In the article, “Sharing One Skin,” Jeanette Armstrong, shares the knowledge of her Okanagan Tribe. This knowledge contains “ 4 Selves of the Okanagan People”; Physical self, Emotional self, Thinking- Intellectual self, and lastly Spiritual self. These four selves are the morals they follow to stay connected with the land and one another. Armstrong shares a very deep connection to her community and nature. She also shares the importance of these great components to be carried from generation to generation and so forth.  

Memories and stories are connected to our land as described by .B. Toastie in the article, “ How place names impact the way we see landscape” When described by Toastie, it says that our stones will never be forgotten. Place and identity are the culture and significance behind the place and yourself.  It is the connection you have with a particular place. Place identity is the great meaning and history behind all these “names. Many tribes have meaning behind the landscape that ties down to where we came from. Many of our creation stories tie into the landscape, all creation stories are slightly different but yet very similar. 

The author of “And I Went to School” Joe Suina shares his story of him growing up in Cochiti. He talks about growing up living with his grandmother. Suina talks about how strongly connected he was with his culture and his language. Then it drastically changed when he started school. Suina was considered as  “white-washed”, or “brain-washed”. Suina was brought into the mindset that his native ways were not enough or did not meet the expectations. As time goes on he starts to think of how he lost his ways in the “ new era”. 

Five significant periods in New Mexico occurred before, during, and after the JackPile- Paguate Mine. The Radium Boom was the first period that occurred from 1918- 1923, the following period was the Vanadium period which was located in the Carrizo Mountains from 1926- 1940’s. Post-WWII was the third period from 1948-1970, in 1951 the Jackpile -Paguate Mine was discovered. Production of Jackpile- Paguate Mine carried on into the Uranium Boom era which started from 1970-1982. Unfortunately, Jackpile- Paguate Mine did not continue into the Fifth and final period of the Uranium Exploration and Reclamation Boom which lasted from 2008 to the present Day. The closure of JackPile - Paguate Mine was due to depressed markets. The mine was closed in 1982, and the ending of JackPile Paguate Mine produced 23 million short tons of uranium material that remained in the pit. Over 400 million short tons of rock, waste rock, and soil were removed from the area. It wasn’t till four years later that the Reclamation of JackPile- Paguate Mine had begun. Almost ten years later in 1995 Jack Pile -Paguate Mine would be the first Mine in the United States to be reclaimed, it would also be the first mine to be reclaimed with no existing reclamations of guidance, laws, and or regulations.

Throughout the years the Village of Paguate where the Jackpile- Paguate Mine was located has had and still receives assessments. These assessments included our water (groundwater), climate, and soil. During both production periods they provided on-site housing in the mine for certain workers, the source of water was groundwater. In the Pueblo of Laguna, we have one big stream that reaches all our six villages, along with the Pueblo of Acoma and the Spanish Land Grants of Cubero.  This is the main source of water we have for our lands. Contamination was brought from the mine, causing exposure to our people, animals, and land. The Jackpile- Paugte Uranium Mine Public Health Assessment - Public Comment Draft, focuses on the exposures that were in the Grants Mineral Belt, where this would contain most of the uranium in New Mexico.  This draft shares why they have assessments put in place, and how the exposure would travel, from workers to the soil, air, and water.

When reading “The History of the U.S. Uranium Industry”, the impacts of Uranium Mining began in the Cold War era. Which impacted the late 1940’s - 1980’s, take-off of Uranium Mining was introduced when developing weapons and defense-related production. Domestic Uranium Mining was then introduced, it originated in the second half of the 19th century. It was an “accidental” discovery from an extraction of vanadium deposits for metal decoys. During the ten years from the 1980s to the late 1990s, there was an increase and decrease caused by public statements and national energy policies. Through the years many have developed lung cancer and other illnesses that include pulmonary fibrosis, silicosis, and pneumoconiosis. However many standards and regulations occurred over time such as the Mine Safety and Health Administration (1977), the Reclamation Act (1997), and the National Environmental Policy Act (1970), many of these cases were held within tribal lands.

The uranium incidents across Native Lands have left a major legacy that has impacted Native Americans' Health and Lands. There are 15,00 abandoned uranium mine locations with occurrence in 14 western states. Where 75% of that is on tribal land. The Navajo Nation was heavily affected by uranium mining activity. 1000 unsealed tunnels still remain on the reservation. The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapaho Nations have left a legacy of deeply contaminated groundwater. “It is ten times likely to develop cancer” Anita Moore- Nall the author of The Legacy of Uranium Development on or Near Indian Reservations and Health Implications Rekindling Public Awareness had stated. This contamination has tailed onto the Wind River Reservation. More than 1,000 open-pit uranium mines have not been reclaimed in the Sioux Nations. 33 Million tons of radioactive waste remains at the sites of the Sherwood and Midnite Mines that are based in the Spokane Nation.

When sustaining global practices in uranium mining and processing you need to ensure all parties that are directly involved with uranium mining achieve the highest levels of excellence in a variety of management.. As the World Nuclear Association stated, “Today we are acting to ensure that all parties involved in uranium mining and processing including operators, contractors, and regulators - strive to achieve the highest levels of excellence in these fields of management”.  There are eleven principles that the World Nuclear Association has out for guiding the management of radiation, health, safety, waste, and the environment that were applied to sites around the world.  Throughout the years mining safety has drastically changed from their limitations, ventilation, water qualities, and environmental protection. Which was rarely recognized when uranium mining first started. Handling hazardous management towards ore stockpiles, waste rock, and tailing the contaminated soil and water to maintain and treat sources of hazardous materials using carefully planned strategies. Risk management is highly applied to identify all risks that can impact health, safety, and environmental protection. Following risk management providing training can highly ensure the competence of handling responsibilities while managing uranium.

My great-grandmother is Charlene Kie, she comes from the Jicarilla Apache Nation and the Pueblo of Laguna. My great-grandmother had worked in the Jackpile- Paguate Mine that is located in the Pueblo of Laguna. Many workers were community members of the Pueblo of Laguna, Grants, Cubero, and Seboyeta. Where she worked as a truck driver, she was only one of the few women who worked in the mine. The Jackpile-Paguate mine is very close to the village we come from, only 1- 2 miles away.  Former Uranium Mining workers have been fighting to get compensation for the time they have worked. This past summer the Radiation Exposure Compensation Authorization Act of 2024 S.3853 was not passed. My grandmother is a part of the Uranium Mining Collation that is associated with Cibola County.  For many years my grandmother has been going to conferences and meetings to get the compensation they deserve. These meetings can last for numerous hours, they also fundraise to make trips to get their stores out. They have made it out to Washington D.C. to the House of Representatives.  Watching all the hard work they have put in has a significant impact on our community. The mistreatment of all the people who put their lives on the line has made me feel surreal emotions.