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Drumbeat for Mother Earth

Many scientists and tribal people consider persistent toxic chemicals to be the greatest threat to the long-term survival of Indigenous Peoples. Drumbeat for Mother Earth explores how these chemicals contaminate the traditional food web, violate treaty rights, travel long distances, and are passed from one generation to the next during pregnancy causing cancer, learning disabilities, and other serious health problems.

Indigenous Peoples' connection to Mother Earth places them on a collision course with these chemicals. Continued survival within a contaminated environment means making life and death decisions that could alter whole cultures, diets, ceremonies and future generations.

Currently, the United Nations is negotiating a worldwide treaty on a group of 12 of these chemicals that includes PCBs, DDT, and dioxin. The UN involvement reflects the ability of these chemicals to travel long distances across international borders. Unfortunately, the official U.S. position does not support elimination of these compounds. Many tribal people consider this to be a continuation of the government's genocidal history.

The video features testimony from a variety of Indigenous Nations in the U.S., Central America, and the Arctic as well as interviews with scientists, activists and the chemical industry.

This video is also available in a Spanish version.