Native Americans that Oppose the Monument

Avery Smith, Jacob Stoddart, Teegan Smith, Ella Muday, Dylan Lolofie (Period 5)
Opening Statement

Bears Ears is a national park in south eastern Utah. This national park takes up 1.35 million
acres of land. This land would originally be used for the Native Americans to live off of, the only
problem is that now the land is protected. This means that the Native Americans now cannot live there or
use the land freely because they have no land to use. This means that they have to move areas that
already are used and will not be the proper land for the Native Americans to use how they wish. Even
though this land has been set aside, that does not mean that it is completely protected. In 2016 alone,
there were six confirmed thefts. Although the Federal Government decide to protect this land, they are
not following through. If this is how they are going to "protect" our land they need to do it right. They
might as well turn it over to the Native Americans for them to protect and live off of.

Questions to Ask

To Native Americans that Support the Monument

Why do you want to give this land to the government and give it up even though it is rightfully ours?

To Utahns who Support the Monument

Why do you support the monument even though we are already using the land?

To Utahns who Oppose the Monument

If you oppose the monument, what are your reasons and what do you plan to use the land for?
Questions to Answer

From Utahns that Support the Monument

If the monument were revoked, what would you do to protect and preserve the land and its historical sites
without the legal aid of the government?
In the Native American culture, the land is sacred and we use the land for a place of refuge and
peace. We would respect the animals and give them rights and we would not assign private
property and fight over land. Also, before anyone came to Utah, our ancestors protected and
preserved the land without government until they took it away from us.

From Native Americans that Support the Monument

How do you feel about this quote: The people of Utah include many Native American tribes and to undo
the designation [of Bears Ears national monument] would not honor the will of the people of Utah.
Therefore, your argument does not honor the will of the people of Utah. How do you respond?
We feel as if this quotes perspective is incorrect and we do not agree with it. The undoing of the
monument would not be against the will of Utah if people are for taking away its monument
rank. People have been fighting against Bears Ears and we are still against it.

From Native Americans that Support the Monument

Would you like to see your ancestral homeland and sacred cultural artifacts torn up and turned into
oilfields?
We would not like that to happen but before Bears Ears was a monument, it was not an oilfield.
Sure there were some around us but we can protect it like our ancestors have before.