Roberta Blackgoat
Roberta Blackgoat (October 15, 1917 – 23 April 2002) was a Native American activist, public speaker, writer, environmentalist, and artist. Blackgoat is best known for her political activism in opposition to the American federal government's Navajo Relocation Program.[1]
Early life and education
Roberta Blackgoat was born on October 15, 1917, into the
She attended a boarding school in Kings Canyon until ninth grade, when she began attending the Phoenix Indian School.[1]
The
While less than 100 Hopi people lived on the Navajo Partitioned Land (NPL) side, thousands of Navajo people lived on the Hopi Partitioned Land (HPL) side.[5] Studies of the Navajo people who were forced to relocate have found many negative outcomes related to mental health, family and community cohesion, and economic status.[6] While the official reasoning for the division was conflicts between the Navajo and Hopi people, some believe that gaining access to the low-sulfur coal in the Black Mesa below Big Mountain was a motive for certain actors involved in the dispute.[5]
Activism
Roberta Blackgoat fought tirelessly for the human rights of her people as well as all living things. She is best known for her refusal to relocate out of the Navajo Reservation after federal orders. Over the years she spoke publicly in various forums around the United States and Europe to fight for Native American Rights. She spoke against issues that were not always talked about such as, "the mining of uranium, coal, natural gas, and the taking away of water supplies" from Native Americans.[7]
Awards
Blackgoat won various awards through the course of her life as a result of her outspoken messages and activism for her tribe and Native American people.
- Indigenous Woman of the Year
- The Martin Luther King Award
Late life
Roberta Blackgoat died on April 23, 2002, at the age of 84. She is survived by her three daughters Sheilah Keith, Bessie Manygoats, and Vicki Blackgoat, and her two sons Danny and Harry Blackgoat.
References
- ^ a b "Roberta Blackgoat". Arizona Daily Sun. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ Magazine, Smithsonian; Ault, Alicia. "The Navajo Nation Treaty of 1868 Lives On at the American Indian Museum". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ "Navajo Nation > History". www.navajo-nsn.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ "Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Plan Update" (PDF). Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation. November 22, 1990. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 20, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2023.
- ^ a b Bergman, B. J. "Wrong Side of the Fence". Mother Jones. Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- – via JSTOR.
- ^ Piserchia, Caitlin (2015-01-01). "Dibe' Bikee' Deya: Following Sheep in Coal Country". Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts.
Further reading
- Hooker, K. E. (2002). Time among the Navajo: Traditional lifeways on the reservation. Salina Bookshelf.
- Law, L. (1985, October 28). Navajo weaver Roberta Blackgoat just before the Big Mountain Defense March CONTENTdm. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- Nies, J. (2002). Nine women: Portraits from the American Radical Tradition. University of California Press.
- Nies, J. (2021). Real american story ARROWSMITH. Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- Roberta Blackgoat's page (n.d.). Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- Swilling, A. (2004). Roberta Blackgoat: Her Life and Legacy Retrieved March 7, 2023.
- (2012). Poems For Roberta Blackgoat Reverbnation. Retrieved March 7, 2023.