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United States Destroying O'odham Graves for Arizona Border Wall

by Brenda Norrell
Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, describes how the U.S. government and its contractor Southwest Valley Constructors, have dug up human remains, as they violate all state and federal laws to build the border wall.
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United States government and contractors destroying O'odham burial place and sacred lands

Photo copyright Ofelia Rivas
Article by Brenda Norrell
Censored News
January 26, 2020

A'AL VI'PIA, O'odham Land -- Ofelia Rivas, Tohono O'odham, describes the destruction to O'odham lands, as the United States government and its contractors destroy burial places, sacred land and migration routes of endangered species for a piecemeal border wall on O'odham lands.

Human remains, dating between 300 and 1500, Classic Hohokam who are O'odham ancestors, were found in this area in the spring and fall of 2019. The U.S. government and the contractors knew they were violating state and federal laws by digging up graves in an area known as a sacred and ceremonial place of O'odham, and kept this secret until January of 2020.

On the U.S. side, the land is known as Organ Pipe National Monument.

"These contractors are responsible for speeding trucks, bulldozing our relatives and plants, destroying animal habitat, and natural animal and plant migration," Rivas told Censored News.

The United States government has violated all state and federal laws protecting Native American burial places; endangered species; migration routes and the water, land and air, to construct this illegal border wall.

The destruction affects O'odham who live on their land in communities on both sides of the so-called border in Arizona and Sonora, Mexico.

Rivas said, "The wall is piecemeal, a systematic government policy. I wonder if this is an opportunity to generate controversy to distract the focus on other things going on behind the public eye."

Read the full article with photos at Censored News:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2020/01/border-wall-united-states-government.html

Copyright Brenda Norrell and Ofelia Rivas, Censored News
may not be used without permission
brendanorrell [at] gmail.com
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