Creation of Long Walk Trail closer to reality

By Kathy Helms
Diné Bureau

WINDOW ROCK — The Intergovernmental Relations Committee voted 6-2 Thursday to support designation of a Navajo Long Walk National Historic Trail if for no other reason than to remind the world of atrocities committed against indigenous people by the United States.

Delegate Leonard Chee said, "If anything, it should be a reminder to the U.S. government the mistake it made: The torture, the suffering and the killing that it imposed on the Navajos and some other Indian people.

"Back home over the summer, a trip was planned to Fort Sumner. The elders were divided over that," Chee said. They didn't want to go because they believed "we shouldn't go back and revisit those places."

Hope MacDonald-Lonetree argued in support of the legislation sponsored by Black Mesa/Forest Lake Delegate Amos Johnson.

"The United States likes to promote itself as a human rights leader across the world. ... This would be an opportunity for Navajo to show the world that the United States recognizes the atrocities that they imposed on our people.

"We need to show exactly the history the U.S. has in their human rights efforts in regard to how they treated the indigenous people of this land," MacDonald-LoneTree said.

Johnson expressed concern that if the historic trail designation is not made, the route would one day be covered by newly constructed roads and buildings, "and we're not going to have anything," he said.

"There's a map here of the United States that has all of the historic trails on it. It talks about the Cherokee Trail of Tears, the Mormon Trail but the Navajo Nation Long Walk is not there," he said.

Leading the charge
Delegate LaVern Wagner told fellow IGR members that having a historic trail would be great; however, as long as the feds lead the effort, they also call the shots.

"For example, the Petroglyphs park west of Albuquerque. It belongs to the Native Americans, but guess what? Today they're being removed so they can build a road there. ... Perhaps we're headed that direction with this initiative," she said.

"If Navajo can perhaps fund it and take our own initiative, then I would support it. Right now, it's not. I'm just afraid that one day it's not going to be in the best interest of our Nation," Wagner said.

MacDonald-LoneTree told Johnson and his agents, Judy Martin of the Navajo Nation Historic Preservation Department and Tony Joe, "It's important for us to have the United States recognize and memorialize what they put upon us.

"With that, I would like to press upon those of you who will be working on it, that we take charge of this project. I noted as I was reading through the document, that Congress has set out the initiative ... but we want to take this project on as our own so that it recites what we want to be seen and what we want to be memorialized."

MacDonald-LoneTree noted that a letter from the National Park Service outlined four alternatives. "Who developed those alternatives?" she asked.

"If it was developed by the National Park Service, shouldn't we have had a proposal of our own, rather than just choosing one of their alternatives? Perhaps we should have our own proposal ready that would reflect what we actually want from this effort."

The alternatives
Johnson's legislation notes that the Navajo Nation is in support of National Park Service alternatives No. 3 and No. 4.

No. 3 would designate two historic trails, one for the Navajo Long Walk and one for the Mescalero Long Walk. No. 4 would establish a grant program to be administered by the tribes which would focus on resource protection on tribal lands and interpretation/education projects.

Alternative No. 1 is "no action." This would keep conditions as they are now. No. 2 would establish one historic trail which would be designated for both Navajo and Mescalero Apache tribes.

Wagner said though the Resources Committee endorsed the legislation, she still had concerns. "Having two tribes come together and operate or manage a grant program, we don't have that in place. So when we do this with another tribe, it's usually problematic," she said, citing issues with the Utes over the Four Corners Monument.

Insignificant input
Wagner also questioned why the public meetings stopped at Crownpoint and did not extend to rural communities such as those she represents. "Many people live in isolated communities. Why do we say that their input is not important just because they live a few ways off the road? I think that's unfair.

"It's a good initiative; however, it should be Navajo's, not from the National Park Service. Currently, Canyon de Chelly residents want to have Navajo ownership of that park. Right now, the National Park Service has that and it's a tough situation.

"With this initiative ... what is sacred to the Navajo, we're giving it away with high speed. We should rethink this," she said.

Aneth, Utah Delegate Mary Maryboy told the committee, "I'm having a difficult time supporting this simply because the people in my community and my family went on this Long Walk and tell many stories about their experiences there.

"They say that in the future we will never revisit that place because it was a horrible experience," he said.

Upper Fruitland Delegate LoRenzo Bates said, "I can understand Mr. Maryboy's concerns, but what is there now? It still is recognized as a significant event in the history of Navajo, so I would support this at this point."