Hopi traditionalism on endangered list

By Kathy Helms
Staff Writer

KYKOTSMOVI — There is a major effort under way within the Hopi Tribe to do away with traditionalism, according to Wilmer R. Kavena, spokesperson for the sovereign leaders of First Mesa.

The current turmoil surrounding the tribe's inability to seat a chairman was created because the Hopi Tribal Council has stopped listening to the traditional leaders, they say.

In nullifying the election of Chairman Ben Nuvamsa, Kavena said, "This council violated the constitutional rights of the general public, the Hopi Tribe.

"The Hopi Tribe is a constituency of this tribal government. And the tribal government is supposed to be civil servants, serving the Hopi people. They do not take command themselves, which they're doing today," he said.

Kuvena, who served in the U.S. Navy and is a retired engineer in addition to being spokesperson for the sovereign leaders of First Mesa, added that council is "not making comments or not asking any traditional group how to get involved in governmental processes. And that's where we're at right now that's how come they kicked this guy out after he was sworn in, and that's a violation of our constitutional rights.

"Because 'we the people' are made of the government, for the government and by the government; meaning, of the people, for the people, and by government by the people. That's my understanding of constitutional law.

"They violated that by trying to be dictatorial, and that I have no sympathy for whatsoever because I used to be on council, too, and I got removed by the council themselves," Kavena said.

"The chief of the sovereign Village of Walpi installed us, and the tribal council removed us, because we were in tune with traditionalism and they didn't want that. Today, that's the main effort, is to do away with traditionalism. 'Let's try a new life.' And it's not going to work."

Kuvena said an Arizona Republic reporter once came out to Hopi to interview him. "I said, 'Our children, and our future children are between the devil and the deep blue sea because they don't know which way to go. They have forgotten most of their original ways, and that's a sad situation,' I said, 'I feel sorry for us.' "

According to Kuvena, the Hopis chose a life of hardship, and gradually getting to association with the rest of society, which is what they are doing now.

He said the Hopi were told, " 'Take your time.' Everything, as far as the Hopi is concerned, is 'Take your time.' And eventually you will learn the expertise that you lost when you migrated here, and then you will start evaluating what the riches are that you're sitting upon.

"We're sitting on the richest real estate in this world. And the Anglo and all the rest of the identities are trying to take it away from us. And the federal government is in cahoots with them," Kuvena said.

"The federal government says that they are sovereign. They are not sovereign. The Hopi is sovereign, because our jurisdiction and our establishments in the fields of expertise come from higher above. It's not God either. We don't call Him God.

"That's where we got our sovereignty. And there are a few of us left that came off from sovereignty. There's very few," he said.

Both ousted tribal chairmen, Ivan Sidney and Ben Nuvamsa, have told the Independent they believe their removal is somehow linked to their stance on preserving Hopi water and coal.

Though on opposite sides of the fence when it comes to interpretation of the Hopi Constitution's election requirements, both agree that Peabody Western Coal Co. should seek an alternative means of transporting the coal it mines at Black Mesa, such as rail, rather than transporting it by using precious water from the N and C aquifers.

The Navajo Nation, on the other hand, has favored development of a C-Aquifer pipeline, which is in line with Peabody's way of thinking. In the Black Mesa Environmental Impact Statement, rail transport was basically dismissed as an alternative because it was viewed as too expensive.