# Call for indigenous supporters in AZ



## Deleted member 20683 (May 5, 2018)

I have been to Black Mesa a few times back in the day and so did a few other crusties I knew back then. It’s a really awesome cause and a beautiful place and I sort of wish I could run off and do this right now. You have to be really well prepared. This is a true indigenous liberation and ecological struggle and I haven’t really been following it in recent years but I hope they get the help they need. This is a call to do some extremely important, dare I say holy work.

https://supportblackmesa.org/2018/0...gnty-protect-dine-ways-of-life-may-14th-2018/
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Defend Black Mesa Sovereignty. Protect Dine Ways of Life May 14th 2018*

On May 14, 2018, the Diné elders of Black Mesa and Big Mountain are calling resisters from near and far to converge at Black Mesa! On that day, they will launch a continuous camp to defend Diné sovereignty and share traditional ways of life with the younger generation.

Participants will help shear sheep and plant crops, supporting the elders of Black Mesa in continuing their traditional practices. They’ll also have the chance to take part in workshops presented by the elders on skills like wool dying with herbs found on the land, weaving, and natural cooking. Together, they’ll help with work projects like building a corral and chopping wood.

Having a continuous presence at the site will also provide a strong measure of protection against livestock impoundments, a threat the elders face on a daily basis. Participants will therefore take part in talks on land defense and serving as human rights witnesses for the Black Mesa community.

Black Mesa is an area of ancestral Diné territory within so-called Arizona where families have been resisting forced relocation for over forty years. The elders here have steadfastly refused to cede their land to Peabody Coal and wish only to continue their traditional life and allow the land to heal.

(Follow link for more info)


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## Deleted member 20240 (May 9, 2018)

Im so glad I stumbled accross this post! I have emailed to see if I can offer any support and donated a little. Hope it helps and I can be of service. As a person who has visited the area, any advice you may have for someone, such as myself, who may potentially be headed that way?


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## Deleted member 20683 (May 9, 2018)

My advice is...do it! First read the site carefully, you should be aware of the situation you are going into, the politics history and Dineh culture, etc. also the fact that you would be living and working in a very remote area in a hot and dry climate. I don’t know what other general advice to offer besides be prepared. It was an awesome experience for me but also tough in some ways.


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## Deleted member 20240 (May 10, 2018)

They emailed me back. Said I'm welcome and told me to bring some friends! They included a ton of useful info, along in the message.


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## Deleted member 20683 (May 10, 2018)

Awesome! Best wishes


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## Deleted member 20683 (Jul 27, 2018)

UPDATE: 

*Urgent Support and Solidarity Needed on the Front Lines of Black Mesa*

*Call for urgent support and solidarity with indigenous people in Black Mesa who are fighting colonial land theft and removal from their homes.*

Starting on August 1st and continuing through the month, police will be performing systematic counting and roundups of Dineh elders’ sheep and other livestock. Since the beginning of May, the Black Mesa Resistance camp has maintained a constant presence on the ground, working with elders across Black Mesa. Now, as another round of livestock roundups is set to begin, we need people to come to the front to support these relocation resisters.


Dineh elders on Black Mesa want people present to bear witness and demand accountability as police begin making their rounds to document and attempt to impound their livestock.


Having people on site as police attempt to photograph, count, and document people’s livestock can help deter police from treating Dineh elders abusively and can keep livestock from being impounded.


If you are able to come to the camp, we need people who can monitor and resist livestock inventory and roundups, help herd sheep, work on chores around Dineh elders’ land, and offer other support to people during this period of extra stress. Support can come in many forms, and we need as many people on the frontline as we can get. Come and offer your help in any way you know how.


For decades, Peabody Coal has preyed on and fostered the division created by the 1974 Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act to enforce the theft of Dineh people’s sheep and other livestock in an effort to relocate them from their land and desecrate their homes. The sheep are sacred to them and central to their livelihood; Dineh families rely on them for their survival and the proliferation of their culture through the weavings they create with their wool. The Dineh have been resisting colonization and relocation for generations, and they will continue to resist during this next phase of attacks. Having support helps to bolster their resistance throughout the most difficult times.


The resistance on Black Mesa is one against colonization, environmental racism, and resource extraction, and it needs support from anyone who works within those struggles. Come to support, to resist, to learn, or to hold space. Just come and be active.


If you are able to make it to the camp, email [email protected] for information and details.


If you can’t be on the ground, you *can donate here*. Thank you for any support you can offer!


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