By KELLEIGH COLE
The deadline has passed for the Navajo in Arizona who have refused to sign an accommodation agreement presented to them by the Hopi Tribal Council.
Their refusal to sign the agreement by Monday means if they are not off the land within 90 days, they will be forcibly removed from the area.
The land was partitioned to the Hopi in a settlement agreement in 1974 by the U.S. government.
'(The Hopi) want jurisdiction over the land that has been partitioned to them,' said Annette Brown, public information officer for the Navajo nation. 'They have been entitled to it since 1974, but this is the first time they've taken action to claim it.'
Navajo who sign the agreement will be relocated to an area near Sanders, Ariz.
The accommodation agreement has caused disputes in the area because many Navajo refuse to leave the land and believe that the agreement violates their religious rights.
'When (the Navajo) are born, they bury their umbilical cords in the ground to symbolize their religious connection with the land,' said Robert Dorman, a supporter of the Navajo resisters. 'To uproot them from that is considered a violation of their religion.'
Many Navajo do not want to relocate because the agreement limits the number of livestock and acreage each family is able to own. Many families claim this is not enough to live on, Dorman said.
'In cases like this, the people are taken off of the land and put somewhere where they cannot be self-sufficient,' Dorman said. 'They have no employment so they can't pay their rent and become impoverished.'
Another concern about the relocation is the area the Navajo are being relocated to has a high level of radiation, Dorman said.
A radiation spill occurred in the new area in 1979, which contaminated a nearby river and could still be harmful. Surface water is contaminated, which makes it dangerous to livestock.
The tribes have not agreed on whether or not the radiation is serious and if the land is dangerous to live on.
'The land is fine as long as you don't breathe the air, drink the water, or touch the ground,' Dorman said.
President Robert Hale of the Navajo nation told a government service committee he is opposed to the forcible relocation of the Navajo.
'I firmly believe that the Chapters and local officials must support and assist the families who may be subject to eviction,' Hale said.
A group of Navajo resisters are currently in Geneva to lobby the United Nations to take action to protect the Navajo's human rights.