19 people were arrested at Snow Bowl Road, Flagstaff, AZ. 17 of whom are not Native but from across continent. “Such protests go against the Hopi way, and Diné for that matter; we should talk and listen to one another,” respected Hopi kiva leader Jerry Honawa said in response. “Lawyers and yelling only make trouble.”
The peaks are sacred to 13 local tribes, yet the desecration of the peaks prevails. The Snowbowl is permitted to use wastewater to create artificial snow on the sacred peaks. I guess skiing (a pastime reserved for the affluent) is more important than Indigenous identities.
“As long as the Arizona Snowbowl, the Obama Administration’s Forest Service and the City of Flagstaff continue this ecocide and cultural genocide, we will not stop. We will pray, march, protest, and take whatever action is necessary to ensure that our basic human rights, dignity and environment are safeguarded.” -Diné activist, Klee Benally
