Hopi government reorganization is necessary

A recent press release from the Hopi Tribe hammers home what many Hopi tribal members have been saying for quite some time - that the Hopi tribal government desperately needs to be reorganized.

Even before the dual resignations of Chairman Benjamin Nuvamsa and Vice Chairman Todd Honyaoma Sr., there always seems to have been some dissension among the ranks of Hopi Tribal government. Whether or not this was due to conflicting personalities or ideologies or even a clash of altruistic principles is a moot point. The real point was that no actual work was being done and absolutely no progress was made for the benefit of the Hopi Sinom, who instead were continually subjected to constant bickering and anarchy. I'm actually quite surprised that there wasn't an insurrection by the Hopi Sinom.

As a fellow Native American, I can relate somewhat to some of the goings-on of tribal politics. However, the fact of the matter remains that as a non-Hopi, I'm always going to be an outsider looking in. But that fact that I'm not a Hopi tribal member won't deter me from speaking on behalf of what I feel to be a majority of the Hopi Sinom and saying that enough is enough.

Back in the days of a purely theocratic "government" - centuries before democratic government - things seem to have run much smoother under the leadership of a group of religious or spiritual leaders. Once these leaders made a decision on behalf of their people, that decision was binding and no one ever sought to question it out of respect and trust for their leaders. Not everyone may have agreed with a particular decision, but purely out of respect and trust for their leaders, they abided by the decision because the decision was based on the good of the people. Maybe that's the problem - we no longer respect and trust our current leaders to make decisions on behalf of their constituents.

If you ask me, I see current tribal politics as a microcosm of our own federal government where disloyalty, dishonesty and distrust reign supreme, which I strongly believe has led to an overall disenchantment within the ranks of our own federal government. Such an attitude has led to remarks like the "You lie!" outburst by South Carolina Senator Joe Wilson during a recent address by President Obama to a joint session of Congress.

Oddly enough, I recall an episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" where two high-ranking commanders - a male and a female - were at odds with one another over their shared role and responsibilities; it seemed like they were constantly trying to outdo one another. Finally, one said to the other, "Look, we don't have to like each other to be able to work together."

Hmm, that sounds like a fairly simple principle that we all should be able to follow, right? Unfortunately, the realm of politics as a whole doesn't allow for such ideas to be put into practice. God forbid that Democrats should have to work with Republicans in order to settle the American people's growing concerns over health insurance and myriad other unresolved issues. However, the same issue exists within Hopi tribal politics.

Before the Hopi Sinom can trust their government to work for them, the Hopi government must first be able to trust themselves and resolve to work together to become an entity that can be trusted and respected by the Sinom. Then and only then can the Hopi Tribe as a whole move forward and look to the promise of a bright, productive future.

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