Shirley, council honored in Norway

By Pamela G. Dempsey
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The tribal president will be spending today in Norway picking up kudos for the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act the Navajo Nation Council passed earlier this year.

Navajo Nation President Joe Shirley Jr., Council Delegate George Arthur, and the Navajo Nation Tribal Council will be honored at the 2005 Nuclear-Free Future Awards ceremony held at the Norwegian Nobel Institute in Oslo, Norway.

The act prohibits uranium mining on the Navajo Nation.

"It is a great honor to have Navajo Nation sovereignty recognized in this way by this prestigious international body," Shirley said in a press release. "The most important role of government is the protection of the health and safety of its citizens. This important law is a demonstration of the best democracy is able to achieve. It came about when our people cried out to be protected from the deadly legacy of uranium mining. Working together cooperatively, our Navajo Nation government responded appropriately and forcefully."

Since uranium was discovered in the 1950's on the Navajo Nation, the tribe has both worked for and fought against uranium mining. In 1979, Church Rock experienced the force of the "uranium monster" first-hand when a dam burst and sent 1,100 tons of radioactive mill waste and 90 million gallons of contaminated liquid into the Rio Puerco River.

The Diné Natural Resources Protection Act prohibits anyone from engaging in "uranium mining and processing on any sites within Navajo Indian Country."

The 2005 Nuclear-Free Future Awards ceremony is hosted this year by Norwegian Section of International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War. The honor has been given since 1998 to those working towards a nuclear-free world.

Other honorees include Matilde Halla, Austria, who will receive the 2005 Nuclear-Free Future Lifetime Achievement Award; Preben Maegaard, Denmark, who will receive the 2005 Nuclear Free Solutions Award; and Motarilavoa Hilda Lini, Vanuatu, South Pacific, who will receive the 2005 Nuclear-Free Fusion Resistance Award.

Lini and Maegaard will each receive $10,000 prize while Shirley and Halla will receive works of art.

Shirley will receive the 2005 Nuclear-Free Future Special Recognition Award on behalf of the council and Arthur.