I would like to respond to Mr. Patrick Diehl's opinion regarding the Ward Valley campaign. I am the traditional spokesman for the Colorado River Indian Tribes Mojave Elders. I was involved in the occupation of Ward Valley along with the Mojave Elders and fellow tribal members. I do recall seeing Patrick Diehl involved in the Ward Valley campaign and recognize his involvement with other environmentalists who came to Ward Valley. I was able to see Mr. Diehl in several tribal meetings with his companion, Tori Woodard. Mr. Diehl, in fact, was asked for his opinion at several meetings. He was given opportunity for involvement in Ward Valley, much more so than his fellow environmentalists.
Who failed regarding the Tribe's involvement? The Tribes were much more informed than Mr. Diehl could imagine. Relatives from the five Tribes sent supplies, finances and prayers to those at Ward Valley. Each day, fellow tribal members kept abreast of the situation by radio as they worked. Each day tribal members stepped up to meet the challenges of the occupation.
The Tribes have always been responsible for the education of their people. I recall a meeting of the Fort Mojave Indian Tribe where Mr. Diehl could not understand that the Tribes were responsible for their tribal member's actions in a way not covered by simply taking nonviolence action training. We were not ignorant of the action, nor were we ignorant to the federal government ramifications of the occupation.
As Mr. Diehl writes, he is in the process of moving to Utah to take on another cause. We, however, continue to protect our aboriginal lands and fight the proposed radioactive waste site at Ward Valley. We cannot turn our backs on this land to seek out other popular causes, nor can we simply get up and move away.
Lastly, I can confidently and justly state that the Ward Valley occupation was based on our spirituality and religion; it was a "holy war." We are not activists or environmentalists. We are traditionalists who believe the most powerful tool we have to assist us in our struggles is our spirituality. Mr. Diehl and other environmentalists may never understand our way of life or the belief of our people. We cannot and will not ever compromise our traditional or religious culture for a social-change philosophy. If people such as Mr. Diehl seek such change, a direct loss of our culture will occur, just as boarding schools, religions and government exterminations attempted to do years ago.
In closing, I repeat the words of the Elders when they say, "We do this for all of mankind, especially the children. Our children have every right to live a life as long as we have and to experience the joy of laughter, love and innocence..."