Showdown in San Juan, Utah
Author: Ethan M.
All across this country
and across the world, indigenous populations are in a constant battle with the
governments of the countries in which they reside. This often times results in
the disrespecting, mistreatment, and removal of their people from their lands
or cultural landscapes. A very common practice of this abuse of native
populations, at least in this country, is the destroying and restriction of
historically, naturally, and culturally relevant property of a tribe of people.
This practice has been amplified and brought to light in recent years due to
the actions of the Trump administration,
and is best exemplified by the desecration of the Bears Ears National Monument
in San Juan, Utah.
So what is the Bears
Ears National Monument? It is a 1.3 million acre space in southeastern Utah
filled with beautiful landscapes of Buttes, Mesas, Canyons and a vast series of
shelves, coves, and caves spotted by Piñón trees, a hardy species of pine. It
is home to lots of wildlife, rock formations, and important mineral reserves.
To a large number of
people and groups, including five separate tribes that call this south western
terrain of the US home, this area is very sacred. The Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, Ute
Mountain Ute, and the Uintah & ouray Ute inhabit this area of Utah have
been coming to this region for thousands of years and it is a highly sacred
place for gathering herbs & nuts, wood, minerals, and hunting. These tribes
use this rugged area for performing healing rituals and connection with their
ancestors whose remains still lie under these grounds.
So what is all the fuss
with this land? This area of land has been a point of contention between the
government, native groups, conservationists, and large corporations since the
early 1900’s, It has come to the attention of the public in more recent years
as the result of a conflict with its roots starting back in the year 2009 in
the years of president Obama. A large-scale raid resulted in the bust of a
lifetime from local suspected looters. More than 40, 000 items of importance
were recovered by law enforcement and led to outrage from scientists and
natives alike. You see, this site does not hold significance only to the
indigenous communities of Utah but to scientists as well. This area is very
important because it is a jackpot of wonderfully preserved fossils and its
strata of minerals chronical not only the changing of rocks but holds a
presentation of the evolution of plants and animals in this part of the world:
especially with respect to the rise and domination of vertebrates. Besides the
animal fossils, there is extensive documentation of human occupation of this
part of the world with thousands of important archeological sites scattered
with pottery, remains, and its caves are adorned with paintings of ancient peoples
who lived in this area of the country.
In response to this
information with respect to the vandalization and theft from the area five
tribes banded together to form a coalition to lobby for the protection of this
sacred land. Once again, the tribes include: the Navajo nation, the tribes of
the Ute, Hopi, and Zuni. Upon further inspection, the Obama administration in
its final hours as the administration drew to a close, declared that these
areas would be protected. It was declared a national monument, not a nation
park. What is the difference you may ask yourself? Well, a national park is an
institution established by congress and is used to protect areas which may hold
recreational or conservation purposes like Yellowstone National Park. A
national monument however, can be established singularly by the president
without the need for action by the congress. National parks are basically used
to protect smaller areas which are rich in historical, cultural, and or natural
features. This includes features such as the Statue of Liberty in New York.
This federal protection placed on this area infuriated many in the conservative
government of Utah and the companies seeking to gain from the selling of some
of this land for mining purposes and other forms of resource exploitation.
In early 2017, just
months into his first term as president, president Trump decided he was going
to go through what he and other conservatives considered to be Obama and other
presidents’ “egregious abuse of federal power”. A move that was heavily
influenced by Utah’s senator Orrin Hatch as well as other conservatives who had
the president’s ear. The republican-led government of Utah was jumping for joy
at the prospect regaining sovereign control of land they could sell off for
profit without regard to the importance of this area in any way. In December of
2017 the president signed a bill that effectively reduced the area of the
monument by eighty-five percent and gave most of the control back to the state
of Utah, as well as other areas that had been protected as national monuments.
Encouraging news has
come out recently as the result of a shift of power. Utah is very conservative
and a republican-majority lead state. For the most part, the power over what
happens in the state is dependent upon the state legislature and their
cooperation with county commissions or boards of elected officials from each
county which work to put forth legislation they want adopted into state law.
Until now, the county of San Juan (as well as the entire state) has been under
control of the republican majority and has neglected their duty to improve the
lives of all citizens. In fact, much of the action taken directly affects
indigenous populations in a negative manner, such as the actions taken against
the Bears Ears monument. However, a recent change in the power dynamic of the
San Juan County commission could prove to be a positive step forward in
improving the lives of marginalized citizens in the county. The three-person
board in which all three positions were previously occupied by all white,
republican officials, has now been replaced with two navajo democrats. They
have now taken actions against the Trump order on Bears Ears National Park.
Something which I found to be quite ironic, was something I read in the Salt Lake Tribune, which is a state
newspaper, where the county residents who are unhappy about the change were
claiming to feel “disenfranchised” and that “it feels like payback” taken
against the white residents of the county. Perhaps, now they can understand a
little bit more what it is like to not feel as represented. There is a long
road ahead full of much struggle but there appears to be more of a light at the
end of the tunnel for the indigenous communities in San Juan County.
Author Bio: Ethan M. is a student at IUPUI.
Sources:
Carlisle, Nate.
"Split Appears in San Juan as New Navajo-led County Commission Moves to
Support an Even Bigger Bears Ears than Trump Shrunk." The Salt Lake Tribune, February 21, 2019. Accessed February 22,
2019. Split appears in San Juan as new Navajo-led County Commission moves to
support an even bigger Bears Ears than Trump shrunk.
Eilperin, Juliet, and
Darryl Fears. "Trump Says He Will Shrink Bears Ears National Monument, a
Sacred Tribal Site in Utah." The
Washington Post, October 27, 2017. Accessed February 22, 2019.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/10/27/trump-says-he-will-shrink-bears-ears-national-monument-a-sacred-tribal-site-in-utah/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.17c28c21fc2d.
Stevens, Taylor.
"‘I’m Sure It’s a Culture Shock for Most of You’: Navajos Take the
Majority on the San Juan County Commission." The Salt Lake Tribune, January 7, 2019. Accessed February 22, 2019.
https://www.sltrib.com/news/politics/2019/01/07/san-juan-county/.
Associated Press. "Tribes: Trump's Monument Order Disrespects Native People." Daily Mail, December 5, 2017. Accessed February 22, 2019. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/article-5146621/Tribes-Trumps-monument-order-disrespects-native-people.html.
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