From: New Mexico Daily Lobo
Big Mountain, an area near Black Mesa, Ariz., used to be a place of peace and tradition, but now the land is being destroyed by the Peabody Coal Company, said Allen Cooper, a former member of the Big Mountain Support Committee.
Cooper said the Navajo land has no electricity or water, and the people there provide for themselves.
The land also happens to be extremely rich in strippable coal.
Bahe Katenay, spokeswoman for the tribe, said people of Big Mountain have lost part of their simple traditions and culture. The way of life on the mountain has changed because the effect of having a coal-mining operation near the land has left a large portion industrialized.
Cooper said the Navajo land has no electricity or water, and the people there provide for themselves.
The land also happens to be extremely rich in strippable coal.
Bahe Katenay, spokeswoman for the tribe, said people of Big Mountain have lost part of their simple traditions and culture. The way of life on the mountain has changed because the effect of having a coal-mining operation near the land has left a large portion industrialized.
"Dust and smoke from the machines settles in the valleys, and people are getting sick from exhaust and emissions," he said.
Beth Sutton, a spokeswoman for Peabody Coal, said the company moved to the area in 1970. Peabody Coal operates about 15 to 20 miles away from Big Mountain and does not affect the people that live there, she said.
"We have no rights to mine in that area (Big Mountain) - no plans to mine there," Sutton said. "That is an age-old allegation that has been made that is totally false and certainly not supported by the historical facts."
Katenay said Navajo and Hopi tribes have used the land for centuries, but after a coal discovery in the late 1950s and a 1964 agreement with the Hopi tribe, strip mining and surface mining is now allowing the coal companies to dump massive petroleum waste and explosive items.
"The land has become a barren wasteland and (is) depleting millions of acres of water from the aquifers," Kateney said. "Traditional people both Hopi and Navajo now suffer because their wells have dried up, and the coal ends up being burned at the power plants."
Beth Sutton, a spokeswoman for Peabody Coal, said the company moved to the area in 1970. Peabody Coal operates about 15 to 20 miles away from Big Mountain and does not affect the people that live there, she said.
"We have no rights to mine in that area (Big Mountain) - no plans to mine there," Sutton said. "That is an age-old allegation that has been made that is totally false and certainly not supported by the historical facts."
Katenay said Navajo and Hopi tribes have used the land for centuries, but after a coal discovery in the late 1950s and a 1964 agreement with the Hopi tribe, strip mining and surface mining is now allowing the coal companies to dump massive petroleum waste and explosive items.
"The land has become a barren wasteland and (is) depleting millions of acres of water from the aquifers," Kateney said. "Traditional people both Hopi and Navajo now suffer because their wells have dried up, and the coal ends up being burned at the power plants."
[ See: 'To build a Hogan' ]
No comments:
Post a Comment