Testimonies
Natives tell of living with uranium

By Sararesa Begay
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — Lynda Lovejoy told audience members who filled the Navajo Nation Education Center auditorium Thursday evening that "it's not the government that looks after us, it's the people in this room."

Lovejoy who gave the introductory speech to conference members attending the Indigenous World Uranium Summit "Testimonies from the Four Directions," dinner presentation said, "The wonderful thing about it is, if we are successful. We won't allow any uranium mining."

The summit began Thursday with opening ceremonies at the Navajo Nation Museum and a traditional blessing by a Navajo medicine man, and will continue until Saturday, Dec. 2.

"We want good, safe drinking water," Lovejoy said, recalling her Navajo Nation presidential campaign travels across the Navajo Nation. "I've heard widows talk about how they lost their husband due to uranium exposure. I came across so many people who would die for their land, they saw politicians as those who are heavily influential. I see (the uranium industry) fluttering around with their money and influence."

Lovejoy, a Crownpoint native, shared with the audience members that if she became the Navajo Nation president she made a determination that she would substantially consider "human lives, health risks," and overlook the monetary gains when making decisions about uranium and its affects.

"It's about taking care of our land and our people," Lovejoy said, acknowledging that representatives from Native communities in 14 countries traveled to the Navajo Nation for this summit. "I saw so many people in pain with broken hearts because they didn't know if their land was going to be taken over. They didn't trust our politicians. I see it in Crownpoint, in our community. That's why you've traveled far to forward that cause.."

Lovejoy said in Crownpoint there are uranium tailings.

"They can mine somewhere else, but the fact that they prey on indigenous communities, the corporate knows what they are doing," Lovejoy said. "We are poor people. Promote this good cause and take a strong stance against using non-renewable energy."

She said that if she had become Navajo Nation President she would forward the use of renewable energy. "We have enough wind," she said, adding that there is also enough sunlight for solar energy. "Wind power is something the Navajo Nation needs to do."

Austrailia
Tireless Australian Aboriginal activist Rebecca Bear-Wingfield said she was "actually thinking of retiring," from her activist work "or human rights and building a better Australia whether if we are indigenous Australians or a newer Australian."

Bear-Wingfield said she regularly attends community members, and shared with the audience about one memorable meeting where uranium mining representatives and government officials were in attendance.

She said the community members were in the beginning negotiations of expanding to the current uranium mine in order to create numerous jobs. Bear-Wingfield said when she was asked to speak she told the community members, "We shouldn't be talking about this. We've been bombed, damaged and we're sick."

"I've always wanted to be a mother," Bear-Wingfield said. "When the hospital told me there was a problem, I was told I had three ovaries." She said that the Australian Aboriginal people have lived on lands that have been "bombed and tested" since 1953 because "Aboriginal people didn't exist as people."

Bear-Wingfield there is an Australian policy that classifies Australian Aboriginal people "above the apes."

"It makes sense," Bear Wingfield said. "They don't want to talk to us because we are invisible."

She said she is participating in this summit "to find people who can give me the technical expertise," and told the uranium activists that she hopes for a successful lawsuit to prevail against uranium mining.

Brazil
World citizen Norbert Suchanek who represents the Village Bracui delivered a message on behalf of his in-laws and adopted family the Cacique tribe near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Suchanek delivered a special gift, a turtle, that is a holy animal to the Cacique tribe, to the Seventh Generation Fund organization.

He also shared a message from the Cacique Village Elder, Joao de Silva, whose image was projected by a laptop computer onto a screen backdrop. de Silva spoke in his native Cacique tongue, and in Portuguese, and shared his beliefs about uranium mining, how it affects his village, the Native people and mankind.

The 94-year-old de Silva whose indigenous name is Vera Mini said, "I'm very alarmed about the nuclear power plant because it's very close to my village. This is very dangerous, a nuclear accident will affect my village. We live very close to a nuclear plant."

"I am very deeply concerned," de Silva said. "We, indigenous and non-indigenous, wants to create families and live well. I speak about the whole of Brazil we are a big family where indigenous people live. There's suffering, there's no help. If they continue, then will be power plants all over Brazil. We are all equal, only the language is different."

"They do not inform us Indios," de Silva said. "But, we are people, too. We have meat, bones, blood and many things to tell...and later they'll be only power plants."

Worldwide
The other speakers from the four directions were a delegation from East India and Western Shoshone elder and activist, Carrie Dann.

Summit participants were scheduled to be given a tour of former uranium mining sites near Church Rock, including the United Nuclear abandoned uranium mill and tailings disposal facility, now a Superfund site. On Saturday, a special concert is scheduled at 7 p.m.

According to Robert Tohe of the Sierra Club, the summit goals are:

• Organize resistance to current and new uranium mining in Native communities.
• Support enforcement of the Diné Natural Resources Protection Act of 2005.
• Stop nuclear waste dumping on Native lands.
• Develop national and international collaborations on the nuclear fuel cycle.
• Promote sustainable development and renewable energy for Native peoples.

Information: (928)606-9420 or visit

http://www.sric.org/uraniumsummit/index.html.

(Sararesa Begay can be reached at venisondine@hotmail.com or by calling 505-371-5443.)