
spiritual relationship with their traditionally owned or otherwise occupied and used
lands, territories, waters and coastal seas and other resources and to uphold their
responsibilities to future generations in this regard.

Article 8
1. Indigenous peoples and individuals have the right not to be subjected to
forced assimilation or destruction of their culture.

Article 10
Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or
territories. No relocation shall take place without the free, prior and informed
consent of the indigenous peoples concerned and after agreement on just and fair
compensation and, where possible, with the option of return.

Article 12
1. Indigenous peoples have the right to manifest, practice, develop and
teach their spiritual and religious traditions, customs and ceremonies; the right to
maintain, protect, and have access in privacy to their religious and cultural sites; the
right to the use and control of their ceremonial objects; and the right to the repatriation
of  their human remains.

In light of the information above, we the undersigned, urge you, the Hopi Tribal Council to consider:

1. An immediate return of the livestock confiscated on the aforementioned dates to the appropriate families.

2.As per all articles of the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights
and Fundamental Freedoms cited above, an immediate revocation of Public
Laws 93-531 and 104-301, and an immediate end to the forced relocation and harassment
of residents of the Hopi Partitioned Land.  

3. That all future impoundments are preceded by notices in Dineh and
English and are delivered in a personal manner at least three weeks
prior to the beginning of the impoundments to the affected parties with
clear proof that said parties understand and consent.  

4. As per articles 20 (1, 2); 22 (1); and 24 (1) specifically of the UN
Declaration on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and Fundamental Freedoms cited
above, an immediate end to limitation of livestock herd sizes for
residents of the Hopi Partitioned Land.  

5. An immediate end of the use of all-terrain vehicles for livestock
roundups on the environmentally sensitive Hopi Partitioned Land.
6. An immediate assessment by the Hopi Tribal Council of the Hopi Rangers’
capacity for dealing with the problem of wild horse herds on the Hopi
Partitioned Land before any further impoudments of livestock belonging to
individuals are considered.

We thank you for your time and consideration and look forward to hearing a
response within the next two weeks.  Please contact us at blackmesais@gmail.com

Respectfully,
The Black Mesa Indigenous Support Collective: Derek Minno Bloom, Liza Minno
Bloom, Hallie Boas, Berkley Carnine, Theresa Gigante, and Owen Johnson

The True Cost of Coal: Beehive Design Collective returns to Durango!

5-9PM, Thursday, November 17th, 2011
Noble Hall Room 130, Fort Lewis College, Durango, CO

$3-$15 sliding scale suggested donation. No one will be turned away due to lack of funds. All donations (and 50% of all patch and poster sales!) will go to benefit the Black Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS) Fall Caravan.

In 2008, the Beehive Design Collective allied with Appalachian grassroots organizers fighting Mountain Top Removal Coal Mining, a highly destructive practice that blasts ancient mountains into toxic moonscapes to fuel the ever-growing global demand for electricity. This graphic reflects the complexity of the struggles for land, livelihood, and self-determination playing out in Appalachia, while honoring the tremdendous history of organized resistance and the courage of communities living in the shadow of Big Coal.

Our team of volunteer illustrators and educators have collaborated with hundreds of grassroots groups and folks from around the world to create this visually stunning graphic multi-tool for activists and ordinary people seeking real solutions to energy extraction and climate change!

The True Cost of Coal is dense with metaphors drawn from the natural world. It is rooted in history, grounded in the grinding urgency of MTR, fueled by the looming threat of climate change, and guided by the robust, grassroots resistance of everyday Appalachians. It is populated by characters from the mountains- plants and critters under siege, and fighting back! It is a love letter to the resilient, sustainable world that has quietly endured in the hills and hollers all the while, despite the horrors of displacement, the abuses of the powerful, and the onslaught of industrial scale extraction. It is about the better world our communities are envisioning, building, and defending every day, in a million ways.

You are a part of this story. So are we. From our dependence on coal-powered electricity to our collective ability to organize for climate justice, we are each implicated in the struggle for the mountains, which is really the struggle for all places. Though we cannot pretend to speak for the daily lived realities of the coalfields of Appalachia, we are listening to the wisdom of those that do, and are striving to create a tool to help us all decipher these overwhelming times we are living through. Each of us has a unique piece of the story, and each of our communities has a different kind of power. As we harness that power- and leave the coal in the ground- we are remaking the world.

Teeming with biodiversity and nourished with abundant fresh water, this world is home to generations of plants and animals who are seen enacting the cycles of birth, life, death, and regeneration. Growing, gathering, and preparing food; sharing stories, songs, and skills; producing, exchanging, and reusing goods and tools; and transmitting historical memory, they are intimate with the land and rooted in economies of place.

More: www.beehivecollective.org

Two Durango, CO fundraisers to benefit Black Mesa Indigenous Support

Film Screening and Dinner Fundraiser for Black Mesa Indigenous Support

Durango Black Mesa Indigenous Support and the FLC Sociology Club present:

“Broken Rainbow” and other films of indigenous struggle

When: Saturday, 11/12 6-9pm

Where: Turtle Lake Refuge, 848 E. 3rd Ave. Durango, CO 81301

*We’re asking for a SLIDING SCALE DONATION OF $3 TO $15 for this event! Also, if you’re able, please bring a baked good for our bake sale during the week.

We are Black Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS), a volunteer-based organization whose mission is to support the indigenous peoples of Black Mesa, AZ who are in their fourth decade of protecting their communities, ancestral homelands, and future generations from massive coal mining operations & forced relocation policies. In the 30+ years of disastrous operations, Dineh and Hopi communities in Arizona have been ravaged by Peabody Energy?s coal mines. As a result of the massive mining operation, over 14,000 people have been forcibly relocated from their ancestral homelands. This constitutes the largest relocation of Indigenous people in this country since the Trail of Tears in 1883, and it is ongoing today. For more info visit http://www.blackmesais.org/

Come show your support of the Native people of Black Mesa by enjoying a chili (vegan and meat option!) while you watch these important films and learn about the current situation at Black Mesa. We will be requesting a SLIDING SCALE DONATION OF ($3 TO $15) for this event to help ten people from Durango travel to Black Mesa to offer direct support to the families there and to give to the people who live this struggle everyday, the elders and families on the land.

All ages welcome!!

*We’re also hosting a bake sale/donation collection at North City Market on Wednesday 11/16, from 3 to 7. Please stop by and show your support there too. WE WILL BE COLLECTING DONATED BAKED GOODS THIS SATURDAY AT TURTLE LAKE REFUGE FROM 6 TO 9PM. PLEASE BAKE SOMETHING AND LET YOUR FRIENDS KNOW TOO!!!

The Films:

“BROKEN RAINBOW” is a 1985 documentary film about the government-enforced relocation of thousands of Navajo Native Americans from their ancestral homes in Arizona. The Navajo were relocated to aid mining speculation in a process that began in the 1970s and continues to this day. The film is narrated by Martin Sheen. The title song was written by Laura Nyro, the theme music was composed by Paul Apodaca, with other original music by Rick Krizman and Fred Myrow. It won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.

*Other films include: Strangers to the Gods, The Canary Effect, Native American Resistance Day, Praying for the Peaks, and more…

Fundraiser Bake Sale to Benefit Black  Fall Caravan

Spread the word! We’ve got some baking to do! Everyone let your friends know that we will be having a bake sale and donation collection in support of the traditional people of Black Mesa.

WHERE: North City Market
(3130 Main Ave, Durango CO 81301)

WHEN: Wednesday, Nov. 16th, from 3 to 7pm.

HOW: Drop off baked goods between Tuesday and Wednesday morning at 1135 Florida Rd. Apt. B24, Durango, CO 81301. Please call 847-334-7212 for details about dropping off food. If you can’t drop off baked goods before the sale, feel free to drop them off at our table during the sale.

WHY: We are Black Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS), a volunteer-based organization whose mission is to support the indigenous peoples of Black Mesa, AZ who are in their fourth decade of protecting their communities, ancestral homelands, and future generations from massive coal mining operations & forced relocation policies. In the 30+ years of disastrous operations, Dineh and Hopi communities in Arizona have been ravaged by Peabody Energy’s coal mines. As a result of the massive mining operation, over 14,000 people have been forcibly relocated from their ancestral homelands. This constitutes the largest relocation of Indigenous people in this country since the Trail of Tears in 1883, and it is ongoing today. For more info visit http://www.blackmesais.org/

This fall we will join in a convergence at Black Mesa to aid the traditional families in preparing for the winter. We are generating funds to help us get to the land and to give to those families living in resistance. As volunteers we will spend the days working hard to make a lot happen- hauling and chopping wood, sheep herding, cleaning and repairing sheep corrals, among other things. We expect about one hundred volunteers and will be distributing food and donations to hundreds of families. It takes a lot to support these volunteers and families during Thanksgiving week.

We would love your support in this! Please consider baking an item for us to sell during our bake sale, or drop by the bake sale and give a monetary donation. At our bake sale we will also be collecting food and supplies donations. So dig down into your pockets and cupboards and see what you’ve got to spare. We’re thankful for it all!

We are looking for donations in the form of money, or food (teas, potatoes, oats, beans, brown rice, peanut butter, white flour, blue cornmeal, baking powder, grains, oil, canned foods, fruit & vegetables, dried milk, coffee, herbal teas, fresh vegetables & fruits, dry foods, nuts, etc. Organic whenever possible).

We would greatly appreciate if you would further our efforts to support the resisting communities of Black Mesa. Your help with our event would go a long way to making the supply run successful. Your contribution goes towards a shift that recognizes our collective humanity and our joint dependence on the Earth.

—Durango BMIS
DurangoBMIS@riseup.net

Fall 2011 Caravan to Black Mesa

Support Front-Line Indigenous Communities of Black Mesa, AZ Resisting Massive Coal Mining!

Join the Caravan in Support of Indigenous Communities Who Are in Their Fourth Decade of Resisting Massive Coal Mining Operations on Their Ancestral Homelands of Big Mountain & Black Mesa, AZ. November 19th – 26th, 2011

Communities of Black Mesa Have Always Maintained That Their Struggle for Life, Land, & Future Generations Is For Our Collective Survival.

Greetings from Black Mesa Indigenous Support,

We are excited to once again extend the invitation from Dineh resisters of the Big Mountain regions of Black Mesa in joining a caravan of work crews in support of the on-going struggle to protect their communities, ancestral homelands, future generations and planet that we all share. These communities are in their fourth decade year of resistance against the US Government’s forced relocation policies, Peabody Coal’s financial interests, and an unsustainable fossil fuel based economy.

Participating in this caravan is one small way in supporting these courageous communities who are serving as the very blockade to massive coal mining on Black Mesa. The aim of this caravan is to honor the requests and words of the elders and their families. With their guidance we will carry their wishes & demands far beyond just the annual caravans and link this struggle with social, environmental, and climate justice movements that participants may be a part of.

By assisting with direct on-land projects you are supporting families on their ancestral homelands in resistance to an illegal occupation and destruction of sacred sites by Peabody Energy. We will be chopping and hauling firewood, doing minor repair work, offering holistic health care, and sheep-herding before the approaching freezing winter months.

Indigenous nations are disproportionately targeted by fossil fuel extraction & environmental devastation; Black Mesa is no exception. Peabody Energy, previously Peabody Coal Company (the world’s largest private-sector coal company) is continuing to scheme for ways to continue their occupation of tribal lands under the guise of extracting “clean coal”.

Peabody’s Black Mesa mine has been the source of an estimated 325 million tons of greenhouse gases that have been discharged into the atmosphere.* In the 30+ years of disastrous operations, Dineh and Hopi communities in Arizona have been ravaged by Peabody’s coal mining. As a result of the massive mining operation, thousands of families have had their land taken away and been forcibly relocated. Peabody has drained 2.5 million gallons of water daily from the only community water supply and has left a monstrous toxic legacy along an abandoned 273-mile coal slurry pipeline. Furthermore, Peabody has desecrated & completely dug up burials, sacred areas, and shrines designated specifically for offerings, preventing religious practices. The continued mining by Peabody has devastating environmental and cultural impacts on local communities and significantly exacerbates global climate chaos.

Relocation laws have made it nearly impossible for younger generations to continue living on their homelands. Institutional racism has fueled neglect and abandonment of public services such as water, maintenance of roads, health care, and schools. Many of the residents in the regions of Black Mesa that we’ll be visiting are elderly and winters can be extremely rough on them in this remote high desert terrain. Due to lack of local job opportunities and federal strangulation on Indian self-sufficiency, extended families are forced to live many miles away to earn incomes and have all the social amenities (which include choices in mandatory American education).

It is increasingly difficult for families to come back to visit their relatives in these remote areas due to the unmaintained roads and the rising cost of transportation. As one of their resistance strategies they call upon outside support as they maintain their traditional way of life in the face of the largest relocation of indigenous people in the US since the Trail of Tears.

Drawing on the inspiration of the elders & families of Black Mesa, they offer us a transformative model for the strategic, visionary change that is needed to re-harmonize our relationships with one another and with the planet. But too often Black Mesa becomes invisibilized as other human rights, environmental justice and climate justice struggles are showcased and highlighted in both the mainstream & progressive media.The truth is that all of these struggles are interconnected and central to our collective survival is the need to increase the visibility of struggles such as Black Mesa, a decades-long indigenous-led resistance to the fossil fuel industry, in related movements for human rights, environmental, climate & social justice.

May we stand strong with the elders & families of Black Mesa in their declaration that “Coal is the Mother Earth’s liver” and join them in action to ensure that coal remains in the ground! Families of Black Mesa are determined to repair and end the devastating impacts of colonialism, coal mining, and forced relocation of their communities, sacred lands, and our planet. False solutions to climate change and large scale coal extraction must be stopped!

Forging links between people grounded in movements based on social and ecological justice and the Black Mesa resisters (who are also grounded in these movements) is essential to address the disproportionate problems of poverty and disenfranchisement to achieve social, environmental, & climate justice.

Indigenous Environmental Activist & Black Mesa Resister Louise Benally Speaking at UNM!

Louise Benally, Indigenous Environmental Activist and Long Time Resident of Black Mesa is Speaking at UNM!

Dine’ families and elders have been resisting cultural genocide for over thirty five years and are targeted for unjust large-scale coal mining operations and forced relocation policies of the U.S. government in Black Mesa/Big Mountain, AZ. Throughout those thirty five years the U.S. government and Peabody Coal have forcefully relocated thousands Dine’ people away from their ancestral homeland, the land that they belong to, in the name of greed, energy and progress. Many families and elders have refused to leave, even though they are under constant pressure to do so. Their daily lives have become a direct action to save their land base, to maintain their traditional life ways, and to take a stand against global warming and globalization. They are not creating a new way of sustainable living, but are struggling to live as they always have—with the earth and not against it.

When: Friday, April 29th at 5:00 PM
Where: The UNM Main Campus, Sub Ballroom C, University of New Mexico
Who: The KIVA Club and BMIS (Black Mesa Indigenous Support) are putting on the event
Contact: Stephanie @ ssalaza4@unm.edu or
Derek @ 215-820-3444 or email Bobadochie@aol.com

Censored News

Beehive Design Collective in Durango! Black Mesa Support Caravan Fundraiser & Food Drive

UPDATE: The Beehive Design Collective unfortunately had car problems about three or four hours away from Durango, and did not make it to the November 13th event, though Louise Benally from Black Mesa did, and we had a wonderful time. Thanks to everyone who came out! We raised $59 and a BUNCH of food for the Caravan in Support of Indigenous Resistance Communities of Black Mesa. The Bees have rescheduled for Saturday, December 4th, before the holy!holy!holy! (anarcho-gypsy-folk-punk concert) in Durango!

Join Earth First! Durango (which doubles and triples as chapters of Root Force and Rising Tide) and the GroundUp Arts Collective for an afternoon of education, outreach, and solidarity with the resistance communities of Black Mesa, Arizona.

Saturday, November 13th, 4PM @ the GroundUp Arts Collective, 1051 East 2nd Avenue in Durango, Colorado.

We will be joined by Black Mesa resister Louise Benally, who will talk about the on-going struggle, and the Beehive Design Collective, who will be presenting their True Costs of Coal graphic.

We are also seeking other relevant presenters, performers, musicians, artists, etc. who would like to take part in the event. Contact earthfirstdurango@riseup.net for more information.

Admittance will be based upon a sliding scale monetary donation and/or food drive donation, but no one will be turned away due to lack of donations or funds.

All proceeds go to support the upcoming Black Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS) caravan and resister families on the ground on Black Mesa.

For more information on the Beehive Design Collective, go to http://www.beehivecollective.org/

For more information about the Black Mesa Indigenous Support collective, go to http://blackmesais.org/

Caravan in Support of Indigenous Resistance Communities of Black Mesa

Join the Caravan in Support of Indigenous Communities Resisting Massive Coal Mining Operations on Their Ancestral Homelands of Big Mountain & Black Mesa, AZ

These Front-Line Resistance Communities, in their Struggle for Life, Land, & Future Generations, Have Always Maintained That Their Struggle Is For Our Collective Survival.  May They Be Supported Now and Always!

November 20-27, 2010

Greetings from Black Mesa Indigenous Support!

We are excited to extend the invitation from Dineh resisters of the Black Mesa region to join BMIS’s caravan to support their ongoing struggle. On behalf of their peoples, their sacred ancestral lands and future generations, these communities continue a 36 year long struggle against the US Governments forced relocation efforts, Peabody Coal’s financial interests, and an unsustainable fossil fuel based economy. They continue trying to halt and repair the devastating impacts of colonialism, coal mining, and forced relocation of their communities, sacred lands, and our planet. As one of their resistance strategies they call upon outside support as they maintain their traditional way of life in the face of the largest relocation of indigenous people in the US since the Trail of Tears.

By assisting with direct, on-land projects you are supporting a broad movement for climate justice and families right to stay on their ancestral homelands in resistance to an illegal occupation.  The oil spill in the Gulf highlighted the dangerous and unsustainable reality of our fossil fuels based economy. Another example of this dangerous reality comes from Black Mesa. The recently approved carbon capture storage project will capture the coal firing plant emissions and use clean water to pump the carbon an estimated 9,000 feet into the ground to be stored near their major aquifer. False solutions to climate change and large scale coal extraction must be stopped! We propose participating in this caravan as one small way in supporting these courageous communities who are serving as the very blockade to coal mining on Black Mesa!

Direct Action as a way of life: blocking coal and climate change

By the Black Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS) Collective

Black Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS) is a volunteer-run collective, in solidarity with the Diné families and elders in Black Mesa/Big Mountain, AZ who have been resisting cultural genocide for over thirty-five years — targeted for unjust large-scale coal mining operations and forced relocation policies of the U.S government. Throughout those thirty-five years the US government and Peabody Coal have forcefully relocated thousands of Diné people away from their ancestral homeland, the land that they belong to, in the name of greed, energy and progress. Many families and elders have refused to leave, even though they are under constant pressure to do so. Their daily lives have become a direct action to save their land base, maintain their traditional life ways, and take a stand against global warming and globalization. They are not creating a new way of sustainable living, but are struggling to live as they always have — with the earth and not against it.

The resisting families are encouraging people to come to Black Mesa now. They request support all year long. One of the primary ways that non-native people who support the Diné live out solidarity is to honor the direct requests of these families and extend an invitation to all people interested in supporting their resistance, to come to Black Mesa, to their threatened ancestral homelands, walk with their sheep, haul water and wood, and do whatever they ask. By coming to Black Mesa, supporters can assist the elders and their families in daily chores, which helps visitors to engage with the story that they are telling, as well as to claim a more personal stake against environmental degradation, climate change, and continued legacies of colonialism and genocide. One can assist by being there so they can go to meetings, organize, weave rugs, visit family members who have been hospitalized, rest after a difficult winter and regain strength for the upcoming spring. With spring comes planting crops, shearing sheep, and lambing. Come for a month. Or longer.

Supporting these communities, whose very presence stands in the way of large-scale coal mining and further environmental degradation, is one way to work on the front lines for climate justice and against a future of climate chaos. There are also opportunities for long-term, committed supporters and organizers off the land.

BMIS is looking for Regional Coordinators to organize year-round support and work towards movement building, which would maintain and enhance communication channels between the Big Mountain resistance communities and networks that are being established to support the Big Mountain resistance, as well as other local forms of indigenous resistance, while building shared analysis, vision and movements for the liberation of all peoples and our planet. We are looking for organizers to connect to local climate justice, anti-racism, and decolonization projects, set up sheepherder send-off parties which can double as political education and fundraising events, put on screenings of “Broken Rainbow”, as well as host speaking engagements, give report-backs from the land and coordinate other educational events to spread the word about the struggle. We hope to connect with folks who will organize local responses to calls to action from the land, look into and spread information about corporate and political connections to Peabody Coal, and build a local capacity to fight racism and participate in multiracial movements for justice.

Contact us for more information if you are interested in supporting this struggle, and please visit our website for a deeper analysis and more info: www.blackmesais.org blackmeasis@gmail.com, 928.773.8086, P.O. Box 23501, Flagstaff, Arizona 86002