PHOENIX – Carletta Tilousi was a young girl when she first heard about possible uranium mining near her home of Supai. Deep within the canyons near the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, this is where the Havasupai people reside.
From the day they were contacted about it, the Havasupai were resistant to uranium mining near their homelands.
“Our tribal leaders were approached and told that if you support this effort, we will provide education and support your tribe, since this is near your sacred mountain and aboriginal territory, and the tribe said no, the council at the time said no,” Tilousi said.
That was nearly 40 years ago, and now that same mine is finally operational. But Tilousi and the Havasupai are continuing the fight against the Pinyon Plain Mine near the Havasupai’s ancestral homelands. Tilousi serves on the White House Environmental Justice Advisory Council after previously serving 20 years on the Havasupai Tribal Council.
The Pinyon Plain Mine is owned and operated by Energy Fuels Inc., which has stated all mining operations are safe.
The Havasupai’s main area of concern is the protection of the water that flows through the Grand Canyon. Not only is this their main water source, but they are especially protective of the waterfalls and springs, including the popular tourist destination of Havasu Falls.
Havasupai translates to “people of the blue-green waters.”
Uranium mining has been a point of contention for Southwest tribal nations for decades.
The Navajo Nation faced uranium exposure from mining that was conducted before the Cold War leading to various health issues, such as increased lung cancer rates.
“I remember the stories that they shared and the illnesses that caused a lot of strife and death in their communities really made us understand that this was a dangerous ore that should not be removed,” Tilousi said.