The Dispute between the Hopi and Navajo Tribes, 1958-07-22

Item — Box: 67, Folder: 9

Identifier: CAC_CC_009_2_67_9_0002

Staff Only

The Department of the Interior responds to two bills that would partition the surface rights of the 1882 Executive Order Hopi Reservation and the 1934 Navajo Reservation between the Hopi and Navajo Tribes. The Department recommends that no bill be enacted, as the Arizona District Court has ruled that the United States plan for giving the Hopis true joint use of the disputed area should be put into effect. If partition is the route Congress chooses, the Department recommends that it be done by giving jurisdiction to partition to the District Court in Arizona. The Department also suggests that the possibility of arbitration be considered, but states that it would prefer to let the court's present order prevail. Finally, the Department outlines several amendments that it believes would improve H.R. 7679.