Laurie Goodman reprinted with permission from
Poison Fire, Sacred Earth,
TESTIMONIES, LECTURES, CONCLUSIONS,
THE WORLD URANIUM HEARING, SALZBURG 1992
pages 159-160

However marginal, our homeland is what makes us who we are. It identifies and makes clear our purpose in life. Soon after birth we have a ceremony, where our umbilical cord is buried in our land to symbolically tie us to our land and people forever. Just as Christians have principles they adhere to, we have similar fundamental principles that are taught daily from childhood on. These teachings instruct us to look after our people, our land, our animal relatives. The land becomes a part of a person and of our religion. Therefore, when you separate native people from their lands it is equivalent to taking away their will to live. It is hard to convey this concept to a white man who thinks nothing about selling his home and moving on for better economic opportunities. We don't have that choice. Accordingly, we cannot entertain the idea that a people could just move on if, in fact, their lands get contaminated. Our people are being sacrificed to satisfy America's need for evermore energy. Native lands are sought for use as burial ground for hazardous and radioactive waste.



Laurie Goodman

Laurie Goodman, Diné (Navajo) Nation, Arizona, USA. Member of Diné Citizens Against Ruining our Environment (Diné CARE).

Hello! My name is Laurie Goodman, and I'm here to tell you about an indigenous organization that began on the Navajo reservation. An organization that addresses the impact of technology on our people. So I will not be talking about the uranium. Our organization started in 1988, when a company proposed the hazardous waste incinerator on our community. We were able to educate our people and to keep the company from coming in. It was not our intention to continue our group after our success. At the time, we didn't realize similar struggles were taking place across America with our native peoples. So when we prevailed, we were seen as an inspiration for our brothers and sisters to continue their fight. After all, we were a volunteer organization who took on a major corporation.

We also realized that native people had already sacrificed tremendously for America in the name of progress. The energy companies had come to Navajo land years ago to mine coal to feed the electric power plants located on our land. There was a plan for five electric power plants. But it was only because the astronauts were seeing the smog from the Four Corners Area we ended up with three. The electric power that is generated is consequently exported for use in Las Vegas and southern California. This has created smog, destroyed ceremonial herbs, desecrated sacred sites and depleted and polluted our ground waters.

From the coal, the impact has been tremendous on the people of Black Mesa by the violation of their human rights, when the Peabody Coal Company initiated their forced removal from their homes. The people who have resisted removal are today suffering undue hardship and mental anguish while their dignity and self-respect are daily being eroded. To add insult to injury, we are now expected to welcome the chemical as well as radioactive waste of mass-society. To us, it was morally wrong to settle our people with more waste. We could not stand by and allow corporate America to poison us further. Corporate America has no conscience. These businesses' only goal is to maximize profits. They don't care about the health and social welfare of our people.

Our lands are chosen, because our people are isolated and lack access to technical information. Most have only a basic level of formal education and have little organized political opposition. When a society does not have words in their language, translation for "hazardous", "toxic" and "poison", it is a clear indication that education is needed for affected people to make informed decisions that determine their destiny.

A recent company that wanted to build a 160-acres asbestos dump on our holy land, stated that the area in question was only used for a weekend camp. Therefore, an asbestos dump would not interfere with many people. This company had no idea nor did they make an attempt to understand the cultural situation.

The majority of native Americans live in two worlds. To say that we lead schizophrenic lives will be putting it mildly. On the one hand, we are taught that in order to be successful we have to be competitive, calculating, and looking out for ourselves. As native Americans we are taught to share, help our fellow men, live in a reciprocal world. Because we live in a dominant society where we need currency to survive, most of our people live in bordering towns Mondays through Fridays to earn wages. On Fridays, there is an exodus of our people leaving for their homelands. However marginal, our homeland is what makes us who we are. It identifies and makes clear our purpose in life. Soon after birth we have a ceremony, where our umbilical cord is buried in our land to symbolically tie us to our land and people forever. Just as Christians have principles they adhere to, we have similar fundamental principles that are taught daily from childhood on. These teachings instruct us to look after our people, our land, our animal relatives. The land becomes a part of a person and of our religion. Therefore, when you separate native people from their lands it is equivalent to taking away their will to live. It is hard to convey this concept to a white man who thinks nothing about selling his home and moving on for better economic opportunities. We don't have that choice. Accordingly, we cannot entertain the idea that a people could just move on if, in fact, their lands get contaminated. Our people are being sacrificed to satisfy America's need for evermore energy. Native lands are sought for use as burial ground for hazardous and radioactive waste.

As an organization we asked ourselves: Why are we allowing this to continue? Enough is enough! Why should we sacrifice our land, culture and future generations so that the dominant society can continue to live a lifestyle that demands and depletes our resources? Viable alternatives which are cleaner, safer and cheaper are available. For example, solar and wind power and energy conservation. Our natural resources and our culture are daily exploited by individuals who live for trivial conveniences and are oblivious to the total devastation left by their consumption. Meanwhile back home, two thirds of our people don't even have the most basic conveniences of running water or electricity. We appeal to you to pass the message: It's only when you reduce, reuse and recycle that helps to save our culture and our Mother Earth.

Thank you.