By Alexandra Wittenberg
Navjajo-Hopi Observer
December 2, 2024
Bertha Nez was born in a hogan built by her grandfather in 1944 in the Red Water community, 15 miles north of Church Rock, New Mexico. She has lived there her whole life, and her umbilical cord is even buried in her family’s old sheep corral on the property.
In 1979, Church Rock became known as the site of the largest radioactive spill in U.S. history. Long-term residents like Edith Hood remember those who trudged through the contaminated areas with their sheep and cattle. The humans got sores on their legs. The sheep and cattle died.
Now, Edith, Bertha and Bertha’s niece, Jennifer Nez, are part of the Red Water Pond Road Community Association, trying to spread awareness about the nuclear disaster and work to remove the mine waste from their sacred homeland. ..