The Lakota struggle to protect their sacred site from climbers and other…
In the Light of Reverence - Hopi Land
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- Cataloging
- Transcript
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Hopi elder Dalton Taylor makes a pilgrimage every year to plant prayer feathers at a series of shrines that ring the Hopi homeland in Arizona. Taylor takes us to Woodruff Butte, where seven of these shrines have been destroyed by a gravel mining operation, and ancestral rock writing has been defaced by gunfire.
In Black Mesa, the Peabody Coal Company strip-mine pumps three million gallons per day of drinking-quality underground water for a coal slurry line, threatening precious desert springs. For Peabody, slurrying coal is less expensive than trucking it to Nevada, where it feeds the Mohave power plant. For the Hopi, their covenant with God to protect the land of their forefathers, ceremony and water are the central elements of their sense of the sacred. From the Hopi point-of-view, their culture and livelihood are being sacrificed for Peabody's coal.
Across the USA, Native Americans are struggling to protect their sacred places. Religious freedom, so valued in America, is not guaranteed to those who practice land-based religion. Every year, more sacred sites - the land-based equivalent of the world's great cathedrals - are being destroyed. Strip Mining and development cause much of the destruction. But rock climbers, tourists, and New Age religious practitioners are part of the problem, too. The biggest problem is ignorance.
HOPI LAND, part of the IN THE LIGHT OF REVERENCE Classroom Series, tells the story of the Hopi, an indigenous community of the Four Corners area, and the land they struggle to protect.
'This beautifully-crafted film shows how the places most sacred to Native Americans are being both disrespected and destroyed, and how Indians are fighting back to save their own religious heritage. This film is a wake-up call for everyone who cares about the environment and human rights and deserves every opportunity to reach a broad and diverse audience.' Robert Redford
'For those who know nothing about the denial of Native American religious freedom, this film will change minds and open hearts. For those of us already involved in the struggle to save sacred land, this film will energize and inspire.' Walter Echo-Hawk, Native American Rights Fund
'The film clearly articulates some of the issues indigenous peoples all over the world face as they struggle to prevent their spiritual beliefs from being marginalized by people who believe spiritual places are structures built by men, not the Creator.' Wilma Mankiller, author and former Principal Chief of Cherokee Nation
'This respectful, brave, and understated film, which urges the redress of profound historical errors, is itself an act of reparation. In the Light of Reverence reaches beyond cultural disputes to reveal and document the arena of human wisdom.' Barry Lopez
'The Middle East may get the headlines, but there are battles involving sacred ground in the United States, too, as nicely documented by In the Light of Reverence, on PBS.' The New York Times
'In the Light of Reverence shines a beam on the fundamental differences between two world views, one based on individual rights - including the right to exploit the land for profit - the other, on responsibility to a community that includes people, ancestral spirits and the spirits of the forest and mountains themselves.' Sara Jean Green, Seattle Times
'Highly recommended...' MC Journal
Citation
Main credits
McLeod, Christopher (film producer)
McLeod, Christopher (film director)
Abbe, Jessica (screenwriter)
Coyote, Peter (narrator)
Cardinal, Tantoo (narrator)
Lowery, Malinda Maynor (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematography, Will Parrinello [and 3 others]; editor, Will Parrinello; music, Jon Herbst.
Distributor subjects
American Studies; Anthropology; Earth Science; Environment; Environmental Ethics; Ethics; Geography; Geology; History; Humanities; Indigenous Peoples; Law; Mining; Native Americans; Outdoor Education; Pollution; Recreation; Religion; Social Psychology; Sociology; Western USKeywords
native americans, light, reverence, religion, land, environment, human rights, social studies, indigenous people, Hopi, Four Corners,"Hopi Land",Bullfrog Films
WEBVTT
00:24:41.590 --> 00:24:42.090
HOPITUTSKWA:
00:24:42.091 --> 00:24:44.429
\"Hopi Land\"
00:24:44.430 --> 00:24:44.930
STORYTELLER:
00:24:44.931 --> 00:24:51.639
The Hopi entered
the fourth world
00:24:51.640 --> 00:24:53.699
through the emergence
place we call
00:24:53.700 --> 00:24:57.169
Sipapuni in the Grand Canyon.
00:24:57.170 --> 00:25:01.869
We encountered Massaw, the
spirit guardian of this land.
00:25:01.870 --> 00:25:04.639
We made a covenant with
Massaw, and promised
00:25:04.640 --> 00:25:08.399
to be good stewards
of the earth.
00:25:08.400 --> 00:25:11.239
Migrating through the land
to find our home on the Hopi
00:25:11.240 --> 00:25:15.679
mesas, we left behind evidence
of our spiritual stewardship:
00:25:15.680 --> 00:25:18.759
petroglyphs,
villages and shrines.
00:25:18.760 --> 00:25:22.109
Through the use of
these sacred places,
00:25:22.110 --> 00:25:30.110
we still maintain our
claim to this land.
00:25:35.780 --> 00:25:36.450
THOMAS BANYACYA:
00:25:36.451 --> 00:25:39.089
Native people are the only
ones who take care of that area
00:25:39.090 --> 00:25:41.619
by prayer, fast,
meditate, ceremony.
00:25:41.620 --> 00:25:44.049
That\'s how we keep
this land in balance.
00:25:44.050 --> 00:25:46.379
White people don\'t understand
this kind of thing.
00:25:46.380 --> 00:25:48.659
They only look for money
and jobs and a good time.
00:25:48.660 --> 00:25:50.229
They don\'t care about land.
00:25:50.230 --> 00:25:52.819
They only sell and buy
and destroy everything.
00:25:52.820 --> 00:25:53.400
DALE MCKINNON:
00:25:53.401 --> 00:25:56.669
I didn\'t realize I was
destroying anything
00:25:56.670 --> 00:26:00.649
but a big ugly pile of rocks
out in the big ugly middle
00:26:00.650 --> 00:26:01.719
of nowhere.
00:26:01.720 --> 00:26:04.779
When the Native Americans
came with their concerns,
00:26:04.780 --> 00:26:08.239
I had to take a step back,
and I tried to put myself
00:26:08.240 --> 00:26:10.239
in their position.
00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:13.619
And realizing that
I can\'t totally
00:26:13.620 --> 00:26:18.419
agree with them, for my own
religious reasons and beliefs,
00:26:18.420 --> 00:26:20.669
but I was willing to
make a compromise.
00:26:20.670 --> 00:26:21.250
DALTON TAYLOR:
00:26:21.251 --> 00:26:24.159
It\'s pretty hard to really
describe how I felt,
00:26:24.160 --> 00:26:28.499
because all at sudden I
seen it was destroyed,
00:26:28.500 --> 00:26:29.629
and what can I do?
00:26:29.630 --> 00:26:31.679
It\'s already done.
00:26:31.680 --> 00:26:36.259
There\'s no way I
can say, \"Stop it.\"
00:26:36.260 --> 00:26:41.659
Nobody\'s going to listen to me.
00:26:41.660 --> 00:26:42.160
NARRATOR:
00:26:42.161 --> 00:26:45.819
As a Hopi, Dalton Taylor\'s
most important obligation
00:26:45.820 --> 00:26:49.619
is to maintain a ring of shrines
around the vast landscape
00:26:49.620 --> 00:26:51.259
of his ancestors.
00:26:51.260 --> 00:26:54.170
Mining has altered the
path of his pilgrimage.
00:26:57.830 --> 00:27:00.519
Hundreds of thousands
of archaeological sites
00:27:00.520 --> 00:27:02.569
blanket the Southwest.
00:27:02.570 --> 00:27:05.399
This is the landscape
for which the Hopi
00:27:05.400 --> 00:27:08.129
claim spiritual responsibility.
00:27:08.130 --> 00:27:11.449
Long ago, they marked the
heart of their homeland
00:27:11.450 --> 00:27:15.759
with a ring of shrines
essential to their religion.
00:27:15.760 --> 00:27:19.219
Reservation boundaries left
many shrines and pilgrim trails
00:27:19.220 --> 00:27:20.559
outside.
00:27:20.560 --> 00:27:24.809
Now, some stand in the way
of mineral extraction...
00:27:24.810 --> 00:27:27.939
At Woodruff Butte,
at Black Mesa,
00:27:27.940 --> 00:27:30.619
and at the San Francisco Peaks.
00:27:30.620 --> 00:27:38.129
To the Hopi, the Peaks represent
the home of the kachina
00:27:38.130 --> 00:27:40.799
spirits, the bringers of rain.
00:27:40.800 --> 00:27:43.579
Clouds form here
and travel a trail
00:27:43.580 --> 00:27:45.439
in the sky to the Hopi mesas.
00:27:45.440 --> 00:27:49.269
At the base of the Peaks,
archaeological sites
00:27:49.270 --> 00:27:51.889
have been destroyed
by pumice extraction,
00:27:51.890 --> 00:27:55.169
and Hopis have fought the
expansion of the White Vulcan
00:27:55.170 --> 00:27:57.289
Mine.
00:27:57.290 --> 00:27:57.870
DALTON TAYLOR:
00:27:57.871 --> 00:28:02.449
There are some prehistoric
sites our ancestors
00:28:02.450 --> 00:28:04.299
has left there before.
00:28:04.300 --> 00:28:08.529
So, we don\'t make a writing
with black and white.
00:28:08.530 --> 00:28:12.669
So, therefore, these
petroglyphs, and the sites,
00:28:12.670 --> 00:28:14.549
are our history book...
00:28:14.550 --> 00:28:15.260
LINDA FARNSWORTH:
00:28:15.260 --> 00:28:16.120
on the land.
00:28:16.120 --> 00:28:16.128
DALTON TAYLOR:
00:28:16.129 --> 00:28:16.950
On the land.
00:28:16.950 --> 00:28:17.660
LINDA FARNSWORTH:
00:28:17.660 --> 00:28:18.410
Right.
00:28:18.410 --> 00:28:18.418
DARRYL LINDSEY:
00:28:18.419 --> 00:28:19.669
This is Forest Service land.
00:28:19.670 --> 00:28:21.589
This is not Indian land.
00:28:21.590 --> 00:28:25.699
I don\'t want to sound cold or
bitter, but they lost the war,
00:28:25.700 --> 00:28:27.900
and they were put
on reservations.
00:28:31.190 --> 00:28:34.409
As far as sacred ground
goes, this ground
00:28:34.410 --> 00:28:37.269
is really sacred to me.
00:28:37.270 --> 00:28:41.109
And other mountains, you
can\'t single this one out.
00:28:41.110 --> 00:28:44.399
If you go to a building, a
house, look at the floor,
00:28:44.400 --> 00:28:45.659
it\'s made out of concrete.
00:28:45.660 --> 00:28:48.809
Concrete is rock,
sand, and pea gravel.
00:28:48.810 --> 00:28:50.269
And that comes from a mountain.
00:28:50.270 --> 00:28:52.639
You can\'t make roads,
you can\'t make anything
00:28:52.640 --> 00:28:56.909
without tearing into a
mountain, it\'s just impossible.
00:28:56.910 --> 00:28:58.499
That\'s how we make things.
00:28:58.500 --> 00:29:00.589
That\'s our culture.
00:29:00.590 --> 00:29:01.090
ED MORGAN:
00:29:01.091 --> 00:29:03.499
When we started out,
we started out strictly
00:29:03.500 --> 00:29:05.019
doing light-weight concrete.
00:29:05.020 --> 00:29:08.029
And then in the 80s,
it kind of took off.
00:29:08.030 --> 00:29:10.509
What sparked it was
a stone-washed jean
00:29:10.510 --> 00:29:13.850
fad, which is still a
pretty good market for us.
00:29:17.940 --> 00:29:19.889
We did between two and
three million dollars
00:29:19.890 --> 00:29:21.439
worth of business last year.
00:29:21.440 --> 00:29:22.360
LEE WAYNE LOMAYESTEWA:
00:29:22.361 --> 00:29:25.719
The only thing that they\'re
concerned about is the money.
00:29:25.720 --> 00:29:30.709
And, I don\'t know,
it\'s just, they
00:29:30.710 --> 00:29:32.379
have dollar signs in
their eyes and it\'s
00:29:32.380 --> 00:29:36.999
hard to stop people when
they\'re just making money off
00:29:37.000 --> 00:29:40.729
of something that\'s not
supposed to be sold.
00:29:40.730 --> 00:29:41.230
NARRATOR:
00:29:41.231 --> 00:29:44.179
Pressured by tribes
and the Sierra Club,
00:29:44.180 --> 00:29:47.479
the Clinton Administration
solved the conflict at the San
00:29:47.480 --> 00:29:50.449
Francisco Peaks... with money.
00:29:50.450 --> 00:29:53.229
For one million
dollars, the owners
00:29:53.230 --> 00:30:01.230
agreed to shut down the mine.
00:30:08.990 --> 00:30:09.490
STORYTELLER:
00:30:09.491 --> 00:30:12.929
Spiderwoman watches the
disputes between the takers
00:30:12.930 --> 00:30:14.859
and the caretakers.
00:30:14.860 --> 00:30:17.929
Each time the people
lose their way,
00:30:17.930 --> 00:30:22.309
she leads them through a
hidden doorway to a new world.
00:30:22.310 --> 00:30:25.859
Three times,
previous worlds were
00:30:25.860 --> 00:30:29.159
destroyed after humans
wandered off the spiritual path
00:30:29.160 --> 00:30:31.599
and misused technology.
00:30:31.600 --> 00:30:34.249
Three times, people were
given another chance.
00:30:34.250 --> 00:30:39.899
This is the fourth,
and final, world.
00:30:39.900 --> 00:30:40.610
VERNON MASAYESVA:
00:30:40.611 --> 00:30:43.159
In the previous world,
the people living
00:30:43.160 --> 00:30:45.889
there perfected
technology to the point
00:30:45.890 --> 00:30:49.619
where they began to use
it for the wrong reasons.
00:30:49.620 --> 00:30:52.279
Accumulating wealth, power.
00:30:52.280 --> 00:30:56.009
They did magnificent
things with technology,
00:30:56.010 --> 00:31:01.259
to the point where they felt
that God was no longer...
00:31:01.260 --> 00:31:05.359
The Creator... or whatever you
call it, was no longer needed,
00:31:05.360 --> 00:31:07.120
that we have become the gods.
00:31:11.750 --> 00:31:13.859
We\'re now letting
technology out of control
00:31:13.860 --> 00:31:17.869
again, giving it
a life of its own.
00:31:17.870 --> 00:31:20.199
We\'re repeating the mistake.
00:31:20.200 --> 00:31:21.720
We haven\'t learned our lesson.
00:31:25.630 --> 00:31:26.210
DALTON TAYLOR:
00:31:26.211 --> 00:31:31.699
The Hopis named this
butte after this plant,
00:31:31.700 --> 00:31:34.969
and the Hopi call it tsimona.
00:31:34.970 --> 00:31:41.119
So, they named it
Tsimontukwi, Tsimontukwi.
00:31:41.120 --> 00:31:41.620
NARRATOR:
00:31:41.621 --> 00:31:45.679
Tsimontukwi, or Woodruff
Butte, is private property.
00:31:45.680 --> 00:31:49.529
Early settlers renamed the Butte
after a prophet of the Mormon
00:31:49.530 --> 00:31:51.579
Church, Wilford Woodruff.
00:31:51.580 --> 00:31:54.349
Ancestors of the
Hopis camped here,
00:31:54.350 --> 00:31:57.439
and left rock writing
that can still be read.
00:31:57.440 --> 00:32:02.509
Until 1990, Hopis on pilgrimage
visited their shrines here
00:32:02.510 --> 00:32:04.949
without interference.
00:32:04.950 --> 00:32:05.660
VERNON MASAYESVA:
00:32:05.661 --> 00:32:09.789
There are places on earth
where we set up shrines
00:32:09.790 --> 00:32:13.889
to deliver our
offerings, our prayers.
00:32:13.890 --> 00:32:17.759
Those shrines are
kind of like doorways
00:32:17.760 --> 00:32:20.629
to the spiritual world.
00:32:20.630 --> 00:32:21.210
DALTON TAYLOR:
00:32:21.211 --> 00:32:24.979
The shrine is where we
deposit our prayer feathers.
00:32:24.980 --> 00:32:27.129
We pray for rain.
00:32:27.130 --> 00:32:29.889
So, this is a pretty
important butte.
00:32:29.890 --> 00:32:33.299
Not just for the
medicine but for people
00:32:33.300 --> 00:32:36.699
to come and pray, too.
00:32:36.700 --> 00:32:37.200
NARRATOR:
00:32:37.201 --> 00:32:41.629
In 1990, bids were opened
for repaving Interstate 40.
00:32:41.630 --> 00:32:45.929
Despite Hopi protests,
a gravel mining quarry
00:32:45.930 --> 00:32:51.239
was opened at the butte, to
supply the rock for asphalt.
00:32:51.240 --> 00:32:53.869
LEIGH KUWANWISIWMA: About
1991, the Hopi tribe
00:32:53.870 --> 00:32:57.889
was informed that bulldozers
were up on Tsimontukwi.
00:32:57.890 --> 00:33:02.019
The local residents
were very frantic
00:33:02.020 --> 00:33:06.799
because they had a very personal
association with the butte.
00:33:06.800 --> 00:33:12.179
It is a very important landmark
for early Mormon settlers.
00:33:12.180 --> 00:33:15.859
But for the Hopis, it
is not just a landmark,
00:33:15.860 --> 00:33:21.809
it is the place of at least
eight Hopi religious shrines.
00:33:21.810 --> 00:33:22.390
DALE MCKINNON:
00:33:22.391 --> 00:33:24.589
There\'s nothing out there
on this piece of property
00:33:24.590 --> 00:33:26.179
that\'s tangible to me.
00:33:26.180 --> 00:33:31.299
I\'ve been out there a lot, and I
stand there some days by myself
00:33:31.300 --> 00:33:34.619
and try to understand
what they\'re telling me.
00:33:34.620 --> 00:33:37.019
And there\'s nothing
I can see, so I
00:33:37.020 --> 00:33:40.759
can\'t perceive it being
important to this degree.
00:33:40.760 --> 00:33:43.719
It\'s not a burial
site, there\'s not
00:33:43.720 --> 00:33:45.869
artifacts scattered all over it.
00:33:45.870 --> 00:33:49.499
This is not what I\'d consider
a beautiful piece of property,
00:33:49.500 --> 00:33:53.299
with birds and trees and a
creek running through it.
00:33:53.300 --> 00:33:56.509
This is a barren piece
of rock, sticking up
00:33:56.510 --> 00:34:02.229
in a barren piece of land,
and I just can\'t get there.
00:34:02.230 --> 00:34:02.730
NARRATOR:
00:34:02.731 --> 00:34:05.959
When federal funds are used to
develop a site that might one
00:34:05.960 --> 00:34:09.809
day be eligible for the National
Register of Historic Places,
00:34:09.810 --> 00:34:13.539
cultural and environmental
impacts must be considered...
00:34:13.540 --> 00:34:16.109
Even on private property.
00:34:16.110 --> 00:34:20.629
The Hopi sued to stop the
mining on Woodruff Butte,
00:34:20.630 --> 00:34:23.879
demanding that the Federal
Highway Administration comply
00:34:23.880 --> 00:34:25.909
with the law.
00:34:25.910 --> 00:34:26.700
LEIGH KUWANWISIWMA:
00:34:26.701 --> 00:34:28.969
The operator was
there, and we asked
00:34:28.970 --> 00:34:32.809
him to see if he could delay
any bulldozing until we
00:34:32.810 --> 00:34:36.449
could talk with the
owners, but they refused.
00:34:36.450 --> 00:34:44.259
We literally saw one Hopi shrine
bulldozed before our presence
00:34:44.260 --> 00:34:45.030
there.
00:34:45.030 --> 00:34:45.610
DALE MCKINNON:
00:34:45.611 --> 00:34:49.809
What incentive was there for
me to work around something I
00:34:49.810 --> 00:34:53.749
couldn\'t see, and why should I?
00:34:53.750 --> 00:34:57.089
When we all visited
the property,
00:34:57.090 --> 00:35:00.279
I was told that if they
showed me specifically
00:35:00.280 --> 00:35:03.159
where it was on
the property, then
00:35:03.160 --> 00:35:05.949
it would not have religious
value to them anymore.
00:35:05.950 --> 00:35:08.819
In other words, they
couldn\'t show me.
00:35:08.820 --> 00:35:11.839
So, I guess I did bulldoze it.
00:35:11.840 --> 00:35:13.119
I couldn\'t see it.
00:35:13.120 --> 00:35:15.900
I didn\'t know what
to work around.
00:35:20.040 --> 00:35:20.790
CHARLES WILKINSON:
00:35:20.791 --> 00:35:25.859
Five centuries ago, the Indian
world view and the Anglo world
00:35:25.860 --> 00:35:30.759
view clashed and were
never reconciled.
00:35:30.760 --> 00:35:35.269
Five centuries later, they
still aren\'t reconciled.
00:35:35.270 --> 00:35:38.609
And it\'s not some
kind of romanticism.
00:35:38.610 --> 00:35:43.419
The Indian world view,
Indian spirituality,
00:35:43.420 --> 00:35:48.009
really does have a
connection with the land that
00:35:48.010 --> 00:35:51.449
we\'re missing in the
larger society...
00:35:51.450 --> 00:35:55.619
A sense that the land
can provide healing,
00:35:55.620 --> 00:36:01.850
a sense of obligation to the
land, a sense of permanence.
00:36:05.480 --> 00:36:05.980
NARRATOR:
00:36:05.981 --> 00:36:09.839
For a thousand years, the Hopi
have farmed in the desert.
00:36:09.840 --> 00:36:14.609
Their culture is based on
corn, water and ritual.
00:36:14.610 --> 00:36:16.999
Throughout the
year, Hopis journey
00:36:17.000 --> 00:36:20.429
to hundreds of remote places
to pray for the well-being
00:36:20.430 --> 00:36:22.239
of the entire world.
00:36:22.240 --> 00:36:24.939
Here, the shrine is a spring.
00:36:24.940 --> 00:36:27.339
Corn meal and an
eagle feather are
00:36:27.340 --> 00:36:30.059
offered to invite the
spirits of the ancestors
00:36:30.060 --> 00:36:32.490
to visit the cornfields
as rain clouds.
00:36:41.830 --> 00:36:42.500
THOMAS BANYACYA:
00:36:42.501 --> 00:36:45.769
It\'s a sacred site because
the ancestors came through
00:36:45.770 --> 00:36:49.949
here, and marked
this and moved on,
00:36:49.950 --> 00:36:52.149
telling the world
that somebody\'d
00:36:52.150 --> 00:36:55.439
been here a long time ago.
00:36:55.440 --> 00:36:55.940
NARRATOR:
00:36:55.941 --> 00:36:59.179
In the secretive Hopi
society, traditional law
00:36:59.180 --> 00:37:03.129
forbids identifying certain
places to the uninitiated.
00:37:03.130 --> 00:37:06.419
When places are known,
they are more vulnerable.
00:37:06.420 --> 00:37:06.920
JAN BALSOM:
00:37:06.921 --> 00:37:09.589
What I\'ve found, being
an archaeologist,
00:37:09.590 --> 00:37:12.169
is that the littlest bit of
information about a location
00:37:12.170 --> 00:37:14.629
often will lead to that
location\'s discovery
00:37:14.630 --> 00:37:15.849
and destruction.
00:37:15.850 --> 00:37:18.829
On the tribal side, they
can\'t share too much,
00:37:18.830 --> 00:37:20.749
because they\'ve been
burned a lot in the past,
00:37:20.750 --> 00:37:22.519
by sharing too much.
00:37:22.520 --> 00:37:23.230
VERNON MASAYESVA:
00:37:23.231 --> 00:37:27.189
We are not allowed to tell
the outside world everything.
00:37:27.190 --> 00:37:31.910
And a lot of it has
to do with land.
00:37:33.930 --> 00:37:34.430
NARRATOR:
00:37:34.431 --> 00:37:37.589
Hopis never fought a war
with the United States,
00:37:37.590 --> 00:37:41.719
and they never signed a
treaty giving up land.
00:37:41.720 --> 00:37:44.949
During the reservation push,
Hopis held on to their homes
00:37:44.950 --> 00:37:46.599
on the mesas.
00:37:46.600 --> 00:37:50.059
The dry, rocky ground was not
that valuable to settlers,
00:37:50.060 --> 00:37:53.509
but all around it
was up for grabs.
00:37:53.510 --> 00:37:56.839
If you were an Indian,
you were locked out.
00:37:56.840 --> 00:37:59.279
If you were a miner
or a homesteader,
00:37:59.280 --> 00:38:01.299
you could claim
land for two dollars
00:38:01.300 --> 00:38:04.039
and fifty cents an acre.
00:38:04.040 --> 00:38:07.019
Woodruff Butte went
from government control
00:38:07.020 --> 00:38:12.389
to private hands in 1917
for four hundred dollars.
00:38:12.390 --> 00:38:15.979
In 1991, the McKinnon
family paid one
00:38:15.980 --> 00:38:19.069
hundred thousand
dollars for the Butte.
00:38:19.070 --> 00:38:23.469
Five years later they offered it
to the Hopis for three million.
00:38:23.470 --> 00:38:26.309
It was more than they could pay.
00:38:26.310 --> 00:38:31.079
In 1996, the Hopi tribe received
a videotape in the mail,
00:38:31.080 --> 00:38:33.809
from residents of
Woodruff, Arizona.
00:38:33.810 --> 00:38:36.379
For the first time,
bulldozers were taking
00:38:36.380 --> 00:38:38.589
the top of Woodruff Butte.
00:38:38.590 --> 00:38:39.090
HOME VIDEO:
00:38:39.091 --> 00:38:44.429
You can see that they\'re working
right now... you can see where
00:38:44.430 --> 00:38:46.660
the rocks are now sliding down.
00:38:48.740 --> 00:38:49.240
NARRATOR:
00:38:49.241 --> 00:38:52.339
By the time the Hopi reached
the butte, the summit was gone,
00:38:52.340 --> 00:38:57.009
and with it their pilgrimage
shrine, where Dalton Taylor
00:38:57.010 --> 00:38:59.209
delivered his prayers.
00:38:59.210 --> 00:38:59.790
DALTON TAYLOR:
00:38:59.791 --> 00:39:02.399
What can I do to replace it?
00:39:02.400 --> 00:39:05.839
Because that shrine
has been established
00:39:05.840 --> 00:39:07.800
there thousands of years ago.
00:39:10.790 --> 00:39:11.580
LEIGH KUWANWISIWMA:
00:39:11.581 --> 00:39:16.239
They pointed out right within
the staging area one Hopi
00:39:16.240 --> 00:39:18.839
shrine that we had
previously identified,
00:39:18.840 --> 00:39:25.709
and they sort of mocked us by
saying that, \"Hopis you have
00:39:25.710 --> 00:39:30.199
one remaining shrine here,
so what\'s the big deal?
00:39:30.200 --> 00:39:34.879
You guys can still, y\'know, come
to the butte and pray here.\"
00:39:34.880 --> 00:39:35.460
DALE MCKINNON:
00:39:35.461 --> 00:39:38.729
The biggest right that we
have is private property,
00:39:38.730 --> 00:39:41.289
and that\'s huge.
00:39:41.290 --> 00:39:45.049
I\'m gonna mine it \'til they
forcibly remove me from it.
00:39:45.050 --> 00:39:47.539
And I think they\'ve tried
all their intimidation
00:39:47.540 --> 00:39:50.719
and every other tactic under
the sun to get me to go away
00:39:50.720 --> 00:39:52.379
and I\'m not going
to because I believe
00:39:52.380 --> 00:39:53.669
that it\'s without
a doubt my right
00:39:53.670 --> 00:39:55.070
to go up there and do that.
00:39:57.180 --> 00:39:57.680
NARRATOR:
00:39:57.681 --> 00:40:00.049
At the base of the
butte, Dalton Taylor
00:40:00.050 --> 00:40:04.319
discovered Hopi petroglyphs
had been damaged by gunfire.
00:40:04.320 --> 00:40:04.900
DALTON TAYLOR:
00:40:04.901 --> 00:40:07.419
This markings tell us
that the Water Clan
00:40:07.420 --> 00:40:09.269
has been settled here before.
00:40:09.270 --> 00:40:15.109
It comes over here
but it\'s destroyed.
00:40:15.110 --> 00:40:19.299
They even rub it with a rock
and then shoot it with a rifle.
00:40:19.300 --> 00:40:27.300
It looks like toes, toe
prints, it\'s a baby like.
00:40:27.350 --> 00:40:32.219
You could recognize it if this
was there, this part here.
00:40:32.220 --> 00:40:38.069
They\'re just using a rifle
to knock all the wall off.
00:40:38.070 --> 00:40:42.149
Sort of like erasing
written paper, Hopis
00:40:42.150 --> 00:40:45.219
won\'t claim it because
it\'s erased now.
00:40:45.220 --> 00:40:45.720
NARRATOR:
00:40:45.721 --> 00:40:51.359
The use of federal funds
for Woodruff Butte aggregate
00:40:51.360 --> 00:40:54.699
was stopped, but not before
hundreds of thousands
00:40:54.700 --> 00:40:57.389
of dollars were paid
to extract gravel which
00:40:57.390 --> 00:41:00.159
ended up on the Interstate.
00:41:00.160 --> 00:41:03.269
County, state and private
construction projects
00:41:03.270 --> 00:41:06.369
keep up the demand for rock.
00:41:06.370 --> 00:41:07.360
The mining continues.
00:41:07.360 --> 00:41:08.150
LEIGH KUWANWISIWMA:
00:41:08.151 --> 00:41:16.151
As a Hopi, when you look
out into the landscape,
00:41:23.070 --> 00:41:25.209
you always have
to remind yourself
00:41:25.210 --> 00:41:27.149
that that\'s where you came from.
00:41:27.150 --> 00:41:35.150
And, in Hopi culture
and religion,
00:41:35.180 --> 00:41:39.639
that\'s where you go back to.
00:41:39.640 --> 00:41:42.699
Our people had to
endure hardship,
00:41:42.700 --> 00:41:50.599
the elements of the environment
that they had to survive in.
00:41:50.600 --> 00:41:53.399
Through this hardship
they were instructed
00:41:53.400 --> 00:41:59.849
to go back to the earth center,
which is today the Hopi mesas.
00:41:59.850 --> 00:42:07.850
There is now a
mining operation that
00:42:08.460 --> 00:42:13.009
is using up thousands of
gallons of water a minute,
00:42:13.010 --> 00:42:14.619
and we\'re very concerned.
00:42:14.620 --> 00:42:18.409
We have seen impacts locally
around the Hopi villages where
00:42:18.410 --> 00:42:22.029
springs are no longer producing,
and we have seen springs where
00:42:22.030 --> 00:42:25.890
they have died completely out.
00:42:29.990 --> 00:42:30.490
NARRATOR:
00:42:30.491 --> 00:42:35.919
In this landscape, where water
is life, the impact of one mine
00:42:35.920 --> 00:42:37.729
dwarfs all the rest.
00:42:37.730 --> 00:42:42.589
Black Mesa is not on
public or private property,
00:42:42.590 --> 00:42:45.339
but on reservation land.
00:42:45.340 --> 00:42:47.989
Here, in hopes of
economic prosperity,
00:42:47.990 --> 00:42:51.069
Hopis themselves, and the
neighboring Navajo tribe,
00:42:51.070 --> 00:42:55.219
signed away mineral and water
rights to Peabody Coal Company,
00:42:55.220 --> 00:43:00.599
for the largest open pit coal
mine in the United States.
00:43:00.600 --> 00:43:03.259
Coal from Black Mesa
is mixed with water
00:43:03.260 --> 00:43:05.729
and slurried by
pipeline two hundred
00:43:05.730 --> 00:43:08.409
and seventy-three
miles to a power plant
00:43:08.410 --> 00:43:12.179
in Nevada, to provide energy
to Los Angeles and the cities
00:43:12.180 --> 00:43:13.180
of the Southwest.
00:43:13.181 --> 00:43:18.159
The coal slurry takes
3 million gallons
00:43:18.160 --> 00:43:23.449
of pristine underground
water each day.
00:43:23.450 --> 00:43:28.929
VERNON MASAYESVA: In 1966, when
the Hopi Tribal Council signed
00:43:28.930 --> 00:43:32.639
a mining lease with
Peabody, the Council
00:43:32.640 --> 00:43:37.049
was not aware of the
magnitude of the mining.
00:43:37.050 --> 00:43:40.549
Our lawyer explained
to the Council
00:43:40.550 --> 00:43:44.809
that underneath us is
a huge ocean of water,
00:43:44.810 --> 00:43:47.789
that the mining
company will just take
00:43:47.790 --> 00:43:50.789
one cup from a sea of water.
00:43:50.790 --> 00:43:57.109
Today, the mining company is
extracting 4,000 acre-feet
00:43:57.110 --> 00:43:58.939
of water per year.
00:43:58.940 --> 00:44:03.609
If you take this much water
from a desert land that
00:44:03.610 --> 00:44:06.539
gets less than 12
inches a year, it
00:44:06.540 --> 00:44:09.289
doesn\'t take a brainy
person to know there\'s
00:44:09.290 --> 00:44:10.690
going to be serious damage.
00:44:13.070 --> 00:44:14.859
ARCHIE DUWAHOYEOMA AND
GARLAND LOMAYAKTEWA:
00:44:14.860 --> 00:44:17.279
We can\'t supposed to
sell our water cause
00:44:17.280 --> 00:44:20.729
it\'s very important to us.
00:44:20.730 --> 00:44:24.299
All of our ceremonies are
evolved around the spring.
00:44:24.300 --> 00:44:28.679
Men\'s ceremony, winter
solstice, women ceremony.
00:44:28.680 --> 00:44:31.080
It\'s utilized
throughout the year.
00:44:35.400 --> 00:44:39.859
Back in 1902, this spring
was almost up to the top.
00:44:39.860 --> 00:44:46.879
But now, the water\'s real down,
into right about in the middle
00:44:46.880 --> 00:44:50.009
of this right here.
00:44:50.010 --> 00:44:52.389
When I finally realized
what Peabody is doing,
00:44:52.390 --> 00:44:56.599
sucking the water underneath
us, all our springs are dry now,
00:44:56.600 --> 00:45:00.699
and some are, like this one,
it\'s not what it used to be.
00:45:00.700 --> 00:45:03.320
It used to be up to the top.
00:45:06.440 --> 00:45:07.150
VERNON MASAYESVA:
00:45:07.151 --> 00:45:10.269
We broke a covenant.
00:45:10.270 --> 00:45:13.319
And I think that\'s what
bothers all Hopis these days.
00:45:13.320 --> 00:45:14.869
How do we make up for it?
00:45:14.870 --> 00:45:18.879
You know, we made
a terrible mistake.
00:45:18.880 --> 00:45:23.520
We have sold our
soul to this company.
00:45:26.500 --> 00:45:27.000
NARRATOR:
00:45:27.001 --> 00:45:30.089
Under the mining lease, if
there is significant depletion
00:45:30.090 --> 00:45:33.289
of the underground water,
the Secretary of the Interior
00:45:33.290 --> 00:45:35.789
can shut down the
slurryline and force
00:45:35.790 --> 00:45:40.149
Peabody to find another
way to transport the coal.
00:45:40.150 --> 00:45:43.819
A review of the government\'s own
hydrology data by the Natural
00:45:43.820 --> 00:45:46.569
Resources Defense
Council found evidence
00:45:46.570 --> 00:45:49.569
that damage to the aquifer,
and to Hopi springs,
00:45:49.570 --> 00:45:53.159
has already occurred.
00:45:53.160 --> 00:46:01.160
Peabody Coal Company declined
an interview for this film.
00:46:05.830 --> 00:46:06.540
VERNON MASAYESVA:
00:46:06.541 --> 00:46:14.541
The Hopi say when you die,
when every living thing die,
00:46:15.820 --> 00:46:18.219
they join the cloud people.
00:46:18.220 --> 00:46:24.979
We rise from our graves as
mist, and we travel with them
00:46:24.980 --> 00:46:26.249
up to the mountains.
00:46:26.250 --> 00:46:30.089
We come down as rain or snow.
00:46:30.090 --> 00:46:33.339
Then we take our long
journey back home.
00:46:33.340 --> 00:46:35.539
The ocean.
00:46:35.540 --> 00:46:37.339
The underground aquifers.
00:46:37.340 --> 00:46:39.819
We\'re going home.
00:46:39.820 --> 00:46:44.579
We go home, we rest,
we come back again.
00:46:44.580 --> 00:46:47.809
Western science has
the same version,
00:46:47.810 --> 00:46:51.939
except the \"we\" is
disconnected totally
00:46:51.940 --> 00:46:55.029
from the phenomena, the cycle.
00:46:55.030 --> 00:46:58.769
We have no part in it.
00:46:58.770 --> 00:47:04.579
In our world view,
we are the clouds.
00:47:04.580 --> 00:47:06.490
We are the rain that comes down.
00:47:09.350 --> 00:47:09.930
BULYUM PUYUIK:
00:47:09.931 --> 00:47:11.709
\"Great Mountain\"
00:47:11.710 --> 00:47:12.210
MARK FRANCO:
00:47:12.211 --> 00:47:20.211
This is a test of the
Indian Broadcasting system.
00:47:27.600 --> 00:47:30.039
This is only a test.
00:47:30.040 --> 00:47:30.540
MARK FRANCO:
00:47:30.541 --> 00:47:32.329
We haven\'t had anybody
bring us any coffee.
00:47:32.330 --> 00:47:32.830
RICK WILSON:
00:47:32.830 --> 00:47:33.340
Or donuts.
00:47:33.341 --> 00:47:35.589
Those regular listeners know
that I don\'t like coffee.
00:47:35.590 --> 00:47:36.410
I like hot chocolate.
00:47:36.410 --> 00:47:36.990
MARK AND RICK:
00:47:36.991 --> 00:47:38.939
And you are listening
to listener-supported,
00:47:38.940 --> 00:47:40.699
community radio for
the Sacramento Valley,
00:47:40.700 --> 00:47:44.919
FM 90.1, KZFR in
Chico, California.
00:47:44.920 --> 00:47:45.630
JOHNNY CASH SONG:
00:47:45.631 --> 00:47:47.239
There are drums
beyond the mountains,
00:47:47.240 --> 00:47:48.659
and they\'re getting
mighty near...
00:47:48.660 --> 00:47:49.160
MARK FRANCO:
00:47:49.161 --> 00:47:57.161
Coming back, we came back,
we were up there at ceremony,
00:47:58.300 --> 00:47:59.260
it was a good ceremony.
00:47:59.261 --> 00:48:00.309
We went to the spring...
00:48:00.310 --> 00:48:00.810
RICK WILSON:
00:48:00.811 --> 00:48:01.829
Went to the spring...
00:48:01.830 --> 00:48:02.460
FLORENCE JONES:
00:48:02.461 --> 00:48:09.299
The kids come last, I want
to take the big people first.
00:48:09.300 --> 00:48:10.090
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:48:10.091 --> 00:48:11.669
When we go to the
top of the mountain,
00:48:11.670 --> 00:48:14.349
she\'s just a little ol\' plain
person, not all dressed up,
00:48:14.350 --> 00:48:19.079
not all a big pipe and a certain
way and all that sort of stuff,
00:48:19.080 --> 00:48:23.270
it\'s just us, and nature and
the spirit world, y\'know.
00:48:26.940 --> 00:48:27.560
FLORENCE JONES:
00:48:27.561 --> 00:48:29.789
When you look around you
only see the good things.
00:48:29.790 --> 00:48:31.289
When you smell this
root we give you
00:48:31.290 --> 00:48:33.589
power and strength
to ward all evil away
00:48:33.590 --> 00:48:35.139
from your heart and soul.
00:48:35.140 --> 00:48:37.839
When you speak you only
speak the right things,
00:48:37.840 --> 00:48:45.840
so help me Great Spirit.
00:48:48.220 --> 00:48:48.720
NARRATOR:
00:48:48.721 --> 00:48:51.729
Florence Jones is the
top spiritual doctor
00:48:51.730 --> 00:48:54.969
of the Winnemem Wintu
of northern California.
00:48:54.970 --> 00:48:58.729
Their ancestral home is the
McCloud River watershed south
00:48:58.730 --> 00:48:59.230
of Mt.
00:48:59.231 --> 00:49:00.539
Shasta.
00:49:00.540 --> 00:49:03.139
Healing ceremonies have
been conducted here
00:49:03.140 --> 00:49:04.819
for a thousand years.
00:49:04.820 --> 00:49:09.809
Now, Florence Jones is handing
them down to her great-niece.
00:49:09.810 --> 00:49:14.289
For 15 years they have fought
a proposed ski resort on Mt.
00:49:14.290 --> 00:49:18.219
Shasta, and resisted New
Age newcomers who congregate
00:49:18.220 --> 00:49:19.859
at their sacred site.
00:49:19.860 --> 00:49:20.650
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:49:20.651 --> 00:49:23.789
This whole area is
part of that religion.
00:49:23.790 --> 00:49:27.649
You can\'t have a religion
without the land.
00:49:27.650 --> 00:49:30.879
It\'s not something that
you read in a book,
00:49:30.880 --> 00:49:33.439
but it\'s the way you
walk on the land,
00:49:33.440 --> 00:49:36.939
and the way you treat
your relatives, all
00:49:36.940 --> 00:49:39.199
of the relatives.
00:49:39.200 --> 00:49:39.700
NARRATOR:
00:49:39.701 --> 00:49:43.299
The relatives include a
whole landscape animated
00:49:43.300 --> 00:49:46.379
with spirits: in the
animals, the plants,
00:49:46.380 --> 00:49:51.389
the mountain itself, and
the Wintu\'s sacred spring.
00:49:51.390 --> 00:49:52.010
FLORENCE JONES:
00:49:52.011 --> 00:49:56.509
It\'s always bubbling, and
the sand coming up like that,
00:49:56.510 --> 00:49:59.269
and if anybody go around
there if they greet \'em
00:49:59.270 --> 00:50:06.009
and then the bubbles go right
to you, you\'re accepted;
00:50:06.010 --> 00:50:11.129
same old way over 80
years ago, it still
00:50:11.130 --> 00:50:16.559
is that way, probably
always will be that way.
00:50:16.560 --> 00:50:17.060
NARRATOR:
00:50:17.061 --> 00:50:20.129
When Florence Jones
was born, Wintu shamans
00:50:20.130 --> 00:50:22.379
determined that she
was a special baby who
00:50:22.380 --> 00:50:24.009
would become a healer.
00:50:24.010 --> 00:50:27.639
She made her first visit to
the spring at Panther Meadows,
00:50:27.640 --> 00:50:28.430
high on Mt.
00:50:28.431 --> 00:50:29.919
Shasta, in 1908.
00:50:29.920 --> 00:50:33.379
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO: I always
feel like time is running out.
00:50:33.380 --> 00:50:35.569
And then when it\'s
gone, it\'s gone forever,
00:50:35.570 --> 00:50:38.279
you know there
isn\'t any one else.
00:50:38.280 --> 00:50:41.809
Like the language,
Grams and Emerson
00:50:41.810 --> 00:50:45.499
are the last two fluent
speakers, and when they\'re gone
00:50:45.500 --> 00:50:46.909
the language is gone.
00:50:46.910 --> 00:50:50.019
You don\'t get to hear
conversation any more.
00:50:50.020 --> 00:50:58.020
When that language isn\'t a
living language any more,
00:50:58.770 --> 00:50:59.600
then what?
00:50:59.600 --> 00:51:00.390
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:51:00.391 --> 00:51:04.919
Look at this one, Grams, 1951.
00:51:04.920 --> 00:51:09.739
NARRATOR: At the time of first
contact with non-Indians,
00:51:09.740 --> 00:51:14.069
there were 14,000 Wintu.
00:51:14.070 --> 00:51:18.369
By 1910, there were only 395.
00:51:18.370 --> 00:51:20.279
Florence Jones was one of them.
00:51:20.280 --> 00:51:21.070
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:51:21.071 --> 00:51:23.229
But your whole family
had to move out, right?
00:51:23.230 --> 00:51:23.850
FLORENCE JONES:
00:51:23.851 --> 00:51:29.659
Everybody had to move out, from
Pit River and McCloud River.
00:51:29.660 --> 00:51:30.160
NARRATOR:
00:51:30.161 --> 00:51:32.699
Like most northern
California Indians,
00:51:32.700 --> 00:51:35.199
the Wintu have no reservation.
00:51:35.200 --> 00:51:38.239
During the Gold Rush, they
quickly lost their lands
00:51:38.240 --> 00:51:40.069
to miners and settlers.
00:51:40.070 --> 00:51:43.919
The government paid bounty
hunters to kill Indians...
00:51:43.920 --> 00:51:45.049
$5 a head.
00:51:45.050 --> 00:51:48.299
The population was decimated.
00:51:48.300 --> 00:51:51.079
A hundred and fifty years
later, the United States
00:51:51.080 --> 00:51:54.579
still does not recognize
the Wintu as a tribe.
00:51:54.580 --> 00:51:57.909
Their religion has survived
government policies
00:51:57.910 --> 00:51:59.969
of extermination
and assimilation.
00:51:59.970 --> 00:52:00.760
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:52:00.761 --> 00:52:04.519
The process of training the
doctor starts from birth
00:52:04.520 --> 00:52:06.829
and extends to a
time where they are
00:52:06.830 --> 00:52:09.029
to visit all the sacred places.
00:52:09.030 --> 00:52:13.629
And all along the river she
had to go, and at 10 years old
00:52:13.630 --> 00:52:17.219
she had to go there
alone, to travel
00:52:17.220 --> 00:52:19.619
that whole length of the river.
00:52:19.620 --> 00:52:22.409
Right after that
she was captured,
00:52:22.410 --> 00:52:26.929
when they came in to hunt
for kids, and was taken.
00:52:26.930 --> 00:52:30.139
And the parents had
no right to stop it,
00:52:30.140 --> 00:52:32.889
no rights to say, \"You
know she\'s in training.
00:52:32.890 --> 00:52:33.949
You can\'t take her.
00:52:33.950 --> 00:52:37.119
She\'s our next doctor.\"
00:52:37.120 --> 00:52:39.659
In the boarding school,
they baptized her,
00:52:39.660 --> 00:52:42.849
and they started trying
to introduce the church
00:52:42.850 --> 00:52:46.149
into the lives of these kids.
00:52:46.150 --> 00:52:48.269
They didn\'t let you
speak your language.
00:52:48.270 --> 00:52:52.149
They marched you
around all the time.
00:52:52.150 --> 00:52:56.479
If they weren\'t tending to you,
they let you march in circles,
00:52:56.480 --> 00:52:58.119
just to keep you moving.
00:52:58.120 --> 00:52:58.740
FLORENCE JONES:
00:52:58.741 --> 00:53:00.059
Mt.
00:53:00.060 --> 00:53:02.719
Shasta there.
00:53:02.720 --> 00:53:03.510
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:53:03.510 --> 00:53:04.200
Bulyum Puyuik?
00:53:04.200 --> 00:53:04.830
FLORENCE JONES:
00:53:04.831 --> 00:53:06.499
Bulyum Puyuik.
00:53:06.500 --> 00:53:07.290
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:53:07.291 --> 00:53:09.899
Her family all stayed
on the McCloud River,
00:53:09.900 --> 00:53:12.829
even after the
killings and smallpox
00:53:12.830 --> 00:53:15.419
and whatever else that
came in that kind of wiped
00:53:15.420 --> 00:53:17.099
out the population.
00:53:17.100 --> 00:53:18.229
Until the dam came in.
00:53:18.230 --> 00:53:23.799
All the Indians were moved
out of the McCloud River.
00:53:23.800 --> 00:53:27.380
There are a lot of sacred
places under the lake now.
00:53:31.320 --> 00:53:32.110
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:53:32.111 --> 00:53:33.609
Grams, what do you
think will happen
00:53:33.610 --> 00:53:37.969
if they build that ski resort
and that spring is ruined?
00:53:37.970 --> 00:53:44.509
What will happen to the people,
the Wintu people, for ceremony,
00:53:44.510 --> 00:53:48.379
and for going on?
00:53:48.380 --> 00:53:49.000
FLORENCE JONES:
00:53:49.001 --> 00:53:54.229
That\'s when we have to
pray a little bit harder.
00:53:54.230 --> 00:53:59.999
Maybe someday they\'ll see
the light and see the good
00:54:00.000 --> 00:54:03.499
and the beautiful
world in nature.
00:54:03.500 --> 00:54:06.789
They might wake up
and see all that.
00:54:06.790 --> 00:54:10.029
Somebody\'s got to
do that, somewhere.
00:54:10.030 --> 00:54:16.720
We all can\'t just
be dumb and die.
00:54:20.450 --> 00:54:20.950
NARRATOR:
00:54:20.951 --> 00:54:23.259
Indians and
environmentalists were
00:54:23.260 --> 00:54:25.929
allies against the ski resort.
00:54:25.930 --> 00:54:28.239
Faced with lawsuits
and protests,
00:54:28.240 --> 00:54:31.239
the Forest Supervisor agreed
to meet with the Wintu
00:54:31.240 --> 00:54:33.219
at their summer camp
below the mountain.
00:54:33.220 --> 00:54:33.800
KATHY HAMMOND:
00:54:33.801 --> 00:54:36.489
We said that we thought
it was appropriate to have
00:54:36.490 --> 00:54:37.440
a ski area there.
00:54:37.441 --> 00:54:40.199
So, the Forest Service
went out with what
00:54:40.200 --> 00:54:41.859
we call a \"prospectus.\"
00:54:41.860 --> 00:54:44.779
And the people bid on it,
and then we selected someone.
00:54:44.780 --> 00:54:46.599
So, we are the
ones that said \"We
00:54:46.600 --> 00:54:49.329
think that a ski area
would be appropriate here.\"
00:54:49.330 --> 00:54:50.120
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:54:50.121 --> 00:54:52.849
When those ski runs go in and
those people impact that area,
00:54:52.850 --> 00:54:55.949
and that sewage system is
set, every dollar that you\'re
00:54:55.950 --> 00:54:59.169
putting in to restoring
that area, that\'s nothing.
00:54:59.170 --> 00:55:03.199
That\'s almost a distraction
from the real problem of what\'s
00:55:03.200 --> 00:55:04.509
going to happen to the spring.
00:55:04.510 --> 00:55:05.090
KATHY HAMMOND:
00:55:05.091 --> 00:55:08.339
We made a decision to do
it, we can\'t simply undo it.
00:55:08.340 --> 00:55:10.349
We\'ve spent 10
years or so on this.
00:55:10.350 --> 00:55:11.859
We were asked to
analyze something
00:55:11.860 --> 00:55:14.429
we hadn\'t done before, and
we\'re doing that, in good faith.
00:55:14.430 --> 00:55:15.060
FLORENCE JONES:
00:55:15.061 --> 00:55:17.309
What gets me and
hurts my heart is
00:55:17.310 --> 00:55:20.529
that you people allow
all Tom Dick and Harry
00:55:20.530 --> 00:55:22.589
to come into my church.
00:55:22.590 --> 00:55:24.399
That\'s what I\'m asking.
00:55:24.400 --> 00:55:28.919
How could you keep
them out of our church?
00:55:28.920 --> 00:55:29.500
KATHY HAMMOND:
00:55:29.501 --> 00:55:33.959
The only way I can keep
people out of that spot
00:55:33.960 --> 00:55:37.219
is to say that
because of the damage
00:55:37.220 --> 00:55:43.049
to the plants, the damage to the
rocks, the damage to the water,
00:55:43.050 --> 00:55:48.919
nobody goes in there.
00:55:48.920 --> 00:55:49.540
FLORENCE JONES:
00:55:49.541 --> 00:55:52.859
They did everything under
the sun to ruin that place.
00:55:52.860 --> 00:55:55.329
They detaminated my spring.
00:55:55.330 --> 00:55:55.910
KATHY HAMMOND:
00:55:55.910 --> 00:55:56.600
Yes, yes.
00:55:56.601 --> 00:55:58.979
I\'m trying to work on this.
00:55:58.980 --> 00:56:02.649
That\'s what I think,
I\'m trying to figure out
00:56:02.650 --> 00:56:06.909
a way that I can keep
everybody else out and still
00:56:06.910 --> 00:56:09.389
allow for your ceremony.
00:56:09.390 --> 00:56:13.509
But I don\'t, I can\'t
break the law...
00:56:13.510 --> 00:56:15.739
Because it\'s public land.
00:56:15.740 --> 00:56:16.280
LEONA BARNES:
00:56:16.281 --> 00:56:18.159
This is sacred ground.
00:56:18.160 --> 00:56:20.649
And Mother Earth is.
00:56:20.650 --> 00:56:23.279
And we gotta respect it.
00:56:23.280 --> 00:56:26.299
And I\'d like to see it go on.
00:56:26.300 --> 00:56:28.759
I want these little
people to know
00:56:28.760 --> 00:56:34.189
what their great-grandfather
and their people done.
00:56:34.190 --> 00:56:38.029
So they can carry it
on when they get older.
00:56:38.030 --> 00:56:46.030
I don\'t want to see it die out.
00:56:49.740 --> 00:56:50.240
JIM AYER:
00:56:50.240 --> 00:56:51.160
It\'s a wonderful area.
00:56:51.161 --> 00:56:53.569
When you get up
there and it\'s just
00:56:53.570 --> 00:56:56.109
so pristine, and so beautiful,
and you can ski over
00:56:56.110 --> 00:56:59.899
to areas and just sit there,
and listen and watch and see
00:56:59.900 --> 00:57:01.439
nothing for hundreds of miles.
00:57:01.440 --> 00:57:02.939
There\'s just nothing like it.
00:57:02.940 --> 00:57:05.869
We can offer that to a lot
of people that could never
00:57:05.870 --> 00:57:07.879
experience that anyplace else.
00:57:07.880 --> 00:57:09.539
And it could help
us financially,
00:57:09.540 --> 00:57:11.439
locally for a lot
of people, too.
00:57:11.440 --> 00:57:12.230
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:57:12.231 --> 00:57:17.230
When you look at the land, what
is the first thing people see?
00:57:20.920 --> 00:57:22.849
How they can make money on it.
00:57:22.850 --> 00:57:28.299
So it\'s money, or
learning how to value
00:57:28.300 --> 00:57:30.469
what looks like nothing.
00:57:30.470 --> 00:57:31.849
\'Cause when the
people came here,
00:57:31.850 --> 00:57:33.509
they said, \"Look at
the Indians, they\'ve
00:57:33.510 --> 00:57:34.739
done nothing with this land.\"
00:57:34.740 --> 00:57:39.219
Well, in our world view
it\'s like, that\'s great.
00:57:39.220 --> 00:57:46.149
It looks so natural, that\'s
the way it\'s supposed to be!
00:57:46.150 --> 00:57:46.650
JIM AYER:
00:57:46.651 --> 00:57:48.679
The environmental
movement, whether anybody
00:57:48.680 --> 00:57:52.459
wants to see it or not,
is a movement of religion.
00:57:52.460 --> 00:57:56.399
It\'s a movement of
respecting Mother Earth as
00:57:56.400 --> 00:57:59.129
opposed to the God of the
universe who, I believe,
00:57:59.130 --> 00:58:01.019
created all things.
00:58:01.020 --> 00:58:02.389
And how can you fight religion?
00:58:02.390 --> 00:58:04.069
How can you go against religion?
00:58:04.070 --> 00:58:12.070
You know, that\'s a bad thing.
00:58:12.220 --> 00:58:12.720
STORYTELLER:
00:58:12.721 --> 00:58:15.719
Before there was a visible
world, spirit beings roamed.
00:58:15.720 --> 00:58:20.359
To choose what physical
form each spirit would take,
00:58:20.360 --> 00:58:22.529
Creator called them
to his home on Mt.
00:58:22.530 --> 00:58:23.609
Shasta.
00:58:23.610 --> 00:58:26.939
One became Eagle and flew off.
00:58:26.940 --> 00:58:30.349
Another chose Bear
and walked away.
00:58:30.350 --> 00:58:33.329
Sunflower took root in
the mountain meadow.
00:58:33.330 --> 00:58:36.719
All but one anxious
spirit had chosen.
00:58:36.720 --> 00:58:39.049
Creator was tired of waiting.
00:58:39.050 --> 00:58:43.469
Finally the little being
said: \"I\'m gonna be a human!\"
00:58:43.470 --> 00:58:46.139
and ran down the mountain.
00:58:46.140 --> 00:58:50.729
Creator thought, \"Hmmm, that
one\'s going to need help.\"
00:58:50.730 --> 00:58:53.769
So he called back the water
spirit, the fire spirit
00:58:53.770 --> 00:58:56.059
and the mountain
spirits and asked
00:58:56.060 --> 00:58:58.799
them to take care of
this little human,
00:58:58.800 --> 00:59:01.081
because he doesn\'t
know his purpose.
00:59:03.880 --> 00:59:04.380
NARRATOR:
00:59:04.381 --> 00:59:09.859
Backed by the Bible,
American pioneers
00:59:09.860 --> 00:59:13.679
once condemned tribal
religions as pagan.
00:59:13.680 --> 00:59:16.349
A century later,
their descendants
00:59:16.350 --> 00:59:18.999
imitate Indian rituals.
00:59:19.000 --> 00:59:22.979
The Harmonic Convergence
in 1987 turned Mt.
00:59:22.980 --> 00:59:25.859
Shasta into a mecca
for the New Age.
00:59:25.860 --> 00:59:28.829
Every summer day,
the Winnemem Wintu
00:59:28.830 --> 00:59:31.870
are outnumbered by other
celebrants at Panther Meadows.
00:59:34.130 --> 00:59:34.710
ROWENA KRYDER:
00:59:34.711 --> 00:59:38.639
Wherever truth is
running as a spring,
00:59:38.640 --> 00:59:40.739
that\'s what I\'m interested in.
00:59:40.740 --> 00:59:44.509
And, it doesn\'t really matter
what culture it\'s coming from,
00:59:44.510 --> 00:59:47.109
or whether it\'s
indigenous or not.
00:59:47.110 --> 00:59:50.999
When people are drawn
to a sacred place,
00:59:51.000 --> 00:59:55.929
I feel the need to allow
space for inspiration,
00:59:55.930 --> 00:59:58.729
for a person coming
from wherever.
00:59:58.730 --> 00:59:59.520
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
00:59:59.521 --> 01:00:03.259
It\'s a free country, right?
01:00:03.260 --> 01:00:08.019
It\'s a free country, and
all of the land out there
01:00:08.020 --> 01:00:10.469
that\'s where you can
express your freedom.
01:00:10.470 --> 01:00:11.010
CHRIS PETERS:
01:00:11.011 --> 01:00:15.139
A lot of the New Age begins
to look to traditional native
01:00:15.140 --> 01:00:19.119
or traditional indigenous
peoples for some answers
01:00:19.120 --> 01:00:22.399
to their own
spiritual bankruptcy,
01:00:22.400 --> 01:00:26.869
to their own need for their
own self-gratification.
01:00:26.870 --> 01:00:30.879
In an effort to find
themselves they\'re
01:00:30.880 --> 01:00:33.669
appropriating a lot of
native belief systems,
01:00:33.670 --> 01:00:36.929
to plug into it on the
weekend, only to get
01:00:36.930 --> 01:00:40.549
a feeling for themselves alone.
01:00:40.550 --> 01:00:42.449
They fill an emptiness.
01:00:42.450 --> 01:00:43.030
ROWENA KRYDER:
01:00:43.031 --> 01:00:49.389
To me, the spiritual lineage
has as much importance
01:00:49.390 --> 01:00:50.979
as the blood lineage.
01:00:50.980 --> 01:00:54.109
I feel I\'ve been
Native American,
01:00:54.110 --> 01:00:58.189
I feel I\'ve been black, I know
I\'ve been Chinese, Egyptian...
01:00:58.190 --> 01:00:59.630
Many, many different things.
01:01:02.070 --> 01:01:03.030
RAINBOW PEOPLE SINGING:
01:01:03.031 --> 01:01:05.719
We are one with each other.
01:01:05.720 --> 01:01:12.639
We are one with each other
like the infant and the mother
01:01:12.640 --> 01:01:16.819
we are one, we are
one with each other.
01:01:16.820 --> 01:01:20.189
We are one with the heartbeat...
01:01:20.190 --> 01:01:20.980
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
01:01:20.981 --> 01:01:25.679
That area right
there is our church,
01:01:25.680 --> 01:01:28.639
and this is how you
behave in our church.
01:01:28.640 --> 01:01:31.639
But they believe that
it\'s as much theirs
01:01:31.640 --> 01:01:34.259
as anybody\'s because
it\'s out here.
01:01:34.260 --> 01:01:36.879
If we built a building
around it and said,
01:01:36.880 --> 01:01:40.019
\"This is our building,
and inside this building
01:01:40.020 --> 01:01:43.349
is our sacred spring, and
this is how you behave in it,\"
01:01:43.350 --> 01:01:45.769
then maybe they would,
because then they
01:01:45.770 --> 01:01:49.819
can see the boundaries
of what is ours.
01:01:49.820 --> 01:01:54.469
Just like we couldn\'t walk into
the Catholic church and say,
01:01:54.470 --> 01:01:57.099
\"Hey, I think we should
have a little fire right
01:01:57.100 --> 01:01:58.349
here because that\'s our way.
01:01:58.350 --> 01:02:00.869
We need a fire, that\'s
a sacred thing.\"
01:02:00.870 --> 01:02:03.330
That would ruin
the church, right?
01:02:05.400 --> 01:02:05.980
JULIE CASSIDY:
01:02:05.981 --> 01:02:07.399
Hi, I really like your music.
01:02:07.400 --> 01:02:08.010
It\'s great.
01:02:08.010 --> 01:02:08.018
SHARON HEYWOOD:
01:02:08.019 --> 01:02:08.490
Very nice.
01:02:08.490 --> 01:02:08.498
JULIE
01:02:08.499 --> 01:02:09.669
CASSIDY: It\'s very soothing.
01:02:09.670 --> 01:02:10.670
Good drums.
01:02:10.670 --> 01:02:11.300
SHARON HEYWOOD:
01:02:11.301 --> 01:02:12.569
Yeah, good drummer.
01:02:12.570 --> 01:02:16.549
So you know this area is
sacred to the Wintu tribe?
01:02:16.550 --> 01:02:17.170
RAINBOW PEOPLE:
01:02:17.171 --> 01:02:18.949
Well, it feels very sacred.
01:02:18.950 --> 01:02:20.829
Tell us about the Wintu tribe.
01:02:20.830 --> 01:02:21.410
JULIE CASSIDY:
01:02:21.411 --> 01:02:23.909
Florence Jones,
she\'s a shaman, she\'s
01:02:23.910 --> 01:02:26.929
one of the last native
speakers of the Wintu.
01:02:26.930 --> 01:02:28.859
They never camped here at all.
01:02:28.860 --> 01:02:31.099
They came up here
for ceremonies,
01:02:31.100 --> 01:02:33.389
and they\'ve told us
some of the things
01:02:33.390 --> 01:02:36.389
that they have a hard time with,
and that\'s nudity, when people
01:02:36.390 --> 01:02:38.409
are nude here, which is often.
01:02:38.410 --> 01:02:39.669
I mean totally nude.
01:02:39.670 --> 01:02:40.879
Sunbathing.
01:02:40.880 --> 01:02:42.919
Because it offends...
it\'s like their church.
01:02:42.920 --> 01:02:45.309
So, like if you walked
into their church nude...
01:02:45.310 --> 01:02:45.940
SHARON HEYWOOD:
01:02:45.941 --> 01:02:50.239
The area means things,
has a symbolism,
01:02:50.240 --> 01:02:54.939
that it\'s difficult for me as a
Westerner to really comprehend.
01:02:54.940 --> 01:02:57.699
But I think Julie\'s description
of it as her church...
01:02:57.700 --> 01:02:59.069
If you think of wherever
your church might be,
01:02:59.070 --> 01:02:59.590
whatever it\'s like...
01:02:59.590 --> 01:03:00.170
JULIE CASSIDY:
01:03:00.171 --> 01:03:01.519
Which might be here, right here.
01:03:01.520 --> 01:03:02.140
SHARON HEYWOOD:
01:03:02.141 --> 01:03:04.459
If somebody desecrated that...
01:03:04.460 --> 01:03:05.080
RAINBOW PEOPLE:
01:03:05.081 --> 01:03:06.819
But how would being
nude be desecrating it?
01:03:06.820 --> 01:03:08.149
Yeah, nudity is no desecration!
01:03:08.150 --> 01:03:08.158
SHARON HEYWOOD:
01:03:08.159 --> 01:03:09.169
To her, see, it is.
01:03:09.170 --> 01:03:09.670
But...
01:03:09.670 --> 01:03:09.678
RAINBOW PEOPLE:
01:03:09.679 --> 01:03:12.069
Those are barriers
that she has... blocks...
01:03:12.070 --> 01:03:14.449
If a little child walks
to the spring and takes some
01:03:14.450 --> 01:03:14.950
water...
01:03:14.951 --> 01:03:16.139
That\'s not our blocks...
01:03:16.140 --> 01:03:17.289
That child is innocent.
01:03:17.290 --> 01:03:17.870
JULIE CASSIDY:
01:03:17.871 --> 01:03:20.289
Well. their tradition is not
to bring any children up here
01:03:20.290 --> 01:03:23.299
\'cause they think the
spring is too powerful.
01:03:23.300 --> 01:03:23.920
RAINBOW PEOPLE:
01:03:23.921 --> 01:03:25.999
Well, we definitely feel
the sacredness of it,
01:03:26.000 --> 01:03:28.349
and we want to treat it
with that sacredness,
01:03:28.350 --> 01:03:31.289
and live in that ceremonial way
that the Native Americans did.
01:03:31.290 --> 01:03:33.989
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO::
01:03:33.990 --> 01:03:36.519
Now there are masses
of populations
01:03:36.520 --> 01:03:39.179
that are coming through
with no direction.
01:03:39.180 --> 01:03:41.629
I mean there are
so many churches,
01:03:41.630 --> 01:03:45.419
it\'s like going down a cereal
aisle at the supermarket.
01:03:45.420 --> 01:03:46.940
It\'s like, what do you choose?
01:03:54.450 --> 01:04:02.450
What are you gonna be?
01:04:06.610 --> 01:04:11.829
And y\'know, there\'s
only one box of Wintu.
01:04:11.830 --> 01:04:12.450
FLORENCE JONES:
01:04:12.451 --> 01:04:15.659
Go back to nature, the
most important thing
01:04:15.660 --> 01:04:18.599
for a human being is
go back to nature.
01:04:18.600 --> 01:04:26.600
From nature takes care of your
mind and your heart and soul.
01:04:29.450 --> 01:04:29.950
NARRATOR:
01:04:29.951 --> 01:04:34.239
Every August, the Wintu
return to Panther Meadows.
01:04:34.240 --> 01:04:38.199
Florence Jones doctors
the people, the spring,
01:04:38.200 --> 01:04:40.759
and the mountain itself
with prayers and songs.
01:04:40.760 --> 01:04:41.550
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
01:04:41.551 --> 01:04:46.589
The Forest Service is
probably, in their own way,
01:04:46.590 --> 01:04:50.179
waiting for Grams and Emerson
to be out of the picture.
01:04:50.180 --> 01:04:54.039
And then all of us young looking
people, they\'re going to say,
01:04:54.040 --> 01:04:56.859
\"You people don\'t have no right
here, you\'re just young people,
01:04:56.860 --> 01:05:01.689
you don\'t know the old ways.\"
01:05:01.690 --> 01:05:03.139
But what are we gonna do?
01:05:03.140 --> 01:05:06.469
How are we gonna win this?
01:05:06.470 --> 01:05:07.670
What have we gotta do?
01:05:10.350 --> 01:05:17.559
Is this so much to ask for, this
place, this spot, this spring?
01:05:17.560 --> 01:05:20.049
There are many springs
on this mountain.
01:05:20.050 --> 01:05:24.239
Why can\'t those people go there?
01:05:24.240 --> 01:05:26.640
There\'s a lot of snow
on this mountain.
01:05:28.790 --> 01:05:31.209
There\'s a lot of other
mountains with snow on it.
01:05:31.210 --> 01:05:34.170
Why can\'t those people with
the need to ski go there?
01:05:41.520 --> 01:05:42.310
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
01:05:42.311 --> 01:05:47.139
We believe that there is a
spiritual world out there that
01:05:47.140 --> 01:05:52.419
is more knowing than we are and
has been put there by Creator
01:05:52.420 --> 01:05:55.189
to help when they can.
01:05:55.190 --> 01:06:00.089
It would be like, if you\'re in
trouble or something happens
01:06:00.090 --> 01:06:02.909
to you, and you start calling
for your mom even though
01:06:02.910 --> 01:06:05.559
she\'s nowhere around
that could hear you,
01:06:05.560 --> 01:06:07.160
and you start calling for her...
01:06:09.880 --> 01:06:10.670
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
01:06:10.671 --> 01:06:14.770
Sometimes women can
actually hear that child.
01:06:16.580 --> 01:06:17.370
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
01:06:17.371 --> 01:06:25.371
For Wintus, that is our
Mother, and if you want help,
01:06:32.450 --> 01:06:40.450
you start calling for those
helpers or that spring
01:06:43.000 --> 01:06:48.729
to come and help you.
01:06:48.730 --> 01:06:49.350
FLORENCE JONES:
01:06:49.351 --> 01:06:57.351
Is it morning?
01:07:18.950 --> 01:07:20.019
I\'m through.
01:07:20.020 --> 01:07:24.959
I hope all of you
people that\'s here,
01:07:24.960 --> 01:07:30.509
your hearts\'ll settle and
have a good, clear mind.
01:07:30.510 --> 01:07:36.869
Change all your bad
habits to the good.
01:07:36.870 --> 01:07:38.479
You all understand?
01:07:38.480 --> 01:07:42.139
I hope all of you do.
01:07:42.140 --> 01:07:46.230
Because in spirit I want to
see all of you people again.
01:07:48.970 --> 01:07:50.669
So we\'ll adjourn.
01:07:50.670 --> 01:07:51.290
SHARON HEYWOOD:
01:07:51.291 --> 01:07:59.291
When I went to the place where
the ski area would actually be,
01:08:00.390 --> 01:08:04.819
what became apparent
was they could
01:08:04.820 --> 01:08:09.739
see a part of the ski area,
and even if they couldn\'t
01:08:09.740 --> 01:08:12.859
see a part of the
proposed ski area,
01:08:12.860 --> 01:08:15.309
they would know it was there.
01:08:15.310 --> 01:08:18.139
They would know
that it had impinged
01:08:18.140 --> 01:08:20.979
upon their special place.
01:08:20.980 --> 01:08:25.219
They were looking for a place
where it would be peaceful,
01:08:25.220 --> 01:08:29.609
where it would be quiet, where
they could meditate and commune
01:08:29.610 --> 01:08:31.509
with their creator.
01:08:31.510 --> 01:08:36.399
A ski area with the
attendant traffic,
01:08:36.400 --> 01:08:41.929
noise, people, et cetera,
are just the exact opposite
01:08:41.930 --> 01:08:45.219
of what these people were
saying they needed in order
01:08:45.220 --> 01:08:49.569
to carry out their
traditional activities.
01:08:49.570 --> 01:08:50.070
NARRATOR:
01:08:50.071 --> 01:08:54.089
Supervisor Heywood decided
against a new ski area on Mt.
01:08:54.090 --> 01:08:56.159
Shasta
01:08:56.160 --> 01:08:56.660
JIM AYER:
01:08:56.661 --> 01:08:58.579
Pretty soon we\'re going
to be a country that\'s
01:08:58.580 --> 01:09:01.539
fragmented by every group having
its own little set of rights.
01:09:01.540 --> 01:09:05.009
The pursuit of happiness was
a pursuit of private property,
01:09:05.010 --> 01:09:10.179
and now, that\'s being
eroded, in essence,
01:09:10.180 --> 01:09:11.620
under the guise of religion.
01:09:15.800 --> 01:09:16.590
CALEEN SISK-FRANCO:
01:09:16.591 --> 01:09:21.970
The ruling to not put a ski
area up there was a relief.
01:09:24.760 --> 01:09:27.649
This country\'s one of the
richest countries in the world,
01:09:27.650 --> 01:09:33.019
and to fight against it with
nothing but a belief system,
01:09:33.020 --> 01:09:37.399
I think it\'s an amazing
decision, that they actually
01:09:37.400 --> 01:09:45.400
found cause or
reason not to do it.
01:09:45.680 --> 01:09:46.180
NARRATOR:
01:09:46.181 --> 01:09:51.659
In our common land, we do
not share a common vision.
01:09:51.660 --> 01:09:56.269
What is sacred is elusive,
like a spider web,
01:09:56.270 --> 01:09:58.980
unseen, until it
catches the light.
01:10:02.480 --> 01:10:04.699
Tribal religions
rooted in the land
01:10:04.700 --> 01:10:07.599
have been denied the
religious liberties guaranteed
01:10:07.600 --> 01:10:10.449
all Americans by
the Constitution.
01:10:10.450 --> 01:10:14.569
The American Indian
Religious Freedom Act of 1978
01:10:14.570 --> 01:10:17.519
was an attempt to
redress old wrongs
01:10:17.520 --> 01:10:19.769
and prevent cultural erosion.
01:10:19.770 --> 01:10:23.199
But the law has failed
to save critical sites
01:10:23.200 --> 01:10:24.879
from development.
01:10:24.880 --> 01:10:28.269
Protections granted by
public land managers
01:10:28.270 --> 01:10:32.129
are vulnerable to shifts
in the political winds.
01:10:32.130 --> 01:10:32.880
CHARLES WILKINSON:
01:10:32.881 --> 01:10:35.679
The American Indian
Religious Freedom Act
01:10:35.680 --> 01:10:38.209
is a well meaning act.
01:10:38.210 --> 01:10:41.299
It\'s allowed some
progressive officials
01:10:41.300 --> 01:10:43.119
to protect the old ways.
01:10:43.120 --> 01:10:47.439
But it\'s not the
same as a statute.
01:10:47.440 --> 01:10:51.739
Those places are the
bases of whole societies
01:10:51.740 --> 01:10:54.019
and they deserve
to be protected.
01:10:54.020 --> 01:10:57.839
They\'re worthy of protection...
not as a matter of discretion,
01:10:57.840 --> 01:11:02.749
but as an absolute
matter of right.
01:11:02.750 --> 01:11:03.250
JAN BALSOM:
01:11:03.251 --> 01:11:07.549
When you look at the public
and how they view these places,
01:11:07.550 --> 01:11:10.629
they don\'t necessarily
recognize the significance
01:11:10.630 --> 01:11:15.059
from the American Indian point
of view, they don\'t know.
01:11:15.060 --> 01:11:17.809
But once they are told, once
that\'s explained to them,
01:11:17.810 --> 01:11:22.079
once they\'ve been brought into
understand the significance
01:11:22.080 --> 01:11:27.709
of place, they\'ll respect it.
01:11:27.710 --> 01:11:28.250
VINE DELORIA:
01:11:28.251 --> 01:11:31.659
The attitude of our species
is that this whole thing
01:11:31.660 --> 01:11:33.819
was created for us.
01:11:33.820 --> 01:11:37.929
It has no value
except how we use it.
01:11:37.930 --> 01:11:42.459
The basic problem is that
American society is a \"rights
01:11:42.460 --> 01:11:45.489
society\" not a
\"responsibilities society.\"
01:11:45.490 --> 01:11:48.379
What you got is each
individual saying, \"Well, I
01:11:48.380 --> 01:11:51.079
have a right to do this.\"
01:11:51.080 --> 01:11:53.869
Having religious places,
or revolving your religion
01:11:53.870 --> 01:11:57.089
around that, means
you are always
01:11:57.090 --> 01:11:58.629
in contact with
the earth, you\'re
01:11:58.630 --> 01:12:06.630
responsible for it and to it.
01:12:12.710 --> 01:12:13.210
STORYTELLER:
01:12:13.211 --> 01:12:16.599
Spiderwoman told us, if
we take care of the earth,
01:12:16.600 --> 01:12:20.349
the earth will take care of us.
01:12:20.350 --> 01:12:23.589
Every night, in the
doorway between worlds,
01:12:23.590 --> 01:12:28.180
she repairs her
tattered web, and waits.
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 29 minutes
Date: 2001
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: Grades 9-12, College, Adult
Color/BW:
Closed Captioning: Available
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