2010 Saving North America's Sacred Sites

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/18/sacred-sites-

native-american

Saving North America's sacred sitesBy John Schertow October 18, 2010

Many sites sacred to Native American peoples are under threat from development.

Photograph: Paul Chesley/Getty Images

Whether it's an ancient burial ground, a simple cave that witnessed the

birth of a language not heard in centuries or the mountain home of a

spirit that brings abundance to an entire ecosystem, every culture has

its sacred sites. They provide an irreplaceable sense of continuity,

identity, purpose, sustenance and fulfilment.

However, one culture's sacred site may be nothing more than empty

space to another. This is frequently the case in countries such asCanada and the US, where more than two dozen sacred sitesare in

danger of being desecrated and destroyed.

One such site currently making a lot of headlines is theGlen Cove burial

siteand shell mound in Vallejo, California. Over the course of 3,500
http://intercontinentalcry.org/on-defending-sacred-sites/http://intercontinentalcry.org/on-defending-sacred-sites/http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/299013http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/299013http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/299013http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/299013http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/299013http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/299013http://intercontinentalcry.org/on-defending-sacred-sites/


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years, the 15-acre site, known to the Ohlone peoples as Sogorea Te,

was a traditional meeting place for more than 100indigenous nations.

Over the centuries, it became the final resting place for thousands of

people.

However, as far as the Greater Vallejo Recreation District (GVRD) and

the city of Vallejo are concerned, the site is simply undeveloped land

which, they say, they have a "responsibility" to put to good use. That's

why they're about to convert the entire site into a public park with its

own trails, picnic tables, toilets and parking lot. Native Americans say

the plancouldn't be more insultingor sacrilegious. But the GVRD and

their partners are beyond reproach. A court ruling may not even stop

them from getting their way.

Another site making headlines isFish Lake, also known asTeztan Biny,

in south-central British Columbia. Canadian company Taseko Mines

wants toempty the pristine lakeso it can use it as a permanent storage

site for its toxic mine waste rock.

The proposal is beyond unacceptable to theXeni Gwet'in, who are part

of theTsilhqot'innation, because the lake and surrounding area is soimportant to them: it's the site of pit houses and burial grounds, a place

of worship and ceremony, a school for children to learn their culture

and a place to gather foods and medicines. The lake itself is home to an

endemic species of rainbow trout that Taseko wants to transport to a

brand new, smaller, man-made lake that can't accommodate the

current trout population. In essence, Taesko's plan, which could be

approved any day, will rob the indigenous people of their cultural,

religious and economic wealth. Whether we're talking about Glen Cove,Teztan Biny or any other endangered sacred site, there is a cultural

conflict at play that casually disregards religious beliefs, human rights

and people's basic needs.
http://www.indians.org/welker/nations.htmhttp://www.indians.org/welker/nations.htmhttp://www.indians.org/welker/nations.htmhttp://intercontinentalcry.org/protect-the-glen-cove-sacred-burial-site/http://intercontinentalcry.org/protect-the-glen-cove-sacred-burial-site/http://intercontinentalcry.org/protect-the-glen-cove-sacred-burial-site/http://www.raventrust.com/projects/fishlaketeztanbiny.htmlhttp://www.raventrust.com/projects/fishlaketeztanbiny.htmlhttp://www.raventrust.com/projects/fishlaketeztanbiny.htmlhttp://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4191:blue-gold-the-tsilhqotin-fight-for-teztan-biny-fish-lake&catid=68:videos-and-movies&Itemid=96http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4191:blue-gold-the-tsilhqotin-fight-for-teztan-biny-fish-lake&catid=68:videos-and-movies&Itemid=96http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4191:blue-gold-the-tsilhqotin-fight-for-teztan-biny-fish-lake&catid=68:videos-and-movies&Itemid=96http://www.canadians.org/water/issues/TIAs/teztan-biny.htmlhttp://www.canadians.org/water/issues/TIAs/teztan-biny.htmlhttp://www.canadians.org/water/issues/TIAs/teztan-biny.htmlhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3LteuQvF-Ihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3LteuQvF-Ihttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3LteuQvF-Ihttp://vimeo.com/9679174http://vimeo.com/9679174http://vimeo.com/9679174http://vimeo.com/9679174http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3LteuQvF-Ihttp://www.canadians.org/water/issues/TIAs/teztan-biny.htmlhttp://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4191:blue-gold-the-tsilhqotin-fight-for-teztan-biny-fish-lake&catid=68:videos-and-movies&Itemid=96http://www.raventrust.com/projects/fishlaketeztanbiny.htmlhttp://intercontinentalcry.org/protect-the-glen-cove-sacred-burial-site/http://www.indians.org/welker/nations.htm


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It is "development at any cost", which is a cultural belief like any other,

but one that is decimating what Wade Davis has termed the

"ethnosphere". A National Geographic explorer-in-residence, Davis

defines the ethnosphere as "the sum total of all thoughts and dreams,

myths, intuitions and inspirations brought into being by the human

imagination since the dawn of consciousness humanity's great

legacy." Sacred sites are part of it. And without them a culture may lose

its foundation, making it as vulnerable as a human body no immune

system.

Indigenous peoples are doing what they can to protect such awealth,

but it's an uphill battle. In many cases they're going at it alone: against

corporations, their lobby groups and every level of government. If they

fail, we are all diminished.
http://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_cultures.htmlhttp://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_cultures.htmlhttp://www.sacredland.org/http://www.sacredland.org/http://www.sacredland.org/http://www.sacredland.org/http://www.ted.com/talks/wade_davis_on_endangered_cultures.html

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2010 Saving North America's Sacred Sites