ONHIR is an independent agency responsible for assisting Hopi and Navajo Indians impacted by the relocation that Congress mandated in 1974 for members of the tribes who were living on each other’s land. Imposed by the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974, the relocation was intended to be a temporary process to resolve land disputes among the tribes that had been ongoing for decades. But discord between varying involved parties continued to arise, preventing the desired final resolution, and resulting in the cost of the program ballooning, Congress amending the Act, and various politicians attempting to put an end to ONHIR.
The Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation, initially known as the Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation Commission, was created by Congress in 1974, to promote a comprehensive settlement of the land disputes between the Navajo and Hopi Native American tribes, which can be traced back to the establishment of a reservation in 1882 for the Hopis, and a Navajo Reservation in 1934. During that period, when the reservations were developed, covering areas in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, some members of the Hopi tribe lived within territory allocated for the Navajo tribe, while some members of the Navajo tribe resided within territory set aside for the Hopis. As a result, at times tensions built, and in 1958 Congress passed legislation giving authority to the two tribes to file suits in Federal Court to resolve territorial disagreements. This legislation initiated a longstanding litigation dispute, which ultimately led to Congress passing the Navajo-Hopi Land Settlement Act of 1974. The statute authorized the United States District Court for the District of Arizona to make final judgment in the matter, including partition of the joint area, and established ONHIR, to facilitate relocating members of the two tribes to the land partitioned to them.
On February 12, 1977, the Partition Order was entered by the Court, with the Commission required to formulate a report to Congress within two years of that date, with another five years allocated to execute the plan. But various problems soon arose, including some tribe members refusing to leave their homes, a mounting set of new legal disputes, and claims of misuse of the funding for the relocation program. At various junctures, Congress stepped in with amendments that covered a range of subjects, including extending deadlines, adjusting government appropriation amounts, amending provisions on new lands, and changing the name of the agency to its current Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation. Several local politicians also got involved, with their concerns including the length of time the process was taking, and its growing cost, which led to debate about the value of keeping or ending ONHIR. Dates, including September 30, 2008, have been proposed to close the agency, and transfer its remaining obligations, necessary personnel, and funding to the Department of Interior, but no determinations have yet been finalized, and around 300 appeals surrounding the Act are still pending.
The Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation is located in Flagstaff, Arizona, with two satellite offices in Sanders and Chambers AZ. It has overseen one of the largest relocation efforts in U.S. history, relocating more than 15,000 members of the Navajo and Hopi tribes, a majority of them Navajos. The total cost has exceeded $500 million and is still growing.
Among ONHIR duties: Making eligibility for relocation and benefits determinations, and hearing appeals of those denied eligibility; acquiring land for the tribe members mandated to move; arranging for the construction of their new housing; and meeting the potential burdens to individuals and families imposed by the relocation, providing support to help the relocated tribe members as they aim to avoid or mend economic, social, and cultural harm from the move.
Closing ONHIR
In recent years there has been discussion, and attempted legislation, regarding closing down ONHIR, as a result of it having taken much longer than Congress intended to carry out the tribal relocations. The cost of the process has also been of concern to various government officials, and others. In 2005, Republican Arizona Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, sponsored a Senate bill that would phase out ONHIR and transfer its duties to the Department of the Interior. The Hopis supported its aim of basically ending the relocation process, while Roman Bitsuie, the Navajo Executive Director of the Navajo-Hopi Land Commission, criticized the bill on several grounds, including pointing out that the total cost of ONHIR since its establishment is comparable to the amount the United States government spends in Iraq in a 36-hour period. He also referred to the fact that a result of the relocation was that many Navajo families that had previously lived self-sustaining lifestyles were now finding it impossible to reestablish themselves in a beneficial manner, and that it was the right thing to do to keep the agency alive to help them further adjust to their new environment.
McCain’s bill never came to a final resolution, and the following year Arizona Republican Congressman Rick Renzi sponsored alternative legislation to expand ONHIR and include additional funding for rehabilitative aid for the parties relocated. But this bill didn’t pass, either. Since then, both men who put forth the bills have had the focus of their lives change dramatically. McCain has been running for the Presidency, and Renzi received a 35-count indictment on federal fraud charges, including conspiracy, money laundering, and extortion, relating to an alleged illegal land deal. Meanwhile, ONHIR continues operating, and the process of implementing the remaining relocations is ongoing.
Written Testimony of Roman Bitsuie, Executive Director Navajo-Hopi Land Commission Office Navajo Nation
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Founded: 1974
Annual Budget: $8 million
Employees: 45
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Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation (ONHIR)
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Bavasi, Chris
Executive Director
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Christopher Bavasi is the executive director of the Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation. A graduate of Northern Arizona University (NAU), he has had a long public service career in Arizona, including serving as a Flagstaff Police Detective, Director of the Northern Arizona Council of Governments, a member of the Flagstaff City Council, and as mayor of Flagstaff from 1988 to 2000. He was also President of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns, and President of the Flagstaff Unified School District Board.
In addition, bavasi is a founding director of the High Altitude Sports Training Complex at NAU, and has served on a number of NAU committees, worked as community advisor for several NAU presidents, and has been Vice Chair of the NAU foundation, for which he is currently Treasurer.
He is also a member of the Arizona Baseball and Softball Commission, Chair of the commission's Arizona Rural Baseball and Softball Committee, a member of Arizona's Cactus League Baseball Committee, and Co-Chair, with his wife, Corinne, of the United Way of Northern Arizona’s 2007-2008 Campaign.
Christopher’s father is the late Buzzie Bavasi, who was General Manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and California Angels. Chris’s brothers, Bill, Bob and Peter have also been baseball executives.
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