By the chairman of the Hualapai Tribe, as published in the...

By the chairman of the Hualapai Tribe, as published in the Navajo-Hopi Observer. An excerpt:

"A company called Arizona Lithium is punching holes in our land and threatening to destroy Ha’Kamwe’ by building a mine nearby in the future. To gain a market and political advantage, the company partnered with a local Native-owned contractor, the Navajo Transitional Energy Company (NTEC). Navajo leadership never consulted us about this, and our requests to meet have been met with silence. Our hearts have been broken.

NTEC is the business arm of Navajo Nation, but we know it does not represent the values or the will of Navajo people. The truth is that Arizona Lithium is driving a wedge between our two nations for its own profit, planting a seed of distrust and using the political credibility of the Navajo government to falsely appear more friendly to the Hualapai people. As our nations face increasing threats from uranium transit, lithium mining, and other development, we must not allow these outside companies to pit us against each other. Instead, we should unite and work together to seize common opportunities that will benefit our people long into the future, from solar power projects to co-management."

Complete text (470 words) at

https://www.nhonews.com/opinion/guest-column-don-t-let-mining-money-divide-and-destroy/article_2c44447e-59aa-11ef-9695-177415fddec7.html