Navajos oppose Mayes' release
Victim's family in Santa Fe
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — The family of the late Ella Johnson planned to
meet this morning in Santa Fe with state parole officials armed with
the full support of the Navajo Nation government to oppose the early
release of Thomas Mayes Sr.
Voting 72-0 Thursday, the Navajo Nation Council ordered all three
branches of the tribal government to oppose the release of Mayes,
whose initial parole request will be heard by the New Mexico Adult
Parole Board Monday at the minimum security prison in Santa Fe, where
the former Gallup police officer has served his time.
The family was scheduled to present the victim's side of the case
at 11 a.m. today.
Mayes gunned down Johnson, his Navajo common law wife, in front of
her two daughters, and also twice wounded Ocelia Slinkey, who had
accompanied her on June 14, 1991.
Mayes was in uniform and on duty at the time and used his service
revolver. He also had a history of domestic violence against Johnson.
A jury in neighboring San Juan County convicted him of manslaughter
and several lesser charges. The judge sentenced him to 16 years. Under
state law, which has since been stiffened, Mayes became eligible for
parole after serving half his sentence.
To support the family, the Ella Johnson Victims Advocacy Coalition,
in less than 10 days, collected an estimated 3,000 signatures asking
the board to make Mayes serve the full 16-year sentence.
McKinley County District Attorney Mary Helen Baber said her information
indicates the board has already agreed to the parole that will allow
Mayes to get out of prison July 5 and live with his mother in Gallup.
The council's resolution said it "strongly believes that the
early release of Mayes will send out the wrong message ... that domestic
violence is acceptable even when it results in death."
Part of the council's
opposition is "due to the brutality of the crime that he committed
and the severity of its impact on the children and family of the victims,"
the resolution says.
The council also "shares the concern of the family of Ella Johnson
and strongly believes that the early release of Mayes is not in the
best interest of the local community, particularly the surviving victims."
Johnson's oldest child, Valara James, was in the car with her sister
when her mother was shot. Now a college student, she gave an emotional
appeal to the council, similar to her talk more than a week earlier
at a press conference in Window Rock.
"It's unfair my mom suffered so many years and Gallup (police)
did nothing about it," she said. "I made numerous calls
to 911, and they never suspended him or had him take counseling. They
didn't have a policy against domestic violence, yet they would go
out and arrest men and women who committed domestic violence.
"This man has mentally scarred me for life. He not only took
my mom, but my best friend. I live in fear of this man I watched murder
my mom. I live in fear of my life and fear I might run into the murderer
of my mom" if Mayes is released to live in Gallup.
The young woman said she has undergone both traditional Navajo healing
and Western counseling. "But it gets worse every day. I count
down the days to July 5," she said. "I fear my two (younger)
brothers he fathered will be taken away. My brothers and sisters are
my support system. We are the last my mom has left."
Eloise Johnson, Ella Johnson's sister, said 16 years wasn't enough
punishment.
"It's been an uphill battle for us as a family. We knew the justice
system was not on our side from the beginning," she said. "We
were just barely healing" when the bombshell letter arrived on
April 8.
Because of her sister's death, Eloise Johnson spearheaded a successful
campaign several years ago to improve New Mexico's domestic violence
laws.
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Driver in fatal accident at-large
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Navajo police are asking for the public's help
in locating a truck believed to have hit and killed an elderly man
near Pinon Saturday.
"We have no leads and have been searching under every bush for
the vehicle," lead detective Pat Thompson said. "If anyone
has any idea about the location, please call us and tell us where
to find the vehicle. You don't even have to give your name."
The detective said the point of impact was 14.5 to 31 inches above
Joe Guy's heel, "So we are looking for a pickup truck for sure."
Anyone who knows the location of a white primer or gray Ford pickup
truck with damage to the right front and a broken bug screen should
contact the Navajo Department of Criminal Investigations in Chinle
at (520) 674-2000 or the Navajo Department of Law Enforcement in Chinle
at (520) 674-2111.
Local residents knew Guy, 73, as a man who frequently walked alongside
area roads. He did not use alcohol because of a head injury suffered
several years ago, the detective said.
Guy was so prone to walking that officers often would pick him up
and return him home only to find him walking back to the road they
had just traveled, Thompson said.
About 8:30 p.m., someone hit him about a half mile east of the junction
of BIA Routes 4 and 41. A security guard found him face down with
massive head injuries. He lived about 2.5 miles east of the Pinon
Trading Post.
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Zunis stress native tongue
S.J. Ludescher
Staff Writer
ZUNI — Bells rang in the halls of Zuni High School Thursday.
But they weren't announcing the end of classes. The tinkling bells
were tied around the knees and ankles of students dressed in native
costumes, who were preparing to compete in a social dance celebrating
the school's Fourth Annual Native American Day.
The event highlighted a week-long concentration on Native American
culture with storytelling, traditional food for lunch, music and language
lessons.
The first Native American Day began four years ago as an extension
of the bilingual language program. Teachers searched for a way to
interest students in learning the traditional ways and language of
their ancestors. It worked. The events have flourished and the bilingual
program is growing.
Students also design and sell T-shirts commemorating the event. Proceeds
from the sale are used to help finance materials for the bilingual
language program and senior citizen meals.
Teachers had been concerned about the future of the Zuni language
for quite some time. After a survey, school district officials learned
that nearly 900 Zuni youngsters about half the school district enrollment
aren't fluent in their own language and also lack proficiency in English.
In Zuni homes, most parents speak Zuni as their primary language,
Zuni Bilingual Education Director Wilfred Eriacho said during an interview.
He emphasized that Zuni language is predominantly an oral tradition,
with only an estimated 5 percent of the population able to read and
write the language. "When kids come in to school, they can speak
some Zuni," he said, "but not as much as 10 years ago."
Even though parents may have English reading and writing skills, some
of the students show up at school without a proficiency in either
language, and about 85 percent of all Zuni students start school with
a limited ability in English, Eriacho said. "Kids understand
at a superficial level but don't have enough skills to further learning."
Rayelle Lowsayatee, a first-grade teacher at A'Shiwi Elementary School,
said most of the students who speak and understand a lot of Zuni have
lived with grandparents or older relatives. She said the decline in
the number of fluent students seemed to parallel the decline in the
number of families living in multigenerational or extended families.
"We don't see a lot of young parents speaking or teaching their
children Zuni," she said. "It comes from the elders."
About 90 percent of the 10,000 Zunis in the pueblo speak their native
language.
The language deficiencies for Zuni children in kindergarten through
third grade are so critical, school officials said, they will institute
a new language immersion program just as soon as a federal grant is
obtained.
The district already receives $800,000 in state and federal funds
for bilingual programs. But progress is slow. With so few Zunis able
to read and write their native language, it is time consuming to provide
educational materials in that language, since the school district
has to write them.
Lowsayatee agreed that providing materials was the challenge. "It's
going to be a real challenge because of all the material we need to
develop," she said. " I hope we get the support of the parents
and tribal government."
The plan calls for teaching all subjects in Zuni.
Lowsayatee said they will begin by teaching Zuni in the oral tradition,
moving into writing and reading as the children get older and more
comfortable with the language. The immersion program is voluntary
for the 673 children in kindergarten through third grade.
Currently, the Zuni bilingual program teaches Zuni language and tribal
customs sporadically during the school year, at all grade levels.
A teacher certified in Zuni language and culture exchanges places
for a day with another teacher, teaching the adopted class Zuni while
her class is receiving instruction in other subjects.
Tribal elders and parent volunteers are also brought in to talk about
the culture and language to various grade levels. The expanded program
is being developed by working closely with parents and tribal leaders.
"Research shows that kids do better learning another language
if they become firmly grounded in their mother tongue," Zuni
School Superintendent David Cockerham said.
"By the time the student reaches third grade," Cockerham
said, "our in-house research indicates that the student will
not only be reading and writing at a higher level in Zuni but also
in English."
He said he couldn't estimate how many parents would opt for the voluntary
immersion program for their children.
"One of our goals," Cockerham said, "is
to have all children bilingual by the time they graduate from our
school system."
The Zuni district now has 11 certified bilingual teachers, half of
them certified in Zuni. The other half are TESL certified teachers,
specialists in instructing students who speak languages other than
English.
"That's enough to start this pilot program, but if we expand
to other grades, we'll need to increase that rapidly," he said.
"We are expecting several of our teacher assistants to graduate
as certified teachers soon, though."
School board members agreed that standardizing instruction in the
Zuni language is needed.
"If you ask each of us to speak the same sentence in Zuni, we
would all have a different way of doing it," board member Margaret
E. Garcia said. "There's no other language like Zuni and that
makes it difficult also."
Lowsayatee said the bilingual staff was excited about beginning the
new program. "For our students to be successful in both worlds,
(the Zuni language) is necessary for our children. It will also help
them communicate with older people and keep tradition alive."
Learning the Zuni language may also keep traditional customs alive.
Henry Wystalucy, a Zuni medicine man, said he was glad to see the
program because English is prohibited in most of the religious ceremonies.
"What would become of these (ceremonies) if people couldn't speak
Zuni?" he asked.
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Official: No danger at Wide Ruins
Nancy Watson
Diné Bureau
GALLUP — The students at Wide Ruins School were never at risk
when a gas leak occurred last month, a school official said.
Albert Yazzie, executive director of the school, said allegations
brought by parents who held a protest at the school last week, claiming
the health of their children was compromised by the gas leak were
wrong.
The gas leak was a small one at a joint above the shut-off valve,
Yazzie said, adding, "The school's maintenance department turned
off the valve and contained the leak."
The leak affected two classrooms, and those students were moved to
another classroom. All students went home at noon and the leak was
repaired.
During their protest, the parents also brought up other allegations,
including one dealing with an audit approved by the school board that
they said was being held up because Yazzie did not want to disclose
his mismanagement of the school's finances.
Yazzie responded that the school board is not dragging its feet as
alleged by the parents.
The board approved the audit, he said, but then had to advertise for
a firm to do it. The board eventually chose a firm from Tucson to
complete the audit.
One of the reasons it took the school board so long to act on the
audit is that financial information about the school had to be prepared.
It took longer than anticipated, Yazzie said, because the school's
business manager had left.
The parents group also complained about school board members and Yazzie
traveling to Hawaii at the school's expense.
Two members of the board and some parents, Yazzie said, were asked
to make presentations at the World's Indigenous People's Conference
on Education in Hawaii. Two parents and two teachers were also asked
to participate in the conference.
As for a trip to Orlando, Fla., the school board and Yazzie never
went, he said, although the school board gave its approval for the
trip.
What angered some of the parent protesters was that a special meeting
of the school board was held in Window Rock, where the trip was voted
on and approved.
But Yazzie said that since the school board posted a notice of the
meeting, the meeting was legal.
Recent trips to Washington, D.C., have been lobbying efforts, Yazzie
said.
"We're going for a new school," he said. "Our school
building is 70 years old."
Not only is the school building old, the school was in such bad shape
that it was due to be closed in July 1998, Yazzie said. According
to the state, the building had more than 200 deficiencies.
President Clinton has proposed $126 million for new school construction
in Indian Country during the fiscal year 2001. According to the federal
government, that is enough money for six schools.
Currently, there are 96 applications for new school construction.
Wide Ruins is No. 12 on that list.
"We want the $126 million approved for this year and also approved
for the next year," Yazzie said. "That way we would get
a new school during fiscal year 2002."
Yazzie and the school board have been lobbying the U.S. Congress with
the help of the Arizona congressional delegation, he said.
Wide Ruins currently meets state standards, but the school needs more
maintenance and operational funds.
The Native American School Board Association is trying to get more
money for grant schools, U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs Schools, contract
schools, public schools, Indian colleges and Head Start.
Although Wide Ruins is an old building, there are two computer labs
and each has 20 computers. Also, each classroom has a computer, he
said.
The residential area of Wide Ruins also has a computer center with
10 computers.
As for the school losing teachers, Yazzie said, it is difficult to
recruit teachers to such a rural area and some leave because they
do not like the area.
The parents also complained that there were not enough textbooks in
the schools. Yazzie said there were no textbooks when the school became
a grant school. Since then, the school has purchased new math, phonics
and reading textbooks.
Regarding teachers and staff who were too afraid of retaliation from
him to speak to the press, Yazzie had no comment.
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Navajo census return 58%
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Census officials say they have received information
from 58 percent of the homes on the Navajo Reservation.
However, that return rate is not as good as the 61 percent average
for the state of Arizona or the 65 percent national average.
While the percentage on the Navajo Reservation is low, it's not unexpected.
Reservation census officials had said before the count began that
their early numbers would be low, because the count on the reservation
is being done home to home...
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Lady Bengals still hopeful
Alan Arthur
Sports Editor
GALLUP — The Gallup Bengal girls softball team looks to keep
their state tournament playoff hopes alive as they meet up in a District
1AAAA doubleheader with the Albuquerque High Lady Bulldogs on Saturday
morning at Gallup High School (start time 11 a.m)...
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Grants girls capture team title
Grants Invitational
Santiago Ramos
Staff Sports Writer
GRANTS - Grants grabbed the girls team title during its Fifth Annual
Grants Invitational Thursday night but got a little help as Gallup
competed without sophomore standout Felicia Guliford.
Grants finished on top with 116 1/2 points with Gallup trailing in
second place with 98 points, thanks to Cornell-bound Dani Aretino
who accounted for more than a third of that with four firsts and one
second with 33 points as the female high-point athlete. Guliford,
who was a sure bet to add 21 more points by winning the 800, 1600
and 3200, was in danger of competing in one more meet than is allowed
and opted to skip the Grants meet after competing Monday in Albuquerque
in the Marilyn Sepulveda Invitational, which was an extra meet...
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Milan votes to give park back to BLM
Tom Purdom
Staff Writer
MILAN — A 4-0 vote of the board of trustees here sealed the fate
of Venaranda Park.
The 465-acre Village of Milan park will revert back to the U.S. Bureau
of Land Management because Milan cannot fulfill its promise to improve
the park.
Venaranda Park has now become a place to illegally dump trash. It
also appears to be an illegal target range for sports shooters...
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Tribe pushes for release of MacDonald
Jim Maniaci
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Members of the Navajo Nation Council indicated
again Thursday that former tribal Chairman Peter MacDonald has suffered
enough and should be released from prison.
The council voted 45-23-6 to ask President Clinton to release MacDonald
and three of his supporters who are still in federal custody. The
three supporters Donald Benally, Earl Roy Lee and Ned McKensley were
sentenced for their involvement in a riot here more than 10 years
ago in which two people were killed...
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Council fails to override Begaye's gambling
veto
Diné Bureau
WINDOW ROCK — Here is a summary of major actions taken by the
Navajo Nation Council Thursday:
Failed to override Navajo President Kelsey Begaye's veto of a law
to allow council committees to discuss gambling as an economic development
project of the tribal government. The vote was 47-21, but 59 votes
were needed for passage.
Heard Arizona House of Representatives Speaker Jeff Grosscost and
Third District Reps. Sylvia Laughter and Tom Gordon describe Arizona
legislature acts affecting the Navajo Nation...
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Deaths
Leory E. Thompson
GALLUP — Services for Leroy E. "Tommy" Thompson, 94,
will be announced at a later date.
Thompson died April 18 in Gallup. He was born Oct. 29, 1905 in Columbus,
Ohio.
Rollie Mortuary is in charge of arrangements...
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