Teen dies from sniffing gas
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
CHINLE — A 15-year-old Chinle boy died this week from sniffing
gasoline fumes.
Funeral services were held Friday for Kevin Bahe, 15, who lived about
seven miles north of the Chinle shopping center and one-quarter of
a mile west of the old Valley Store on U.S. 191.
Bahe, a 16-year-old brother and a juvenile boy related by clan (no
age was available from police) went less than 50 yards behind the
home about 10 p.m. Sunday. The surviving boys told the Navajo Department
of Criminal Investigations they had been sniffing a mixture of gasoline
mixed with oil for a chain saw for only a short time when Bahe collapsed.
Private individuals took the fallen youth to the emergency room of
the Indian Health Service hospital, less than 10 miles to the south
in Chinle, where the attending physician pronounced him dead at 11:11
p.m. The hospital notified the Navajo Department of Law Enforcement,
and the case was turned over to detectives.
"We emphasize to teens all the time about how dangerous this
stuff is," commented Investigator Edward P. Thompson. "It
was a senseless, unfortunate death," he said.
Alleged bootlegging
CHINLE — The local Navajo Department of Law Enforcement district's
antibootlegging team, aided by a drug-sniffing police dog, has rounded
up 13 people in three subdivisions.
District officers were scouting out illegal liquor sales to document
cases in the Valley Bridge, Redwood and Riverside subdivisions when
a load of alcohol arrived, police sources said.
Seized as evidence March 10, according to the district report, were
more than eight cases (194 cans) of 12-oz. cans of beer, seven 40-ounce
bottles of malt liquor and a couple of bags of marijuana.
Police arrested two 15-year-old boys, who both live one-half mile
west of mile post 451.8 in Chinle, on charges of possession of alcohol,
with one also charged with public intoxication and the other charged
with possession of marijuana.
The following adults also were arrested, according to the report:
Erwin Whitesinger, 32, who lives about three miles north of the Chinle
shopping center, on charges of delivery of alcohol, aggravated battery
on a police officer, three counts of resisting arrest, obstructing
an officer in the performance of duty, threatening a police officer
and possession of alcohol.
Diana Thomas, 19, of Mutual Help Housing, on charges of delivery of
alcohol, possession of alcohol and possession of marijuana.
Darrell Davis, 28, of Valley Bridge, on charges of delivery of marijuana
and resisting arrest.
Albert Begay, 21, of Valley Bridge, on charges of public intoxication
and possession of alcohol.
Adrian Heyde, 19, who lives about one-half mile west of mile post
451.8, on charges of resisting arrest and public intoxication.
Marlin Begay, 18, of Redwood, on charges of possession of alcohol
and public intoxication.
Eric Shebala, 28, of Gorman Mobile Home Park, on charges of resisting
arrest and accomplice to the delivery of alcohol.
Ronald Draper, 31, of Sunnyside on a charge of accomplice to the delivery
of alcohol.
Edgar Begay, 29, of Mutual Help Housing on a charge of accomplice
to the delivery of alcohol.
Delores Yazzie, 35, of Mutual Help Housing, on a charge of accomplice
to the delivery of alcohol.
Sharon Thompson, 29, of Mutual Help Housing, on a charge of public
intoxication.
Ax attack
CHINLE — Murphy Jones, 25, of Chinle was arrested March 8 on
a charge of aggravated assault when he allegedly cut Jefferson Norcross,
22, in the face with an ax, according to the district police report.
The two men were drinking, according to the police report, and became
involved in a argument, about one-half mile south of the old Mormon
church on BIA Route 27. The victim was taken to the IHS hospital in
Chinle.
Police found Jones sitting outside the nearby home of Laffie Lewis
and peacefully arrested him.
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New chief of staff fits right in
Nancy Watson
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Although her heritage is mixed, Sharon Noel says
she has never felt anything less than Navajo.
"I'm Navajo," she said, "and I've always felt Navajo."
Noel was recently named the chief of staff for Navajo Nation President
Kelsey Begaye.
As a child growing up on the Flathead Reservation in Montana and spending
vacations with her cousins in Shiprock, she was never confronted with
the fact she was Navajo on her mother's side and Flathead on her father's.
That changed when she was in school, particularly in college. And
people today still ask her whether she is Asian, Hispanic or Hawaiian.
"You're never quite accepted anywhere. You're half of this, you're
half of that. You're not Navajo enough," she said. "It is
like you're walking on a fence, and it is disturbing to walk on that
fence."
The confrontations were so painful for Noel that, at one point, she
said to her mother, "Why did this happen? People are pulling
me in half."
Her mother told her she had consulted a Navajo medicine man, Garnenez
Bidtah, for permission to marry Jerry Noel. Bidtah gave her his blessing,
and she and Noel have been married for 38 years.
Her mother was raised in Shiprock. Her father is a member of the Confederated
Salish Kooteny Tribes of Flathead Indians in Montana.
Noel's parents met during the early 1960s at the Oakland Indian Friendship
House in Oakland, Calif. They had left their tribes to seek their
fortunes as participants in a federal relocation program.
In an effort to solve the so-called "Indian problem," the
federal government passed the Indian Relocation Act in 1950. The law
encouraged Native Americans to leave their reservations for cities.
They were given small stipends to live on while they received job
training. That program was eventually discontinued.
Noel, who has worked hard to get a seat beside Begaye, credits every
job she's held with giving her some of the skills she now needs.
Although she was called crazy for trying it, she struggled through
law school with two small children.
While she was a student of the Indian Law Program at
the University of Montana Law School in the early 1990s, she decided
to work for the Navajo Nation. The practice-oriented law program allowed
her to work for the DNA-People's Legal Services in Shiprock.
"I knew then that this was where I wanted to live," she
said.
Herb Yazzie who was the tribe's attorney general hired her after she
graduated to work for the Navajo Department of Justice.
She took on the Navajo Hopi Land Dispute in spite of warnings from
colleagues that it was a difficult and frustrating issue and would
consume her. She also worked on issues dealing with rights of Native
American prisoners and on education issues.
Her ability to think analytically and her legal knowledge are some
of the assets she brings to her current position.
"I think I have the ability to understand the complexities of
tribal government" she said.
Begaye and Vice President Taylor McKenzie must agree with her. They
appointed Noel to be the president's legal council when they took
office last year.
She was appointed as chief of staff last week after the resignation
of Larry Foster. Although she is presently working 12 hours a day
to get the office reorganized, she said she expects things to settle
down within the next month.
She chose Richard K. Begaye as deputy chief of staff he is as committed
to working with the people as she is, she said, and they make a good
team.
Richard Begaye will oversee the work of other assistants in the president's
office, leaving Noel time to coordinate work of the various divisions.
"We balance each other. He's older, male, knows Navajo fluently
and has more experience with the tribe," she said. "I'm
younger, female, mixed, diversified and have legal expertise."
Before any more tribal work can consume her, she will spend a week
with her two sons enjoying their spring break. The boys, Cameron and
Quinton, live with their father in Oregon.
They've requested time with their cousins in Shiprock and some time
in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Noel speaks frequently of her sons.
Of all the struggles she has endured, including attending law school
with two small children, learning difficult legal cases, arguing a
case in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, nothing has been as difficult
for her as the decision to let her two sons live with their father.
Her 12 year old was at an age when he needed a male role model and
the two boys are inseparable.
"I know I'm lucky. I had two parents. Not many people have had
that strong foundation," she said, "I worried about my kids,
I wondered if I'd cracked that foundation."
The decision was painful. She didn't make peace with it until she
visited them and saw they were happy and adjusted. They spend summers
and vacations with her.
Next week, they will see the Coca-Cola factory, the M&M factory
and the Rainforest Cafe at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Then they'll
visit their cousins in Shiprock on the Navajo Reservation.
The boys face some of the same issues their mother withstood their
father is non-Indian. The youngest, a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy,
announced with a sigh one day that no one at school believed he was
Navajo.
"Then take me for show-and-tell," said his Navajo grandmother.
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Navajo leaders vow: Everyone will be
counted
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — A decade of frustration will end Monday when a
couple of years of preparation culminates in the start of the 2000
U.S. census on the Navajo reservation.
To mark the launching of the most intensive head count in the history
of the Diné, Navajo Nation President Kelsey Begaye and others
will sign a proclamation at 10 a.m. Monday at the Window Rock office,
located on Arizona Route 264 at the Navajo Nation Fairgrounds next
to the Bashas' Diné Market. The public is invited.
"We hope the signing of the proclamation will alert all Navajo
citizens to the importance of the Census 2000 count," Begaye
said. "It is vitally important that the Navajo people cooperate
and make themselves available to the census workers. This is the first
time in the history of the census that the Navajo Nation is taking
responsibility to make sure that all the Navajo people are counted."
A local U.S. Census Bureau official explained that people living on
private land within the exterior boundaries of the Navajo Nation's
Indian country including Gallup will be counted by different census
offices.
While the census questionnaire will be mailed in cities, according
to Leila Help-Tulley, tribal government partnership specialist, homes
on the Navajo reservation will be visited four times, if needed, to
obtain the complete count.
In the Hopi-Partitioned Land, the Navajo Nation and Census Bureau
have teamed up with the Hopi Tribe in a coordinated effort to count
everyone. And the Jeddito Chapter, a Navajo Reservation island surrounded
by the Hopi Reservation, will be part of the Navajo office counting.
In the sparsely populated areas, such as the Eastern Agency and checkerboard
areas of New Mexico, the form will be left at the home, and field
enumerators will assist as needed, she added.
On "Big Navajo," as the reservation is sometimes called,
along with the three separate Navajo islands of Ramah, Alamo and Tohajiileeh
(Caoncito), the federal enumerators will make up to four visits to
obtain the information that workers cannot, by law, reveal to anyone,
Help-Tulley said.
Navajo Nation President Kelsey Begaye recently estimated approximately
175,000 of the estimated 250,000 Diné live on the reservation
New Population figures will be released by April 1, 2001, Although
the official census date is this coming April 1, the counting will
be conducted from March 20 to May 30, with final follow-ups from June
12 to July 7.
The 1990 census counted 157,716 residents on the reservation, but
federal officials estimated they missed one in every eight people.
Since each person is worth about $165 in additional federal aid, Navajo
leaders vowed it wouldn't happen again. The Navajo Nation has poured
more than $100,000 in two years into its effort to ensure a full and
accurate count.
Navajo leaders signed a contract for the first time with the Census
Bureau to work with chapter officials to map out and identify every
single home in all 110 chapters. As a result, the Navajo Nation will
obtain population counts by chapter.
Across the United States, approximately five of every six homes will
receive the short form, which will ask only name, gender, age, race
individual tribes can be listed, relationship, whether the home is
owned or rented and other housing questions.
Residents of the sixth home will be asked to fill out the long form
27 questions.
The original purpose of the census was established in the U.S. Constitution
to divide up the House of Representatives on an equal basis, each
to represent approximately the same number of people.
In 1990, each of Arizona's six Congressmen represented more than 600,000
people. Since the state's 3.7 million population has grown to about
5 million, eight members each would represent about 625,000 people.
With the growth of the state, the Navajo Nation expects to be able
to pick up one of the state's projected two new seats.
New Mexico's population in 1990 was about 1.5 million,
which gave it three representatives in the U.S. House. Utah's population
a decade ago was about 1.7 million, and it had three U.S. representatives.
In 1990, just under six of 10 reservation residents lived on the Arizona
portion 98,168, while just under four in 10 lived on the New Mexico
portion 64,934. The rest 5,894 lived in the Utah portion.
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Artifacts returned to tribes may pose
health risks
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Some artifacts being returned to American
Indian tribes may actually present a health risk because of treatments
meant to preserve them, museum and tribal officials say.
Pesticides and other poisons, including arsenic, have been used on
artifacts to preserve them and keep insects away.
The thinking was that the objects would be displayed behind glass.
But after the federal 1990 Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation
Act, cultural items began to be returned to their tribes, often to
be included in ceremonies and handled, or kept in people's homes...
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Trujillo, Athens get into spat at Red
Rock State Park
Bill Donovan
Staff Writer
GALLUP — After working at Red Rock State Park for more than 20
years, Sammy Trujillo did something Friday he had never done before
he called the police on his supervisor.
His decision came after he found the curtains to his office door had
been ripped off and some of the furniture overturned.
"I didn't see it happen, but there was an eyewitness who said
that (Joe) Athens did it," Trujillo said...
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State crime lab causes problems in cop
killing case
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
GRANTS — It was supposed to be an ordinary pretrial hearing Friday
in an unordinary cop-killing case, but it put the state crime lab
on trial instead.
Because of insufficient evidence processed from a car full of evidence
in the murder of Sierra County Deputy Kelly Clark, the April 3 death-penalty
trail has been moved to Aug. 14.
An emotional defense attorney Gary Mitchell, told the court that evidence
from the state crime lab is critical to Michael Archuleta's defense.
Without a complete examination of the evidence, he said, Archuleta
would not get a fair trial...
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Navajo-owned banks would help relieve
housing shortage
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Establishing a Navajo Nation-owned bank would aid
the fight to obtain affordable housing on the reservation, according
to the only Indian member of Arizona's Housing Commission.
A new Arizona study has revealed Indian families believe banks still
don't know how to make mortgage loans on reservations, the biggest
obstacle to Indians owning their homes.
How to establish a bank that could make those loans will be one of
the key topics Tuesday and Wednesday, when experts from all over the
United States come here for the Navajo Nation Banking Summit, sponsored
by the Division of Economic Development...
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Tribes might consider changes to compacts
SANTA FE (AP) — Indian tribes are willing to consider
changes to their most recent offer for a new gambling agreement, Gov.
Gary Johnson's office has announced.
Johnson's office received a letter Friday from the tribes
requesting to meet with David McCumber, the governor's lawyer and
negotiator, no later than Wednesday.
McCumber was trying to reach tribal representatives
to set up a meeting, according to Johnson's spokeswoman, Diane Kinderwater...
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Deaths
Justina J. Chavez
PHOENIX — Services for Justina J. Chavez, 60, will be held at
1 p.m., Tuesday, March 21 at the Rollie Mortuary Palm Chapel. Pastor
Dennis Gallegos will officiate. Burial will follow at the Hillcrest
Cemetery.
Chavez died March 14 in Phoenix, Ariz. He was born Feb. 15, 1940 in
Los Padiloas.
Survivors include his father, Jose Chavez of Gallup; son, Freddie
Chavez of Phoenix, Ariz. and Serafin Chavez Jr. of Phoenix,urned to
their tribes, often to be included in ceremonies and handled, or kept
in people's homes.
Cultural leaders from 16 of Arizona's 21 tribes and curators and conservators
from leading museums are discussing how Indian tribes can deal with
the problem at a three-day conference at the Arizona State Museum.
Alyce Sadongei, the museum's American Indian programs coordinator,
said museums' goals for the objects are different from the tribes'.
Important cultural objects werndrew Escamilla and Larry Tso.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Jenny P. Rollie
GALLUP — Services for Jenny P. Rollie, 76, will be held at 10
a.m., Monday, March 20 at the Sacred Heart Cathedral. Father Jim Walker
will officiate. Burial will follow at the Sunset Memorial Park.
Vistiation will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., today, March 18 at
Rollie Mortuary. Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m., Sunday, March 19
at Rollie Mortuary Palm Chapel.
Rollie died March 16 in Show Low, Ariz. She was born Dec. 16, 1923
in Gallup.
Rollie was a member of the Sacred Heart Cathedral. She was active
and served in various positions with Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital
Auxiliary and the United Blood Services Blood Bank.
Survivors include her husband, Edward Rollie of Gallup; daughter,
Terrie Bortot of Show Low, Ariz.; and two grandsons.
Rollie was preceded in death by her son, Michael E. Rollie Sr.; parents,
Joseph Plese and Anna Plese; and a grandson, Michael E. Rollie Jr.
Pallbearers will be Tommy Dresser, William Head, Lidio Rainaldi Sr.,
Tim Smith, Don Sparks and Don Sparks Jr.
Donations can be made the the RMCH Auxiliary, 1900 Red Rock Dr., Gallup,
New Mexico 87305.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Alice Navajo
WIDE RUINS, Ariz. — Services for Alice Navajo, 104 , will be
held at 10 a.m., March 20 at the Mennonite Church in Klagetoh, Ariz.
Burial will follow at the Wide Ruins Community Cemetery.
Navajo died March 16 in Gallup. She was born July 1896 in Wide Ruins,
Ariz. into the Salt People Clan for the Black Streaked Wood People
Clan.
Navajo was a homemaker, rug weaver and lived a traditional life.
Survivors include her sons, Louis Navajo, Calvin Navajo and Gilbert
Yazzie; and daughter, Agnes Yazzie.
Navajo was preceded in death by her brother, John Wilson.
Pallbearers will be Dale Gino Longhair, Marshall Silver, Avery J.
Whitney, Nathaniel Whitney, Myron Yazzie and Trevor Yazzie.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Ray Nelson Hobb
NAVAJO, N.M. — Services for Ray Nelson Hobb, 36, will be held
at 11 a.m., Monday, March 20 at Mary, Mother of Mankind Catholic Church.
Father Meldon Hickey, O.F.M. will officiate. Burial will follow at
the St. Michaels Community Cemetery.
Hobb died March 13 in Gallup. He was born Dec. 18, 1964 in Lukachukai,
Ariz. into the Near the Water People Clan for the Bitter Water People
Clan.
Hobb attended Many Farms High school; employed for 10 years at N.F.I.;
seven years with Primestar; and one year with NAPI. He was a mechanic.
His hobbies included fishing, riding horses, and was active in family
activities.
Survivors include his sons, Ray Nelson Hobb Jr. of Navajo, N.M.; daughters,
Sharona Hobb, Latoya Hobb, Rhotasha Hobb, Raynelda Hobb and Rayvonda
Hobb, all of Navajo, N.M.; parents, Nelson Hobb and Rose Hobb, both
of Wheatfields, Ariz.; brothers, Anslem Hobb, Raymond Hobb and LeRoy
Hobb, all of Wheatfields, Ariz.; and sisters, Roselyn Benally, Ida
Hobb and Zeita Begay, all of Wheatfields, Ariz.
Hobb was preceded in death by his wife, Christine Scott Hobb; daughter,
Shasauntyra Hobb; grandparents, Blackmountains Daugh and Nakai Benally.
Pallbearers will be Keith Chee, Ambrose Chee, Emerson Chee, Raymond
Hobb, James Freeland and David Benally.
The family will receive friends and family after the burial services
at the Recreation Center in Navajo, N.M.
Tse Bonito Mortuary is in charge of arrangements.
Jimmy Mariano
SMITH LAKE — Services for Jimmy Mariano, 67, will be announced
at a later date.
Marinao died March 16 at the Gallup Indian Medical Center in Gallup.
He was born April 14, 1932 in Rehoboth.
A family meeting will be held at 6 p.m., Sunday, March 19 at the Thoreau
Chapter House.
Cope Memorial Chapel is in charge of arrangements.
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