Elderly Navajo woman says BIA rangers assaulted her
Monday, November 27, 2006
An elderly Navajo woman says three Bureau of Indian Affairs agents assaulted her in anticipation of evicting her from Hopi tribal land.
Rena Babbitt Lane, 84, says she was dragged from her bed by the rangers, who searched her home. She then suffered a heart attack, local Navajo officials said.
Lane, who doesn't speak English, reported the incident to the FBI, but the agency won't say whether an investigation is underway.
Lane lives in the Black Mesa region of northeastern Arizona. The land is under the jurisdiction of the Hopi Tribe but some Navajos have been living there for generations. Some refuse to sign agreements that would recognize Hopi jurisdiction.
Get the Story:
Woman claims BIA officials abused her
(The Gallup Independent 11/24)
Relevant Documents:
Hopi-Navajo
Intergovernmental Compact
Relevant Links:
Hopi Tribe -
http://www.hopi.nsn.us Navajo
Nation -
http://www.navajo.orgBlack
Mesa Indigenous Support, Navajo family support site -
http://www.blackmesais.org
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House Resources hearing on Navajo-Hopi land bill
(6/20)
Navajo woman refuses to leave
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