Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Tribal History
Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
The tribes whose traditional land use includes the proposed project area maintain information
about their historical ties to this area. This information, called ethnohistory, though not always
available to or shared with outsiders, is part of the definition of each tribe and is essential to the
maintenance of tribal identity. These histories demonstrate the tribes’ relationships to the land and
its varied resources. As described in an ethnographic assessment prepared for this EIS, the
identity of the native people and the land are inseparably fused (Colwell-Chanthaphonh and
Ferguson, 2012b), and this relationship is reaffirmed through tribal histories. Information from
ethnohistories can be paired with other sources of information (such as archaeological or
archival) to develop a fuller picture of history than would be possible when taken alone.
Ethnohistory is another source of information that helps form a context within which cultural
resources are understood and given meaning. The following information provides a very general
introduction to the historical use of the proposed project location and the surrounding area by
each of the involved tribes as described in their traditional histories. More information about each
involved tribe’s connection with the Mt. Taylor area is provided in another section further below.
Hopi Tribe
Hopi tradition holds that the people emerged into this world and migrated throughout the
Southwest until finally gathering at the Hopi Mesas in Arizona. Some Hopi clans have traditions
of residing in the area of Mt. Taylor, while others migrated through the area on their way to the
Hopi Mesas. Mt. Taylor served as a landmark for Hopi travels to Acoma and the Rio Grande
pueblos. Even after the migrations, Mt. Taylor continued to be visited for conducting ceremonies
and other religious activities, and for collecting materials. Although not visited as often today, Mt.
Taylor still plays an important role in traditional practices (Benedict and Hudson, 2008).
Navajo Nation
Mt. Taylor is one of four sacred mountains that bound Dinetah, or the traditional Navajo land.
The mountain and its mesas were used historically for homesteading, sheep herding, hunting,
gathering of food and materials, and for conduct of traditional healing ceremonies. The San
Mateo Band of Navajo settled in and around the Roca Honda project area around the 1720s. This
group, referred to as the Dine Anáá or “enemy Navajo” (Joe, personal communication, 2011), are
said to have split from the primary tribe due to internal conflicts. The San Mateo Band likely
maintained a very traditional lifestyle; grazing sheep in the valleys and remaining very mobile.
Their use of the area was probably on a seasonal, but cyclic basis. The San Mateo Band is
believed to have left the area by the 1820s due to disease, and the band, or a portion of it,
eventually settled on the southeast side of Mt. Taylor in the area now referred to as To’hajilee
(Cañoncito Band of Navajo) (Joe, personal communication, 2011; To’hajilee Chapter n.d.).
Collection of food and materials and conduct of ceremonies continues in the Mt. Taylor area to
the present day (Benedict and Hudson, 2008).
Pueblo of Acoma
Acoma history relates the migration of the people from their place of emergence, with all groups
eventually coming together south of Mt. Taylor at Acoma. These migrations occurred in all
directions, including in the area surrounding Mt. Taylor and its western slopes. The mesas to the
west and northwest of Mt. Taylor play a significant role in the migration traditions of the Acoma,
and these places along with other locations have Acoma place names recounted in their histories
(Benedict and Hudson 2008). The Acoma history documents past use of Mt. Taylor and the slopes
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 305