Law

Navajo woman faces charges in Hopi tribal court

An 84-year-old Navajo woman pleaded not guilty to cutting a fence on the Hopi Reservation in Arizona.

Rena Babbitt Lane lives on land that was the subject of a dispute between the Navajo Nation and the Hopi Tribe. The tribes agreed to end their disagreement and lift a decades-old ban on construction known as the Bennett Freeze.

But Lane, who only speaks Navajo, allegedly cut a fence in the freeze are on November 4, the Hopi Tribe says. That led to an incident with Hopi and Navajo officer in which she was allegedly harassed and suffered a heart attack.

The incident was initially blamed on Bureau of Indian Affairs officers but the agency says it was not involved.

Get the Story:
Lane pleads not guilty to cutting fence in Freeze (The Gallup Independent 1/9)

Relevant Documents:
Hopi-Navajo Intergovernmental Compact

Relevant Links:
Hopi Tribe - http://www.hopi.nsn.us
Navajo Nation - http://www.navajo.org
Black Mesa Indigenous Support, Navajo family support site - http://www.blackmesais.org

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