Radio Curious assistant producer Christina Aanestad speaks with Leonard Benally, a Navajo elder who shares his life's experiences of growing up and resisting relocation from his homeland on the Navajo-Hopi reservations in an area called Big Mountain, Arizona. He died on October 11, 2013.
Barry Vogel, Attorney and Counselor is the Host and Producer of Radio Curious. Christina Aanestad is the Assistant Producer.
In this edition of Radio Curious assistant producer Christina Aanestad speaks with Leonard Benally, a Dine' elder. Dine' is the indigenous name for the Navajo people. Leonard Benally lived in an area called Big Mountain on the Navajo and Hopi reservations close to the Arizona-New Mexico border. He died on October 11, 2013.
In the 1970's a Hopi â Navajo land dispute erupted on Big Mountain; some claim it was devised to move the Navajo out of the area because Peabody Coal wanted the coal rich land below their feet. As a result, an estimated 20,000 Dine' were displaced. A few hundred remain to this day-refusing to leave. Leonard Benally was one of them. Â
In August, 2012 Leonard Benally agreed to talk about his life. He began the conversation by describing the boarding schools he was forced to live in, as a child, one being the school for Navajo children in Tuba, Arizona.
Leonard Benally recommends people listen to XIT an indigenous rock band from the 1970's.
This conversation with Leonard Benally was recorded in August of 2012 and first aired on Radio Curious in October 2013.
Radio Curious is a half-hour, weekly, long-form interview program, now in it's 23rd year. We interview people on a curiously wide variety of topics about life and ideas. Our website is www.radiocurious.org. If your station airs Radio Curious please let us know curious@radiocurious.org, we will add you to our list of syndicate stations. We also welcome questions, feedback and program ideas. Radio Curious 280 N. Oak St. Ukiah, Ca 95482. (707) 462-6541.