PLEASE POST TO BIGMTLIST; General Consul Christopher F. Lynch's
letter
in response follows.
(translated from the German by Alan Frankel)
FIAN (International Human Rights Organization [Working] for
the Right
to
Feed Oneself)
>Fian Group, Hamburg, Prof. Harald Ihmig, Beim Rauhen Hause 30, 22111
>Hamburg, Tel. 651-8393
Hamburg, 9 September 1999
>
>General Consul Christopher S. Lynch
>Alsterufer 27-28
>20354 Hamburg
>
>Dear General Consul Lynch:
>
>For years, we have been observing with alarm the abuses to which the
>Dineh/Navajo are subjected in a country that considers
itself a
leader
>in human rights.
>
>What has been defined as "relocation" in order to settle a land
>dispute between two Native American tribes has proven to
be
evacuation
>of a region of economic interest. Both Dineh and Hopi elders have
>opposed the division of land and the policy of exploitation
of
resources
>that are leading to the destruction of their cultural and religious
>identity. People to whom the ancestral land surrounding
Big Mountain
is
>holy are being uprooted or gradually driven below subsistence level.
>Their resistance is to be crushed by continuing reprisals:
ruling
their
>presence illegal, banning construction and repair work, confiscating
livestock, blocking access to pastureland and springs, and
subjecting
them
>to capricious acts and fraud by rangers and BIA agents. The fact that
>the tribal councils, who profit economically from the arrangement,
>approved the division of the land and the expulsion of
the Dineh who
did
>not agree to a limited lease under foreign jurisdiction,
does not
change
>the fact that they did so over the heads of the people affected.
>
>The offenses against fundamental human rights, documented in detail,
>led to an on-site investigation by the UN special correspondent for
>religious intolerance in February 1998, and his subsequent
report to
the
>55th session of the human rights committee in April 1999.
However,
the
>"Final Solution" of the Dineh problem, the forced deportation of the
>inhabitants still remaining in the artificially created
Hopi
Partitioned
>Land, is still scheduled for 1 February 2000.
>
>We are working to prevent the people remaining on their
ancestral
land,
>many of whom we know, from being subjected to this act
of violence,
and
>to keep the USA from beginning the next millennium with
such a
scandal.
>
>FIAN International, a worldwide organization for the right
of people
to
>feed themselves, has adopted the case of the Dineh. Our Hamburg FIAN
>group is responsible for this case. We ask you to transmit to your
>government our protest against the past and imminent abuses
against
the
>Dineh and against the offenses against their right to live. We are
>interested in holding a discussion with you and would appreciate an
>appointment in October.
>
>Sincerely,
>
>Prof. H. Ihmig
_______________________________________________________
HERE IS THE TEXT OF THE LETTER PROF. IHMIG RECEIVED IN RESPONSE
(it's
also available as a .tif file, attached)
CONSULATE GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA / HAMBURG
September 22, 1999
Prof. Harald Ihmig
FIAN-Gruppe Hamburg
Beim Rauhen Hause 30
22111 Hamburg
Dear Prof. Ihmig:
Thank you for your letter of 9 September in which you expressed
your
concern about the Dineh Navajo Native Americans in Arizona. I
am sorry
to take so long to respond to your letter, but I wanted to read
the UN
Report you mentioned and to research this issue before writing
back to
you.
The U.S. record in dealing with its Native American population
has not
been a good one overall. In recent years, however, the American
people
have become more sensitized to this issue and the last few
administrations have made considerable progress in correcting
many of
the past injustices. Under the Clinton administration, in particular,
a
much greater sensitivity to Native American issues has been shown
and a
number of steps have been taken to secure thie rights, respect
their
traditions and cultures, and to improve their economic situation.
With respect to this issue, however, the situation is rather
complicated and does not permit an easy answer. As you are well
aware,
the dispute between the Dineh Navajos and the Hopis grew out of
conflicting claims over the same territory. Both tribal groups
have
legitimate claims that are unfortunately in conflict, as well
as
economic interests (namely mining) that have a direct bearing
on the
economic well-being of the Indian tribes. It fell to the federal
government to reach some compromise that would take into account
the
various interests involved and would best serve the cause of justice
while respecting the cultural and religious traditions of both
groups
as much as possible. As one might expect, such a situation cannot
be
resolved to the satisfaction of everyone and even the best solution
will leave at least one party unsatisfied.
Paragraph 67 of the UN Report contains a statement from the
Department
of State which bears repeating here. The U.S. Government is painfully
aware of the abuses that Native Americans have suffered historically
and recent years have seen considerable progress in rectifying
many of
those mistakes. However, this is a long-term process and these
mistakes
cannot be corrected at once. What is significant is the change
in
attitudes that has taken place and the fact that we are now addressing
these issues and working closely with Native American populations
to
deal with their problems in a fair and equitable manner. The Clinton
Administration has been especially forthcoming in this respect
and,
while much work remains to be done, there is a clear desire to
continue
building on the progress that has been made.
The U.N. report (paragraph 68) also has a statement from the
Department
of Justice which explains their position on this issue. I cannot
add
anything to these two statements. There are several web sites
on the
Internet you can turn to for further study on both sides of this
issue
and I am including some of that information for your benefit.
I
especially recommend the article from the Christian Science
Monitor * as it gives a very good overview of the issue,
whereas the other materials all advocate a position in the debate.
I hope this reply will be of some help to you in examining
this
sensitive and important issue. We appreciate the interest of the
FIAN-Gruppe in this dispute and understand very well your concern
for
the rights of Native Americans and the preservation of their cultural
and religious traditions. Many Americans, both inside and outside
the
federal government, share your concerns and are working very hard
to
reach a just and equitable resolution to this issue. I am confident
that a means will be found to address the many concerns in this
dispute
in a fair manner.
Thank you again for your interest.
Sincerely,
(signed)
Christopher F. Lynch
Consul General
___________
*I believe he's referring to the article of January 26, 1999,
by Daniel
B. Wood, with photographs by Robert Harbison.