The Wind Won't Know Me: A History of the Navajo-Hopi Land Dispute

Public Law 93-531, the Navajo-Hopi Settlement Act passed by Congress in 1974, set off a chain of events that has brought misery and uncertainty to thousands of Native Americans, has thus far cost the federal government more than $40,000,000 and has caused litigation that continues. Calling for the partition of tribal lands, the law involved the relocation of members of both tribes. The land dispute is seen as a struggle over cultural values between the sheepherding Navajo and the farming Hopi who also use the land in religious ceremonies. Benedek, who covered the story for Newsweek, details the background of the two million acres in question, profiles the tribes, assesses the Relocation Commission as incompetent and corrupt and describes the roles played by bungling bureaucrats and lawyers who have garnered huge fees from the proceedings. Focussing on events of 1985-1986, this account exemplifies government intervention at its worst. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.)