11429404204209401142
TRANSLATION : KEE WATCHMAN, CACTUS VALLEY
There's Gonna be a Feast
She was saying that ah, i guess this ah, the coal mines, she was talking about the coal mines. When that, the coal mines is biggest problem. But first, she was talking about the spring that they call A'dei'toho (sp.). I guess in english you can call it the upper spring. Which is on the west side just a little ways north of Polacca, when you come down over the gaps, you know? At that time there used to be a sheep~dipping. There was a lot of these different people from the different part of the area on Black Mesa coming together, with the sheep. And that time, they, the Peoples, are working together with the Hopis, really, kind of, ah, being a friend. So that's when i inderstand this is what happens, to work together, to be friend with them. That's how the relationship to one another, relatives, you know, our clan systems. So that's how they were using it. And then, after that, there was another sheep-dipping or so they made it on the north side of Hard Rock Chapter, when you go across the canyon there's a windmill up there, when you're heading towards the Pinyons. I think that's where Harry relocated to. And there was a windmills right by the washes there. Another Sheepdipping. So this is how the peoples used to help each other in those days, you know? To Use It.
So when this, ah, the struggles became, probably just because the coal mines are beginnings... Before the strip mining was taking place we used to go up to where the mines are, where Black Mesa Mines are taking place now or either or Kayenta Mines are taking place. There used to be alot of a, a tree there, we used to go up for Pinyon picking. And we seen them there's some certain areas where the lands are kind of a little bit like cracks, and we see there's a smoke coming up from there, and i guess that's the coal was burning beneath the ground. So that's what i seen at that times. So when that, the coals are beginning stripmining i guess they dig it all up, these the coal burning underneath. I guess that's part of the key also, kind of like they're eating the Mother Earth, and also for the waters in the aquifer i think they, these the coal mines, they usin' a lot, now, these days. And this is what cause... the trees are dying. Some of thems they're dead, because of the lands are dyings. So they're telling us, "You're killing the lands." They are the ones that are killing the land now, is the company, the Hopi Tribes because they're, seems like they're really holding, ah, standing together with the one solution, with the stripminings. So this is how i seens. And this lands, Black Mesa, they're saying that the coal is the liver. So that's what they did, they dug it up now. So perhaps they are the ones that's killing the mother earth, Black Mesa.
As for using of the slurry line, we really don't know much about it and how the beginnings to start to talking about how the governments is putting all these things together before they start pumping the waters from the aquifers to slurry the coals. So, in that points, i really don't know much about it. But all i know is that they usin' alot of water.
And also she was mentions about that we have some kind of disasters taken place last fall. Theres a lot of these strange worms was all over the place. And they're eating... i don't know what they're eating. They are killing a lot of the vegetations, so i have my prayer to them, see, told thems through my prayer to all these worms,
"You seems like you are also part of what the Hopis are telling us, to killing the lands or trying to take over this lands. But the way, what it is is that you should have returned over there to the Hopi village. Right now they are going to start planting soon, they're gonna have ah, a Dinner, with a lot of good vegetations to eat over there, at the Hopi Village"
At the same time all these worms disappeared. So they kindly listens to what i told them.
(((this translation from the original tongues came from a conversation on the Dinetah 4/29/03 between Ruth Benally, Kee Watchman and Owen Stub x)))
