Native Disunity – Hopi Vs Navajo, Again
For more than a hundred years it was over land disputes but now it is about a veterans center in Tuba City.
Hopi Tribal Councilman Clifford Quotsaquahu, a Vietnam veteran, angrily asks why the memory of Pfc. Lori Piestewa, a Hopi and the first Native American woman to be killed in line of duty in Iraq, is being honored with the construction of a center to serve the Navajo Nation veterans in the Navajo community of Tuba City, AZ
Perhaps one reason is that Piestewa grew up in Tuba City where both of her parents still work for the Tuba City Unified School District.
The Navajo Veterans Center is being built in conjunction with the Piestewa’s reconstruction of their home in Flagstaff which will be featured in a two-hour season finale May 22nd of the popular NBC show ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”.
“Hopi veterans are very upset about this,” Quotsaquahu asserted. “I left a message on the telephone recorder of Gene Little, the director of the Tuba veterans center, which said,“Do Navajo veterans have the balls to accept a building built for a Hopi war hero?”
Little could not be reached for comment.
In a prepared statement, Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. said that both tribes should be rejoicing about the good fortune of Native American veterans and the Piestewa family.
“Material things like a building ought not to be the measure of our relationship as native people. Rather, as relatives, we ought to rejoice on each other’s behalf when the Holy Ones reward either for efforts made by our children.”
The staff assistant to Hopi Chairman Wayne Taylor Jr., Reanna Albert, said Taylor’s office did not know about the veterans center until the office was contacted by “Extreme Makeover” on March 29th.
“We certainly have a lot of questions about the way this thing was handled,” Albert said.
Franklin Shupla of Polacca, one of the two survivng Hopi code talkers from World War 11, was happy he managed to stay out of the controversy.
"I’m glad I didn’t get my head stuck in that one," Shupla said, “because I probably would have gotten it cut off.”
Native Unity can never be achieved as long as there is petty jealousy and bickering between neighboring tribes. Floyd Westerman, the noted Native American film actor, said it best in an interview several years ago.
“In 50 years there will be no more Indians. We will do to ourselves what the White European has have never been able to do. We will annihilate ourselves with backbiting, finger pointing, blood quantum demands. We, not the white man, will bring about the end of the Indian.”
Words of wisdom from a very talented Native man which should be heeded by every Indian in this hemisphere.
This story has been edited for length and content from an April 17th article from “The Arizona Republic” bylined Mark Shaffer.
‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’
IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES DID NOT PURCHASE A DROP OF GASOLINE FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME, THE OIL COMPANIES WOULD CHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES.
AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OF OVER 4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OIL COMPANIES.
THEREFORE MAY 19TH HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK IT UP THEIR nose " DAY AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A SINGLE DROP OF GASOLINE THAT DAY.
WAITING ON THIS ADMIN STRATION TO STEP IN AND CONTROL THE PRICES IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REDUCTION AND CONTROL IN PRICES THAT THE ARAB NATIONS PROMISED TWO WEEKS AGO?
REMEMBER ONE THING, NOT ONLY IS THE PRICE OF GASOLINE GOING UP BUT AT THE SAME TIME AIRLINES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES, TRUCKING COMPANIES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES WHICH EFFECTS PRICES ON EVERYTHING THAT IS SHIPPED. THINGS LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING, BUILDING MATERIALS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES ETC. WHO PAYS IN THE END? WE DO!
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IF THEY DON'T GET THE MESSAGE AFTER ONE DAY, WE WILL DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
SO DO YOUR PART AND SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND MAKE MAY 19TH A DAY THAT THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES SAY "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”.
NATIVE UNITY - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.
For news and information on Native American and First Nations actors, go to Annie's site at www.NativeCelebs.com and follow the threads.
The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com
Hopi Tribal Councilman Clifford Quotsaquahu, a Vietnam veteran, angrily asks why the memory of Pfc. Lori Piestewa, a Hopi and the first Native American woman to be killed in line of duty in Iraq, is being honored with the construction of a center to serve the Navajo Nation veterans in the Navajo community of Tuba City, AZ
Perhaps one reason is that Piestewa grew up in Tuba City where both of her parents still work for the Tuba City Unified School District.
The Navajo Veterans Center is being built in conjunction with the Piestewa’s reconstruction of their home in Flagstaff which will be featured in a two-hour season finale May 22nd of the popular NBC show ‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”.
“Hopi veterans are very upset about this,” Quotsaquahu asserted. “I left a message on the telephone recorder of Gene Little, the director of the Tuba veterans center, which said,“Do Navajo veterans have the balls to accept a building built for a Hopi war hero?”
Little could not be reached for comment.
In a prepared statement, Navajo President Joe Shirley Jr. said that both tribes should be rejoicing about the good fortune of Native American veterans and the Piestewa family.
“Material things like a building ought not to be the measure of our relationship as native people. Rather, as relatives, we ought to rejoice on each other’s behalf when the Holy Ones reward either for efforts made by our children.”
The staff assistant to Hopi Chairman Wayne Taylor Jr., Reanna Albert, said Taylor’s office did not know about the veterans center until the office was contacted by “Extreme Makeover” on March 29th.
“We certainly have a lot of questions about the way this thing was handled,” Albert said.
Franklin Shupla of Polacca, one of the two survivng Hopi code talkers from World War 11, was happy he managed to stay out of the controversy.
"I’m glad I didn’t get my head stuck in that one," Shupla said, “because I probably would have gotten it cut off.”
Native Unity can never be achieved as long as there is petty jealousy and bickering between neighboring tribes. Floyd Westerman, the noted Native American film actor, said it best in an interview several years ago.
“In 50 years there will be no more Indians. We will do to ourselves what the White European has have never been able to do. We will annihilate ourselves with backbiting, finger pointing, blood quantum demands. We, not the white man, will bring about the end of the Indian.”
Words of wisdom from a very talented Native man which should be heeded by every Indian in this hemisphere.
This story has been edited for length and content from an April 17th article from “The Arizona Republic” bylined Mark Shaffer.
‘ENOUGH IS ENOUGH’
IT HAS BEEN CALCULATED THAT IF EVERYONE IN THE UNITED STATES DID NOT PURCHASE A DROP OF GASOLINE FOR ONE DAY AND ALL AT THE SAME TIME, THE OIL COMPANIES WOULD CHOKE ON THEIR STOCKPILES.
AT THE SAME TIME IT WOULD HIT THE ENTIRE INDUSTRY WITH A NET LOSS OF OVER 4.6 BILLION DOLLARS WHICH AFFECTS THE BOTTOM LINES OF THE OIL COMPANIES.
THEREFORE MAY 19TH HAS BEEN FORMALLY DECLARED "STICK IT UP THEIR nose " DAY AND THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION SHOULD NOT BUY A SINGLE DROP OF GASOLINE THAT DAY.
WAITING ON THIS ADMIN STRATION TO STEP IN AND CONTROL THE PRICES IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REDUCTION AND CONTROL IN PRICES THAT THE ARAB NATIONS PROMISED TWO WEEKS AGO?
REMEMBER ONE THING, NOT ONLY IS THE PRICE OF GASOLINE GOING UP BUT AT THE SAME TIME AIRLINES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES, TRUCKING COMPANIES ARE FORCED TO RAISE THEIR PRICES WHICH EFFECTS PRICES ON EVERYTHING THAT IS SHIPPED. THINGS LIKE FOOD, CLOTHING, BUILDING MATERIALS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES ETC. WHO PAYS IN THE END? WE DO!
WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. IF THEY DON'T GET THE MESSAGE AFTER ONE DAY, WE WILL DO IT AGAIN AND AGAIN.
SO DO YOUR PART AND SPREAD THE WORD. FORWARD THIS MESSAGE TO EVERYONE YOU KNOW. MARK YOUR CALENDARS AND MAKE MAY 19TH A DAY THAT THE CITIZENS OF THE UNITED STATES SAY "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH”.
NATIVE UNITY - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.
For news and information on Native American and First Nations actors, go to Annie's site at www.NativeCelebs.com and follow the threads.
The Conservative View by Ken Hughes:
http://hughes-report.blogspot.com
posted by Bobbie Hart O'Neill @ 3:16 AM
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