Sacred Lands Project Collection
Collection
Identifier: MSS -617-BC
Scope and Content
This collection contains the research and oral histories generated by the Sacred Lands Project. The project culminated with Parlow's book, Cry Sacred Ground: Big Mountain U.S.A., which documents Navajo and Hopi resistance to the 1974 Relocation Act. The collection is divided into three overlapping series.
Series I contains background to the Sacred Lands Project, along with Parlow's correspondence and field research. Her research includes field notebooks, oral history interview audio tapes, transcripts, and a small amount of correspondence and miscellany. Interviews were conducted in Navajo, Hopi, and English. The Navajo and Hopi interviews were translated during each interview. Louise Benally translated the Navajo interviews; Thomas Banyacya translated the Hopi interviews. Transcripts are all in English. Although most interviews contain both audiotapes and transcripts, some consist only of the audiotape, and others only contain the transcript. Interviews were conducted with Navajo and Hopi tribal elders, Bureau of Indian Affairs officials, relocation commissioners, and attorneys. Noteworthy interviewees include Thomas Banyacya (Hopi Elder), David Monongye (Hopi traditional leader), Peter MacDonald (former Chairman of the Navajo Nation), Abbott Sekaquaptewa (former Hopi Tribal Chairman), Peterson Zah (Chairman of the Navajo Nation). An alphabetical listing of interviewees is found at the end of the inventory. Patron use copies of audio tapes, housed in boxes 3,4,and 5, are on audio cassettes. Original tapes are housed in B3.
Series II consists of court cases, legislation, legislative critiques, and congressional reports and resolutions relating to relocation and disputed lands. Landmark cases such as Hamilton v. MacDonald; Sekaquaptewa v. MacDonald; Sidney v. Zah are documented in this series.
Series III contains background research materials, such as reports, articles, publications, newspaper clippings, and correspondence. Ethnographic, economic, demographic, and political information about the Navajo and Hopi is contained in this section as is documentation regarding first amendment rights, energy, and natural resource development. Materials generated by and for the Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Commission is also found in this series. There are tape logs, but no audio tapes, for a few interviews that were done with relocatees and potential relocatees. These interviews took place prior to the Sacred Lands Project, and were not conducted by Anita Parlow.
Series I contains background to the Sacred Lands Project, along with Parlow's correspondence and field research. Her research includes field notebooks, oral history interview audio tapes, transcripts, and a small amount of correspondence and miscellany. Interviews were conducted in Navajo, Hopi, and English. The Navajo and Hopi interviews were translated during each interview. Louise Benally translated the Navajo interviews; Thomas Banyacya translated the Hopi interviews. Transcripts are all in English. Although most interviews contain both audiotapes and transcripts, some consist only of the audiotape, and others only contain the transcript. Interviews were conducted with Navajo and Hopi tribal elders, Bureau of Indian Affairs officials, relocation commissioners, and attorneys. Noteworthy interviewees include Thomas Banyacya (Hopi Elder), David Monongye (Hopi traditional leader), Peter MacDonald (former Chairman of the Navajo Nation), Abbott Sekaquaptewa (former Hopi Tribal Chairman), Peterson Zah (Chairman of the Navajo Nation). An alphabetical listing of interviewees is found at the end of the inventory. Patron use copies of audio tapes, housed in boxes 3,4,and 5, are on audio cassettes. Original tapes are housed in B3.
Series II consists of court cases, legislation, legislative critiques, and congressional reports and resolutions relating to relocation and disputed lands. Landmark cases such as Hamilton v. MacDonald; Sekaquaptewa v. MacDonald; Sidney v. Zah are documented in this series.
Series III contains background research materials, such as reports, articles, publications, newspaper clippings, and correspondence. Ethnographic, economic, demographic, and political information about the Navajo and Hopi is contained in this section as is documentation regarding first amendment rights, energy, and natural resource development. Materials generated by and for the Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Commission is also found in this series. There are tape logs, but no audio tapes, for a few interviews that were done with relocatees and potential relocatees. These interviews took place prior to the Sacred Lands Project, and were not conducted by Anita Parlow.
Dates
- 1894-1988 ( bulk 1984-1988)
Language of Materials
English, Navajo
Access Restrictions
The collection is open for research.
Copy Restrictions
Limited duplication of CSWR material is allowed for research purposes. User is responsible for compliance with all copyright, privacy, and libel laws. Permission is required for publication or distribution.
Project History
Navajo and Hopi have held equivocal rights to the same lands dating at least as far back as President Chester Arthur's executive order of 1882, which established the Hopi Indian Reservation. The executive order granted territory to the Hopis, but also permitted the settlement of other Indians on the lands. Navajo continued to move into the area. More than a century of controversy later, legislation and court cases have still not resolved the issue.
In 1962, the U.S. District Court for Arizona ruled that the land could be jointly used by the Navajo and Hopi, but that the court lacked jurisdiction to divide the land. The tribes could not reach agreement dividing the 1.8 million acres of disputed land, and joint use was not a viable solution. In 1973, the federal government took responsibility for resolving the dispute, since they had allowed the Navajo to settle there, and had granted them grazing permits to certain areas. In 1974, PL 93-531, known as the Navajo-Hopi Indian Land Settlement Act, or the Relocation Act was enacted. The legislation provided a six-month negotiation period for the two tribes to attempt to reach an agreement over division of the land. If no agreement was reached in that time, the court was authorized to partition the area based on a mediator's recommendation of what was "fair and equitable." The court accepted a mediator's partition line on February 10, 1977, requiring thousands of Navajos and nearly 100 Hopi to be evicted from their homelands.
The people affected by relocation wanted their story told. In the winter of 1984, Hopi Elder, Thomas Banyacya arranged for Anita Parlow to meet with Hopis and Navajos opposed to relocation. Banyacya had read Parlow's book, A Song for Sacred Mountain, an oral history of Sioux people and their link to Bear Butte, a sacred shrine on the periphery of the Balck Hills in South Dakota. He invited her to consider doing a similar project about the Navajo-Hopi land dispute. An agreement was formalized with the Christic Institute, a public interest law firm, to sponsor the project. The project became known as the Sacred Lands Project, and Parlow served as project director.
In 1985, Parlow began conducting interviews and collecting research materials for the project. She interviewed people on the Joint Use Area and the Hopi mesas for a total of eight months over two years. Most interviews were with Navajos, however, several Hopi leaders were also interviewed. The interviews revealed that resistance to relocation was based largely on religious beliefs linking traditional peoples with the land. Thus, the issue was shown to be one of human rights and human rights violations as well as title to lands. Parlow's work culminated in the book, Cry Sacred Ground: Big Mountain U.S.A.
Placeholder p text
In 1962, the U.S. District Court for Arizona ruled that the land could be jointly used by the Navajo and Hopi, but that the court lacked jurisdiction to divide the land. The tribes could not reach agreement dividing the 1.8 million acres of disputed land, and joint use was not a viable solution. In 1973, the federal government took responsibility for resolving the dispute, since they had allowed the Navajo to settle there, and had granted them grazing permits to certain areas. In 1974, PL 93-531, known as the Navajo-Hopi Indian Land Settlement Act, or the Relocation Act was enacted. The legislation provided a six-month negotiation period for the two tribes to attempt to reach an agreement over division of the land. If no agreement was reached in that time, the court was authorized to partition the area based on a mediator's recommendation of what was "fair and equitable." The court accepted a mediator's partition line on February 10, 1977, requiring thousands of Navajos and nearly 100 Hopi to be evicted from their homelands.
The people affected by relocation wanted their story told. In the winter of 1984, Hopi Elder, Thomas Banyacya arranged for Anita Parlow to meet with Hopis and Navajos opposed to relocation. Banyacya had read Parlow's book, A Song for Sacred Mountain, an oral history of Sioux people and their link to Bear Butte, a sacred shrine on the periphery of the Balck Hills in South Dakota. He invited her to consider doing a similar project about the Navajo-Hopi land dispute. An agreement was formalized with the Christic Institute, a public interest law firm, to sponsor the project. The project became known as the Sacred Lands Project, and Parlow served as project director.
In 1985, Parlow began conducting interviews and collecting research materials for the project. She interviewed people on the Joint Use Area and the Hopi mesas for a total of eight months over two years. Most interviews were with Navajos, however, several Hopi leaders were also interviewed. The interviews revealed that resistance to relocation was based largely on religious beliefs linking traditional peoples with the land. Thus, the issue was shown to be one of human rights and human rights violations as well as title to lands. Parlow's work culminated in the book, Cry Sacred Ground: Big Mountain U.S.A.
Placeholder p text
Extent
9 boxes (6.6 cu. ft. )
Separated Material
Original audiocassettes and reel to reels stored in B3.
Relevant Secondary Sources
- Parlow, Anita. Cry, Sacred Ground: Big MountainU.S.A.Washington D.C.: Christic Institute,1988.
- Clemmer, Richard O. Roads in the Sky: The Hopi Indiansin a Century of Change. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1995.
Alphabetical Listing of Interviewees
| TRANSCRIPT FOLDER # | CASSETTE # | INTERVIEWEE | REEL-TO-REEL TAPE # |
| 5 | 13-16 | Anderson, Larry | 15-18 |
| 27 | 87-88 | Arthur, Claudine Bates | 89-90 |
| 78 | 62-c | Ashikie, Bitsie | None |
| 33 | 1-c | Ashkie, Violet and Lou | None |
| None | 28-c | Atsisi, Phillip | None |
| 19 | 64-66 | Attakai, Roger | 66-68 |
| 50 | 25-c | Attakai, Miller | None |
| 34 | 2-c | Babbit, George | None |
| 35 | 3-c | Babbit Lane, Rena | None |
| 35 | 4-c | Babbit Lane, Rena | None |
| 8 | 21-22 | Bahi, Virginia | 23-24 |
| 36 | 5-c | Bahi, Emma and Tom | None |
| 37 | 6-c | Bahi, Guy | None |
| 37 | 6-c | Bahi Wing, Roy | None |
| None | 40-c | Bahii, Emma and Tom | None |
| 11 | 28-31 | Banyacya, Thomas | 30-33 |
| 38 | 7-c, 8-c | Barton, Archie | None |
| None | 30-c | Barton, Archie Teesto | None |
| 3 | 4-8 | Begay, Hasteen Nez and Mazzie | 6-10 |
| 35 | 4-c | Begay, Loudi | None |
| 35 | none | Begay, Leroy | None |
| 39 | 9-c, 10-c | Begay, Ella | None |
| None | 24-c | Begay, David | None |
| None | 65-c | Begay, Nez | None |
| 86 | None | Begay, Cecil | None |
| 40 | 11-c, 12-c | Benally, Alice | None |
| 41 | 13-c | Benally, Ruth | None |
| 42 | 14-c | Benally, Joe | None |
| None | 14-c | Benally, Bejii | None |
| 44 | 16-c | Biakeddy, Jane | None |
| 44 | 16-c, 17-c | Biakeddy, Slim | None |
| None | 59-c | Biakeddy, Jane | None |
| 45 | 18-c | Bibles, Dean | None |
| 26 | 84-86 | Bitsuie, Roman | 86-88 |
| 6 | 17-18 | Black Goat, Dan | 19-20 |
| 46 | 19-c | Blackgoat, Roberta | None |
| 85 | 69-c | Blatchford, Herb | None |
| 21 | 70-71 | Chase, Tommy | 72-73 |
| 47 | 20-c | Chase, Mike | None |
| 48 | 21-c | Chee, Dan | None |
| 38 | 8-c | Clark, David | None |
| 49 | 22-c, 23-c | Clark, David | None |
| 49 | 22-c, | Clark, Geraldine | None |
| None | 24-c | Clark, Geraldine | None |
| 2 | 3 | Clinton, Alvin | 4-5 |
| 29 | 93-95 | Clinton, Ida May | 95-97 |
| 50 | 25-c | Clinton, Ida May | None |
| 22 | 72-73 | Dayzie, Joe | 74-75 |
| 51 | 26-c | Denny, Jeanette | None |
| 52 | 27-c | Denny, Sam | None |
| 23 | 74-75 | Dentsosie, Lewis | 76-77 |
| 53 | 28-c, 29-c | Dinee, Nakaii | None |
| 4 | 9-12 | Francis, Rosie | 11-14 |
| 54 | 30-c | George, Della Mae Teesto | None |
| 31 | 99-100 | Goldtooth, Tommy | 101-102 |
| 55 | 31-c | Goldtooth, Mary | None |
| None | 17-c | Goy, Hasteen (Blessingway) Hardrock | None |
| 56 | 32-c | Goy, Fanny | None |
| 57 | 33-c | Goy, Austin | None |
| 1 | 1,2 | Gurwitz, Lew | 1-3 |
| 58 | 34-c | Henderson, James | None |
| 20 | 67-69 | Homes, Annie | 69-71 |
| 52 | 27-c | Hopkins, Lenore | None |
| 59 | 35-c | Hopkins, Lenore | None |
| None | 12-c | HorseHerder, Elvira | None |
| 60 | 36-c | HorseHerder, Elvira | None |
| None | 91-92 | Howesa, Patrick | 93-94 |
| 25 | 81-83 | Jenson, Kenneth and Shirley | 83-85 |
| 61 | 37-c | Kennedy, John | None |
| 57 | 33-c | Lansa, John | None |
| 43 | 15-c | Lewis, Helen Rose | None |
| None | 43-c | Lewis, Helen Rose | None |
| None | 76-77 | Loloma, Charles | 78-79 |
| 24 | 78-80 | Lomayaktewa, Starlie | 80-82 |
| 14 | 40-43 | MacDonald, Peter | 41-44 |
| 62 | 38-c | Many Mules, Thelma | None |
| 80 | 64-c | Many Goats, Bessie | None |
| None | 39-c | Mexican | None |
| 63 | 40-c, 41-c | Miles, Cecil | None |
| 63 | 40-c | Miles, Addison | None |
| 64 | 41-c, 43-c | Miles, Eleanor | None |
| 16 | 53-57 | Monongye, David | 54-59 |
| 7 | 19-20 | Monroe, Dolly | 21-22 |
| 18 | 61-63 | Morris, Richard | 63-65 |
| 28 | 89-90 | Nelson, Virgie | 91-92 |
| 65 | 42-c | Nez, Harry | None |
| 89 | None | Nez, Jessie | None |
| 91 | None | Nez, Roy | None |
| 13 | 35-39 | Osettek, Peter | 36-40 |
| 43 | 15-c, 43-c | Paddock, Jenny Betoney | None |
| None | 43-c | Paddock, Jenny Betoney (see also tape 15-c, folder 43) | None |
| None | 32-c | Pahi | None |
| 66 | 44-c | Pahi, Bessie | None |
| 17 | 58-60 | RedHorse, David | 60-62 |
| 88 | None | Rosalie, Geneva | None |
| 12 | 32-34 | Scott, Marlin | 34-35, 103 |
| 15 | 44-52 | Sekaquaptewa, Abbott | 45-53 |
| 90 | None | Sewemaenewa, Paul | None |
| 77 | 60-c, 61-c | Shay, Kee | None |
| 87 | None | Shay, Mae | None |
| 84 | 68-c | Shepherd, Bessie | None |
| 10 | 26-27 | Sidney, Ivan | 28-29 |
| 59 | 35-c | Smith, Katherine | None |
| None | 45-c, 46-c | Stevens, James | None |
| 67 | 47-c | Tahi, Bessie Hatille | None |
| 68 | 48-c | Tahi, Hastiin (Herman Smith) | None |
| 69 | 49-c | Tessler, Paul | None |
| None | 38-c | Tohani, Caroline | None |
| 70 | 50-c | Tohani, Caroline | None |
| 79 | 63-c | Tohani, George | None |
| 81 | 65-c | Translator notes (Betty Tso, Lenore Hopkins) | None |
| 9 | 23-25 | Tsosie, Sally | 25-27 |
| 30 | 96-98 | Tully, Anderson | 98-100 |
| 71 | 51-c, 52-c | Vlassis, George | None |
| 72 | 53-c | Watkins, Ralph | None |
| 74 | 55-c, 56-c | Wharton, Don | None |
| None | 29-c | Whitesinger, Pauline | None |
| 73 | 54-c | Whitesinger, Pauline | None |
| 82 | 66-c, 67-c | Williams, John Kee | None |
| 37 | 6-c | Wilson, Eva Lou | None |
| 75 | 57-c | Wilson, Harriet | None |
| 37 | 6-c | Yazzie, Geneva Rosalie | None |
| 39 | 10-c | Yazzie, Irene | None |
| 76 | 58-c, 59-c | Yazzie, Irene (see also tape 10-c, folder 39) | None |
| 83 | 67-c | Yazzie, Colleen | None |
| 32 | 101-102 | Zah, Peterson | 104-105 |
- Christic Institute
- Cry, Sacred Ground: Big Mountain U.S.A.
- Hopi Indians -- Land tenure
- Hopi Indians -- Legal status, laws, etc.
- Hopi Indians -- Religion
- Hopi Indians -- Relocation
- Indian land transfers -- Arizona
- MacDonald, Peter, 1928-
- Monongye, David
- Navajo Indians -- Land tenure
- Navajo Indians -- Legal status, laws, etc.
- Navajo Indians -- Religion
- Navajo Indians -- Relocation
- Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Commission
- Oral histories
- Parlow, Anita, 1945-
- Sacred Lands Project of the Christic Institute
- Sekaquaptewa, Abbott
- Zah, Peterson
- Title
- Finding Aid of the Sacred Lands Project Collection, 1894-1988 ( bulk 1984-1988)
- Status
- Approved
- Author
- Processed by BB and PBK
- Date
- ©2000
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is in English
Revision Statements
- June 28, 2004: PUBLIC "-//University of New Mexico::Center for Southwest Research//TEXT (US::NmU::MSS 617 BC::Sacred Lands Project Collection)//EN" "nmu1mss617bc.sgml" converted from EAD 1.0 to 2002 by v1to02.xsl (sy2003-10-15).
- Monday, 20210524: Attribute normal is missing or blank.
Repository Details
Part of the UNM Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections Repository
Contact:
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451
University of New Mexico Center for Southwest Research & Special Collections
University Libraries, MSC05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque NM 87131
505-277-6451