Publication:
Albuquerque Journal
Date:
06/25/2003
Section:
Op-Ed
Edition:
Final
Page:
A11
Word
Count: 411 word
Keywords:
religion; background;
environment
Headline:
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
By: AMADEO SHIJE, Chairman, All Indian Pueblo
Council
Native
Concerns Trampled by Paseo Extension
RE: "Paseo Road Extension
Isn't About Race or Religion" by columnist Alan Reed
As chairman of the All Indian
Pueblo Council, ... I must respond and correct the public record. ...
Many leaders of the Native
American community have consistently and publicly opposed the extension of
Paseo del Norte through the Petroglyph National Monument, both collectively and
individually.
The National Congress of American
Indians, the All Indian Pueblo Council, the Southern Pueblos Governors Council,
the Five Sandoval Indian Pueblos, the Pueblo of Sandia, the Pueblo of Isleta,
the Navajo Nation, the Hopi Tribe, among other tribes and interested groups,
have officially adopted and issued joint resolutions and letters of opposition.
These efforts date back more than
10 years, and have continued throughout the period since. In light of such
documentary evidence, how could anyone fairly ask: "Who knows what current
responsible Pueblo officials think?" ...
Sacred areas such as the
Petroglyphs are as important to some as churches, temples, and synagogues are
to others. Members of our native communities share the same basic rights to
religious liberty, personal privacy, and cultural respect as any other citizen.
...
The June 20 opinion piece made a
number of demands based on dubious claims, cultural insensitivity, and a
shallow interpretation of public debate. First, no one has the right to define
the "appropriate rituals" for a so-called "major religion,"
as the writer asserts. Who among us would have the wisdom, knowledge, and range
of insights necessary to do so for someone else's faith?
Additionally, in our free
society, our individual spiritual beliefs and diverse cultural traditions are
not subject to majority rule. It is unfair and arrogant to claim that
"obstruction of the road at this point is simply incompatible with a
belief in the democratic process."
After years of participation in
the democratic process, reasonable alternatives and accommodations that might
have fairly addressed religious and cultural concerns have been repeatedly
ignored.
Finally, the area in dispute is
publicly owned. ... All community members and taxpaying citizens retain the
right to express their personal positions regarding ... the use of our public
resources. ...
After years of difficult dialogue
and debate about an issue so crucial to our whole community's heritage and
future, we must not lose sight of the basic values we all share. These values
include mutual respect for all of our religious liberties and all of our
political freedoms.
AMADEO SHIJE, chairman
All Indian Pueblo Council
story
copyright © 2004 by Albuquerque
Journal, Journal Publishing Co.