Tribal runners brave weather in recognition of sacred sites
Published: July 10, 2008
By WALT COOK
The Union Democrat
While many people sought refuge from Wednesday's heat in air-conditioned buildings, a group of young American Indian runners explored Tuolumne County on foot.
When asked if the heat — hovering around 106 degrees — was an issue, Dominique Calza, one of the runners, said, "We can't get too discouraged, because it's going to get hotter."
And it will.
The group is set to travel south, through Southern California, a slice of Arizona and central Mexico en route toward Panama, where members of more than 200 indigenous North, South and Central American tribes are set to converge as part of the Peace and Dignity Journey 2008.
The run takes place every four years and is dedicated to a specific theme. This year's run is dedicated to Sacred Sites. It began May 1.
The northernmost point the runners begin their journey was Eklutna, Alaska, while the extreme for those in South America was near the southern tip of Argentina at Tierra del Fuego.
Native runners throughout the Americas began in several locations, group members said.
Runners end the day at the headquarters of the tribes whose lands they are passing through, when they can. On Wednesday night, Calza and her fellow runners — Hector Cerda, Francisco Ruiz, Iliana Perez, Enrique Lopez and Arrow Montgomery — were set to spend the night at the Tuolumne Rancheria, home of the Tuolumne Band of Me-Wuk Indians, before hitting the blacktop again.
Montgomery said the group — which could be seen along Tuolumne Road about 6 p.m. — covered about 100 miles on Wednesday. The group traveled in a white van and alternated the footwork duties, with each person running various legs of the day's route.
Most of the group began running in California. Calza started the journey in Alaska, picking up others along the way.
Contact Walt Cook at wcook@uniondemocrat.com or 588-4530.
http://www.uniondemocrat.com:80/news/story.cfm?story_no=27050
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Forest Service won't OK conveyor at AZ Snowbowl
Forest Service won't OK conveyor at AZ Snowbowl
Associated Press - July 9, 2008 2:04 PM ET
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - The U.S. Forest Service has denied a request from the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort to build a conveyor belt to bring beginning skiers to the top of a practice slope.
A letter from Coconino National Forest supervisor Nora Rasure to the resort says she won't approve the plan unless the courts allow snowmaking and other improvements at Snowbowl.
A suit trying to block the Snowbowl's efforts to add snowmaking using reclaimed wastewater is being considered by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Indian tribes sued to block the expansion, saying it would intrude on their ability to worship on the San Francisco Peaks. The appeals court heard arguments in December, but has not issued a decision.
Information from: Arizona Daily Sun, http://www.azdailysun.com/
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Associated Press - July 9, 2008 2:04 PM ET
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - The U.S. Forest Service has denied a request from the Arizona Snowbowl ski resort to build a conveyor belt to bring beginning skiers to the top of a practice slope.
A letter from Coconino National Forest supervisor Nora Rasure to the resort says she won't approve the plan unless the courts allow snowmaking and other improvements at Snowbowl.
A suit trying to block the Snowbowl's efforts to add snowmaking using reclaimed wastewater is being considered by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
Indian tribes sued to block the expansion, saying it would intrude on their ability to worship on the San Francisco Peaks. The appeals court heard arguments in December, but has not issued a decision.
Information from: Arizona Daily Sun, http://www.azdailysun.com/
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Human skull reburied at Oceano Dunes in ceremony
Human skull reburied at Oceano Dunes in ceremony
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
(07-09) 09:30 PDT OCEANO, CA (AP) --
A human skull and jawbone discovered last week in the Oceano Dunes of San Luis Obispo County have been reburied in a private Native American religious ceremony.
State Parks Department officials said Tuesday a biologist studying birds in the remote area found the bones July 1. The remains were reburied in the sand the next day.
The uncovered bones, plus an arrowhead, are believed to be the remains of a Native American buried there thousands of years ago.
Oceano Dunes deputy district superintendent Rey Monge says following the discovery local officials contacted the California Native American Heritage Commission, which decided the skull should be reburied.
A person believed to be the remains' closest living descendant was contacted and performed the ceremony.
http://www.sfgate.com:80/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/09/state/n093023D55.DTL&type=science
In peace & solidarity,
Tamra Brennan
Founder/Director
Protect Sacred Sites Indigenous People, One Nation
www.protectsacredsites.org
www.protectbearbutte.com
"Our sacred lands are all that remain keeping us connected to our place on Mother Earth, to our spirituality, our heritage and our lands; what’s left of them. If they take it all away, what will remain except a vague memory of a past so forgotten?"
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
(07-09) 09:30 PDT OCEANO, CA (AP) --
A human skull and jawbone discovered last week in the Oceano Dunes of San Luis Obispo County have been reburied in a private Native American religious ceremony.
State Parks Department officials said Tuesday a biologist studying birds in the remote area found the bones July 1. The remains were reburied in the sand the next day.
The uncovered bones, plus an arrowhead, are believed to be the remains of a Native American buried there thousands of years ago.
Oceano Dunes deputy district superintendent Rey Monge says following the discovery local officials contacted the California Native American Heritage Commission, which decided the skull should be reburied.
A person believed to be the remains' closest living descendant was contacted and performed the ceremony.
http://www.sfgate.com:80/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2008/07/09/state/n093023D55.DTL&type=science
In peace & solidarity,
Tamra Brennan
Founder/Director
Protect Sacred Sites Indigenous People, One Nation
www.protectsacredsites.org
www.protectbearbutte.com
"Our sacred lands are all that remain keeping us connected to our place on Mother Earth, to our spirituality, our heritage and our lands; what’s left of them. If they take it all away, what will remain except a vague memory of a past so forgotten?"
Monday, July 7, 2008
Sealaska looks to legislation to help settle long-standing land claims
Sealaska looks to legislation to help settle long-standing land claims
Anne Sutton/The Associated Press
Published Saturday, July 5, 2008
JUNEAU — An Alaska Native corporation will receive tens of thousands of acres of federally owned land — including prime timberlands and sacred tribal sites — under legislation being advanced by U.S. Rep. Don Young.
Sealaska Corp., which represents 17,000 shareholders across Southeast Alaska and beyond, claims it was shorted of land given to the other 11 Alaska-based regional Native corporations under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. A 13th regional corporation, based in Seattle, did not receive any land.
Under Young’s bill, the corporation will pick and choose about 125 square miles from public lands across the region, bypassing a pool of land already set aside for the purpose — some of which is marine waters.
The land deal has upset some Southeast Alaska Natives, communities and sawmill operators, and corporate officers with Sealaska are busy — holding more than 150 meetings across the region so far — trying to smooth the way for its passage.
Hoonah tribal members worry about Sealaska’s interest in a dozen cultural sites in Glacier Bay National Park, which is the ancestral home of the Hoonah people. In Sitka, residents were alarmed to see several sites selected for small enterprise development where locals like to hunt and recreate. Sawmill operators near Thorne Bay fear the transfer of what are now federal timberlands will put a squeeze on the amount of logs available for local mills.
Some of the dozens of small selections were just puzzling.
Hoonah Indian Association Executive Director Johanna Dybdahl wonders why Sealaska would want a few remote acres at Neka Bay, some 20 miles across Port Fredrick from the village of Hoonah.
“It was probably a potato garden once, a family potato garden. I’m just not sure what their criteria is,” Dybdahl said.
Thirty-seven years ago, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act awarded Alaska Natives nearly $1 billion and 44 million acres of land and created 13 Native corporations to manage the funds and land for their shareholders.
The Juneau-based regional corporation came up short in the deal, in part because Southeast Alaska tribes had earlier received a cash payment for lands previously taken to create the Tongass National Forest and Glacier Bay National Park.
Most parties agree with Sealaska that the money did not adequately compensate its shareholders for the subsequent shortfall in lands and resources.
But claiming the rest of their federally owned lands has become a problem. Sealaska said the lands still available under the settlement are not economic — 44 percent is even under water.
Young said his bill will resolve the issue by allowing the company to choose lands outside the boundaries established in the 1971 settlement.
“This is an attempt to solve a problem and keep everybody happy in the sense that they need a future in their land selections,” the Republican congressman said.
Rosita Worl, chairwoman of the Sealaska lands committee, said the corporation is working to address concerns while developing a plan that not only benefits its shareholders but protects Native cultural values and contributes to sustainable economies in the region.
“We wanted to look at how do we sustain ourselves for the next 10,000 years like our ancestors did," Worl said. “We were thinking on a broad scale when we started to look at our lands.”
The legislation sets up three categories of conveyances including up to 5.6 square miles of sacred and cultural sites — in Glacier Bay they range from five to 13 acres — and up to 7.8 square miles of ’Native enterprise sites’ that could be developed for recreation and tourism. The rest would be broader swaths of resource development lands, such as Prince of Wales Island timberlands.
Once the lands are transferred to Sealaska, the bill would allow the original available pool of land to revert to U.S. Forest Service management.
Federal land managers have concerns about the proposed changes to public lands.
“I think our biggest concern is the implication of removing sites from a national park. That’s kind of major,” said Glacier Bay Superintendent Cherry Payne.
Payne also pointed to the Department of Interior’s written testimony at a November bill hearing in the House Resources Committee, which warned against setting “undesirable precedents” and said the time and cost of processing the transfer of many small parcels would be significant.
Worl said Sealaska no longer wants to claim ownership of the park sites but instead wants to forge a cooperative management plan with the park service for both protection of sacred sites and possible tourism development on the other cultural and archaeological sites.
The vast majority of the selections are in the Tongass National Forest. Tongass Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole said the land acquisition could help insure that Sealaska remains an economic force in the region, although he can’t take a stand on the legislation.
“It’s not my call. The Bush Administration will decide if it’s signed into law or not," Cole said.
The forest service clearly is concerned, however. An analysis in a recent Tongass environmental study said the bill’s sweeping changes in land use designations could result in a net loss of conservation areas, old growth reserves and the amount of timber available for sale, and it almost certainly would trigger another prolonged management plan revision.
The analysis also said the lands that would revert to the forest service don’t have roads and would be expensive to log. That, combined with other impacts on logging, could slash the federal timber supply for local mills. Sealaska sells its logs to Asian markets, which is more profitable than the local market.
Sealaska has held several well-attended meetings with Prince of Wales mill operators, which participants have described as tense.
Karen Petersen, co-chairwoman of a task force representing more than dozen mill owners, said they agree Sealaska is due its land selections, but not at the expense of the local timber industry.
Mill operators want to be assured an adequate timber supply, but Native corporation officials were not encouraging, she said.
“The bottom line is we didn’t get a clear answer from them. They weren’t helpful,” Petersen said.
Other meetings have gone better for Sealaska. The Sitka Tribe of Alaska wrote the city a letter of support for the legislation after meeting with corporate officials.
Tribal council member Mike Miller said Sealaska was able to soothe concerns by assuring the tribe that Sitka cultural areas were off limits to logging and mining and that tribal members would be involved in any tourism development on the lands.
“The biggest concern was just involvement of the local tribe in developing policy for use of the lands. Inherently there’s already a big level of involvement because most of the tribal members are Sealaska shareholders as well,” Miller said.
The Hoonah Indian Association board of directors hasn’t met with Sealaska yet but Dybdahl is hoping they, too, can come to terms on co-managing Glacier Bay lands that are of special importance to the tribe.
Even though many Hoonah tribal members are also Sealaska shareholders, hard feelings linger over Sealaska’s extensive clear cutting of forests on corporate lands surrounding the village. Dybdahl said it didn’t help for the board to first learn about the legislation from the park service.
“Our board was stunned when we first heard about it this spring. We live in these villages, this is our home and it’s difficult when we can’t have a say when things are done in our back yard,” Dybdahl said.
Worl said more meetings are planned, including with the Hoonah tribe. In the meantime, she said Sealaska is working closely with U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to draft what they hope is a final version of the bill while gathering bipartisan support in Congress for its passage this session.
Murkowski did not respond to requests for an interview, and her office would only say that they are taking a “good look” at companion legislation.
http://newsminer.com:80/news/2008/jul/05/sealaska-looks-legislation-help-settle-long-standi/
In peace & solidarity,
Tamra Brennan
Founder/Director
Protect Sacred Sites Indigenous People, One Nation
www.protectsacredsites.org
www.protectbearbutte.com
"Our sacred lands are all that remain keeping us connected to our place on Mother Earth, to our spirituality, our heritage and our lands; what’s left of them. If they take it all away, what will remain except a vague memory of a past so forgotten?"
Anne Sutton/The Associated Press
Published Saturday, July 5, 2008
JUNEAU — An Alaska Native corporation will receive tens of thousands of acres of federally owned land — including prime timberlands and sacred tribal sites — under legislation being advanced by U.S. Rep. Don Young.
Sealaska Corp., which represents 17,000 shareholders across Southeast Alaska and beyond, claims it was shorted of land given to the other 11 Alaska-based regional Native corporations under the 1971 Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. A 13th regional corporation, based in Seattle, did not receive any land.
Under Young’s bill, the corporation will pick and choose about 125 square miles from public lands across the region, bypassing a pool of land already set aside for the purpose — some of which is marine waters.
The land deal has upset some Southeast Alaska Natives, communities and sawmill operators, and corporate officers with Sealaska are busy — holding more than 150 meetings across the region so far — trying to smooth the way for its passage.
Hoonah tribal members worry about Sealaska’s interest in a dozen cultural sites in Glacier Bay National Park, which is the ancestral home of the Hoonah people. In Sitka, residents were alarmed to see several sites selected for small enterprise development where locals like to hunt and recreate. Sawmill operators near Thorne Bay fear the transfer of what are now federal timberlands will put a squeeze on the amount of logs available for local mills.
Some of the dozens of small selections were just puzzling.
Hoonah Indian Association Executive Director Johanna Dybdahl wonders why Sealaska would want a few remote acres at Neka Bay, some 20 miles across Port Fredrick from the village of Hoonah.
“It was probably a potato garden once, a family potato garden. I’m just not sure what their criteria is,” Dybdahl said.
Thirty-seven years ago, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act awarded Alaska Natives nearly $1 billion and 44 million acres of land and created 13 Native corporations to manage the funds and land for their shareholders.
The Juneau-based regional corporation came up short in the deal, in part because Southeast Alaska tribes had earlier received a cash payment for lands previously taken to create the Tongass National Forest and Glacier Bay National Park.
Most parties agree with Sealaska that the money did not adequately compensate its shareholders for the subsequent shortfall in lands and resources.
But claiming the rest of their federally owned lands has become a problem. Sealaska said the lands still available under the settlement are not economic — 44 percent is even under water.
Young said his bill will resolve the issue by allowing the company to choose lands outside the boundaries established in the 1971 settlement.
“This is an attempt to solve a problem and keep everybody happy in the sense that they need a future in their land selections,” the Republican congressman said.
Rosita Worl, chairwoman of the Sealaska lands committee, said the corporation is working to address concerns while developing a plan that not only benefits its shareholders but protects Native cultural values and contributes to sustainable economies in the region.
“We wanted to look at how do we sustain ourselves for the next 10,000 years like our ancestors did," Worl said. “We were thinking on a broad scale when we started to look at our lands.”
The legislation sets up three categories of conveyances including up to 5.6 square miles of sacred and cultural sites — in Glacier Bay they range from five to 13 acres — and up to 7.8 square miles of ’Native enterprise sites’ that could be developed for recreation and tourism. The rest would be broader swaths of resource development lands, such as Prince of Wales Island timberlands.
Once the lands are transferred to Sealaska, the bill would allow the original available pool of land to revert to U.S. Forest Service management.
Federal land managers have concerns about the proposed changes to public lands.
“I think our biggest concern is the implication of removing sites from a national park. That’s kind of major,” said Glacier Bay Superintendent Cherry Payne.
Payne also pointed to the Department of Interior’s written testimony at a November bill hearing in the House Resources Committee, which warned against setting “undesirable precedents” and said the time and cost of processing the transfer of many small parcels would be significant.
Worl said Sealaska no longer wants to claim ownership of the park sites but instead wants to forge a cooperative management plan with the park service for both protection of sacred sites and possible tourism development on the other cultural and archaeological sites.
The vast majority of the selections are in the Tongass National Forest. Tongass Forest Supervisor Forrest Cole said the land acquisition could help insure that Sealaska remains an economic force in the region, although he can’t take a stand on the legislation.
“It’s not my call. The Bush Administration will decide if it’s signed into law or not," Cole said.
The forest service clearly is concerned, however. An analysis in a recent Tongass environmental study said the bill’s sweeping changes in land use designations could result in a net loss of conservation areas, old growth reserves and the amount of timber available for sale, and it almost certainly would trigger another prolonged management plan revision.
The analysis also said the lands that would revert to the forest service don’t have roads and would be expensive to log. That, combined with other impacts on logging, could slash the federal timber supply for local mills. Sealaska sells its logs to Asian markets, which is more profitable than the local market.
Sealaska has held several well-attended meetings with Prince of Wales mill operators, which participants have described as tense.
Karen Petersen, co-chairwoman of a task force representing more than dozen mill owners, said they agree Sealaska is due its land selections, but not at the expense of the local timber industry.
Mill operators want to be assured an adequate timber supply, but Native corporation officials were not encouraging, she said.
“The bottom line is we didn’t get a clear answer from them. They weren’t helpful,” Petersen said.
Other meetings have gone better for Sealaska. The Sitka Tribe of Alaska wrote the city a letter of support for the legislation after meeting with corporate officials.
Tribal council member Mike Miller said Sealaska was able to soothe concerns by assuring the tribe that Sitka cultural areas were off limits to logging and mining and that tribal members would be involved in any tourism development on the lands.
“The biggest concern was just involvement of the local tribe in developing policy for use of the lands. Inherently there’s already a big level of involvement because most of the tribal members are Sealaska shareholders as well,” Miller said.
The Hoonah Indian Association board of directors hasn’t met with Sealaska yet but Dybdahl is hoping they, too, can come to terms on co-managing Glacier Bay lands that are of special importance to the tribe.
Even though many Hoonah tribal members are also Sealaska shareholders, hard feelings linger over Sealaska’s extensive clear cutting of forests on corporate lands surrounding the village. Dybdahl said it didn’t help for the board to first learn about the legislation from the park service.
“Our board was stunned when we first heard about it this spring. We live in these villages, this is our home and it’s difficult when we can’t have a say when things are done in our back yard,” Dybdahl said.
Worl said more meetings are planned, including with the Hoonah tribe. In the meantime, she said Sealaska is working closely with U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, to draft what they hope is a final version of the bill while gathering bipartisan support in Congress for its passage this session.
Murkowski did not respond to requests for an interview, and her office would only say that they are taking a “good look” at companion legislation.
http://newsminer.com:80/news/2008/jul/05/sealaska-looks-legislation-help-settle-long-standi/
In peace & solidarity,
Tamra Brennan
Founder/Director
Protect Sacred Sites Indigenous People, One Nation
www.protectsacredsites.org
www.protectbearbutte.com
"Our sacred lands are all that remain keeping us connected to our place on Mother Earth, to our spirituality, our heritage and our lands; what’s left of them. If they take it all away, what will remain except a vague memory of a past so forgotten?"
Sunday, July 6, 2008
ACTION ALERT: Peabody Coal Wants to Reopen the Black Mesa Mine
ACTION ALERT: Peabody Coal Wants to Reopen the Black Mesa Mine - Comment Letters due by July 7 - Please help!
After a 30-year battle, Nevada's Mohave Power Plant was closed in December 2005 for air quality violations, which stopped the aquifer and spring-destroying coal slurry pipeline and also shut down Peabody's Black Mesa Mine. (Peabody's second stripmine on Black Mesa, the Kayenta Mine, continued operations, and still fuels the Page Power Plant near Lake Powell.) Peabody and the US Office of Surface Mining (OSM) prepared an EIS last year because the Black Mesa Mine has been operating with a temporary permit for 30 years and now has no way to move coal. Peabody and OSM pushed hard for "Alternative A," which would have tapped a new water source, the Coconino Aquifer, near Flagstaff. Public opposition stopped that bad idea. Now, with a new "energy crisis" in full swing, OSM and Peabody have suddenly announced a change in strategy and are pushing to permit and re-open the Black Mesa Mine. The Hopi and Navajo need your comment letter by July 7!
The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) quietly re-activated the Black Mesa Project (BMP) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in May 2008. Most local residents are familiar with and sent 18,000 comments on "Alternative A," but OSM and Peabody have now switched the preferred alternative to Alternative B, which would expand and re-open the Black Mesa Mine, merge it with the Kayenta Mine, and grant Peabody Western Coal Company the right to mine coal in the lease boundary until there is no coal left.
Navajo and Hopi organizations and citizens hosted two town hall meetings on July 1 at the Hopi Veterans Memorial Center and July 2 at the Forest Lake Chapter and voiced strong concerns about resuming of the Black Mesa Project Draft EIS. The Office of Surface Mining declined to attend these community meetings to give people more information about their preferred Alternative B.
OSM has given 45 days for the general public to respond on Alternative B. The deadline for public comments is July 7, 2008.
More information about this topic is available on the following websites:
Black Mesa Water Coalition
Black Mesa Trust
Black Mesa Indigenous Support
Take Action Now!
Please stand up for Black Mesa by doing one or more of the following:
--- Use the letter template and instructions on where to send the letter (found at this link), sign your letter and mail it in! (OSM contact information is also below)
---Type out or hand-write your own letter using the suggested talking points, sign and mail it in!
--- Host a letter writing party! Invite friends and family over to write their own letters using the suggested talking points and sample letter. Provide paper, pens, envelopes and stamps.
--- E-mail comments can be sent to: BMKEIS@osmre.gov
--- Written comments should be mailed to:
Dennis Winterringer, Leader
Black Mesa Project EIS
OSM Western Region
P.O. Box 46667
Denver, Colorado 80201-6667
Thanks very much for your continuing support on this important issue!
After a 30-year battle, Nevada's Mohave Power Plant was closed in December 2005 for air quality violations, which stopped the aquifer and spring-destroying coal slurry pipeline and also shut down Peabody's Black Mesa Mine. (Peabody's second stripmine on Black Mesa, the Kayenta Mine, continued operations, and still fuels the Page Power Plant near Lake Powell.) Peabody and the US Office of Surface Mining (OSM) prepared an EIS last year because the Black Mesa Mine has been operating with a temporary permit for 30 years and now has no way to move coal. Peabody and OSM pushed hard for "Alternative A," which would have tapped a new water source, the Coconino Aquifer, near Flagstaff. Public opposition stopped that bad idea. Now, with a new "energy crisis" in full swing, OSM and Peabody have suddenly announced a change in strategy and are pushing to permit and re-open the Black Mesa Mine. The Hopi and Navajo need your comment letter by July 7!
The Office of Surface Mining (OSM) quietly re-activated the Black Mesa Project (BMP) Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) in May 2008. Most local residents are familiar with and sent 18,000 comments on "Alternative A," but OSM and Peabody have now switched the preferred alternative to Alternative B, which would expand and re-open the Black Mesa Mine, merge it with the Kayenta Mine, and grant Peabody Western Coal Company the right to mine coal in the lease boundary until there is no coal left.
Navajo and Hopi organizations and citizens hosted two town hall meetings on July 1 at the Hopi Veterans Memorial Center and July 2 at the Forest Lake Chapter and voiced strong concerns about resuming of the Black Mesa Project Draft EIS. The Office of Surface Mining declined to attend these community meetings to give people more information about their preferred Alternative B.
OSM has given 45 days for the general public to respond on Alternative B. The deadline for public comments is July 7, 2008.
More information about this topic is available on the following websites:
Black Mesa Water Coalition
Black Mesa Trust
Black Mesa Indigenous Support
Take Action Now!
Please stand up for Black Mesa by doing one or more of the following:
--- Use the letter template and instructions on where to send the letter (found at this link), sign your letter and mail it in! (OSM contact information is also below)
---Type out or hand-write your own letter using the suggested talking points, sign and mail it in!
--- Host a letter writing party! Invite friends and family over to write their own letters using the suggested talking points and sample letter. Provide paper, pens, envelopes and stamps.
--- E-mail comments can be sent to: BMKEIS@osmre.gov
--- Written comments should be mailed to:
Dennis Winterringer, Leader
Black Mesa Project EIS
OSM Western Region
P.O. Box 46667
Denver, Colorado 80201-6667
Thanks very much for your continuing support on this important issue!
Playa Vista: Native American tribe selects new burial ground
Playa Vista: Native American tribe selects new burial ground
Several years after the hallowed burial grounds of a Native American tribe were unceremoniously unearthed on the way to the construction of a residential development in Playa Vista, the caretaker of the tribe's remains has found them a new home.
Like a guide in search of an oasis, Robert Dorame has been tirelessly exploring different sites where his ancestors can be reburied. As the caretaker for the reinterment of his sacred elders' remains, Dorame says selecting the site, as well as preparing them spiritually for their journey home, is a task he takes very seriously.
"The most important thing for me as a most likely descendant, as designated by the Native American Heritage Commission, it is my responsibility to the tribe, to the Indian community at large and to the general public, to make them understand it is very important to us that our ancestors have a peaceful restful place for their repatriation," he said.
The designation "most likely descendant" is a title issued by the commission that empowers Dorame with the discretion to select the final resting place for the remains of his Native American ancestors.
In an exclusive interview with The Argonaut, Dorame was joined by his daughter Mercedes at the site that he has chosen for his ancestor reburial plot of land at the base of Loyola Marymount University, where centuries ago, the Gabrielino/Tongva lived, hunted and fished. After months of meeting with representatives of developer Steven Soboroff, the president of Playa Vista, the process of finding a resting place for Dorame's ancestors has begun to move forward.
There are three stages of preparation in the process, which Dorame has broken down into phases, much like Playa Vista has during its residential and commercial construction. The first two stages involve the spiritual cleansing and assembling of the remains, which are currently in an environmentally controlled trailer on Playa Vista property.
The third phase of the process will be the actual reinterment.
"(Playa Vista) has agreed to work with us jointly on Phase III," said Dorame.
The actual reburial is expected to take place later this summer.
There were four places that could have been chosen for reburial. An area west of Lincoln Boulevard that was Dorame's first choice was no longer available, so he selected the site below the bluffs of Loyola Marymount, in the shadows of Playa Vista.
"It will be a peaceful rest, as long as it proceeds as we have agreed to develop the area for Phase III," said Dorame.
Playa Vista representatives say they plan to continue to cooperate with Dorame in reburying his ancestors.
"We're making excellent progress," said Steven Sugerman, spokesman for Playa Capital.
"We feel that things are going well."
The planned Native American gravesite will be shielded from noise and traffic by a berm and landscaping, says Dorame. While these are not optimal conditions for a final resting place for his ancestors, with the proper cleansing and soil treatment, he feels that his elders can be respectfully laid to rest in this spot.
The terrain, which is now flat, will be rebuilt into a hill.
"We will try to make it as private as possible," Dorame said.
His daughter also approves of the selected site, for the most part.
"I do like the proximity to the original resting place, so in that regard I like it," Mercedes Dorame said. "It's unfortunate that there is a road and homes nearby, but I'm glad that there is land being set aside for this."
The younger Dorame had not been to the selected reburial site since her ancestors were excavated during Playa Vista's Phase I project, and four years later she had a new mindset as she surveyed the area.
"Coming back and seeing the site is quite a different experience," she said.
Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents Playa Vista, has been instrumental in bringing Playa Vista and Dorame together to create a solution for the reinterment of the ancestral remains.
"(Rosendahl) is very interested in how things are proceeding," Dorame said. "He's been like a big brother to me, and he has been very supportive of the entire Indian community."
"Robert has always had my full support in this very spiritual endeavor," the councilman told The Argonaut. "He knows that I am extremely respectful and extremely sensitive to the fact that his ancestors are not at rest, and how important it is to complete this sacred process so that his ancestors can once again be reburied with the utmost respect."
Dorame invited Rosendahl to take part in the cleansing and spiritual ceremonies with the ancestral remains, which is a very private and personal event.
"It was a wonderful experience," Rosendahl recalled. "I have great respect for everyone's ancestors, and I appreciate the fact that Robert invited me to participate in this sacred ritual."
"I'm happy that (Rosendahl) was a part of the process," Dorame added. "It takes people with integrity, a certain individual to stand up for someone else."
The chosen site, which is not far from an original burial ground, will feature Native American monuments that honor the dead. There will be four columns in native basalt stone, with depictions of animals and insects that are important to the Gabrielino culture through pictography, the use of pictorial images.
"I think that works in conjunction very well with the ancestors in honoring them," Dorame said.
"It will not only be a place for prayers, but also a place for honor and respect for the ancestors of the Gabrielinos."
Playa Vista has agreed to pay for the monuments.
"We absolutely will be working with Mr. Dorame on the monuments," Sugerman confirmed.
Mercedes Dorame, who has worked at various Native American reinterment sites, said that she did not expect to be in the position of seeing her ancestors' remains with a new resting place this soon, in light of the fact that the original proposal from Playa Vista called for reinterment after 2010 or 2011.
"It's often a very difficult process, and a very long process that can take years," she explained. "Sometimes it can take 20, 30 years before remains are reinterred."
Her father recalled that there had been resistance from Playa Vista officials in the past regarding his ancestors, and with the assistance of Rosendahl, he is hopeful that that chasm has been repaired.
"Back in January, there was a change of heart with Playa Vista, about the consideration of repatriation of the ancestors," said Dorame. "There was a decision not to prolong it anymore.
"It's been very difficult in the process of dealing with reinterment from the original issue of how we were going to do it, and to no longer prolong it was like a triumph of the spirit," he continued. "It's been very rewarding to have that change of heart and it continues to move along."
Sugerman said that the reburial process can serve as a bridge to prior unpleasantness between the tribe and Playa Vista.
"From day one, we have been trying to be as sensitive to (repatriation of the remains) as we could be," said the Playa Vista spokesman. "We look forward to working with Mr. Dorame to find the best possible solution for everyone."
Rosendahl said he remains committed to seeing Dorame's elders returned to their rightful place.
"I have said before that I will not rest until those sacred ancestors are at rest in their burial ground," said Rosendahl. "I truly believe that we are all connected in this universe, and I will be overjoyed when they are finally at rest."
While Dorame is excited and hopeful about the day that he can fulfill his responsibility and repatriate his elders into hallowed ground, he remains cautious about the ongoing process until that anticipated day arrives.
"Once the repatriation occurs, that's when (Playa Vista's) cooperation will be complete," he said. "That's when we'll finally have closure."
Several years after the hallowed burial grounds of a Native American tribe were unceremoniously unearthed on the way to the construction of a residential development in Playa Vista, the caretaker of the tribe's remains has found them a new home.
Like a guide in search of an oasis, Robert Dorame has been tirelessly exploring different sites where his ancestors can be reburied. As the caretaker for the reinterment of his sacred elders' remains, Dorame says selecting the site, as well as preparing them spiritually for their journey home, is a task he takes very seriously.
"The most important thing for me as a most likely descendant, as designated by the Native American Heritage Commission, it is my responsibility to the tribe, to the Indian community at large and to the general public, to make them understand it is very important to us that our ancestors have a peaceful restful place for their repatriation," he said.
The designation "most likely descendant" is a title issued by the commission that empowers Dorame with the discretion to select the final resting place for the remains of his Native American ancestors.
In an exclusive interview with The Argonaut, Dorame was joined by his daughter Mercedes at the site that he has chosen for his ancestor reburial plot of land at the base of Loyola Marymount University, where centuries ago, the Gabrielino/Tongva lived, hunted and fished. After months of meeting with representatives of developer Steven Soboroff, the president of Playa Vista, the process of finding a resting place for Dorame's ancestors has begun to move forward.
There are three stages of preparation in the process, which Dorame has broken down into phases, much like Playa Vista has during its residential and commercial construction. The first two stages involve the spiritual cleansing and assembling of the remains, which are currently in an environmentally controlled trailer on Playa Vista property.
The third phase of the process will be the actual reinterment.
"(Playa Vista) has agreed to work with us jointly on Phase III," said Dorame.
The actual reburial is expected to take place later this summer.
There were four places that could have been chosen for reburial. An area west of Lincoln Boulevard that was Dorame's first choice was no longer available, so he selected the site below the bluffs of Loyola Marymount, in the shadows of Playa Vista.
"It will be a peaceful rest, as long as it proceeds as we have agreed to develop the area for Phase III," said Dorame.
Playa Vista representatives say they plan to continue to cooperate with Dorame in reburying his ancestors.
"We're making excellent progress," said Steven Sugerman, spokesman for Playa Capital.
"We feel that things are going well."
The planned Native American gravesite will be shielded from noise and traffic by a berm and landscaping, says Dorame. While these are not optimal conditions for a final resting place for his ancestors, with the proper cleansing and soil treatment, he feels that his elders can be respectfully laid to rest in this spot.
The terrain, which is now flat, will be rebuilt into a hill.
"We will try to make it as private as possible," Dorame said.
His daughter also approves of the selected site, for the most part.
"I do like the proximity to the original resting place, so in that regard I like it," Mercedes Dorame said. "It's unfortunate that there is a road and homes nearby, but I'm glad that there is land being set aside for this."
The younger Dorame had not been to the selected reburial site since her ancestors were excavated during Playa Vista's Phase I project, and four years later she had a new mindset as she surveyed the area.
"Coming back and seeing the site is quite a different experience," she said.
Los Angeles City Councilman Bill Rosendahl, who represents Playa Vista, has been instrumental in bringing Playa Vista and Dorame together to create a solution for the reinterment of the ancestral remains.
"(Rosendahl) is very interested in how things are proceeding," Dorame said. "He's been like a big brother to me, and he has been very supportive of the entire Indian community."
"Robert has always had my full support in this very spiritual endeavor," the councilman told The Argonaut. "He knows that I am extremely respectful and extremely sensitive to the fact that his ancestors are not at rest, and how important it is to complete this sacred process so that his ancestors can once again be reburied with the utmost respect."
Dorame invited Rosendahl to take part in the cleansing and spiritual ceremonies with the ancestral remains, which is a very private and personal event.
"It was a wonderful experience," Rosendahl recalled. "I have great respect for everyone's ancestors, and I appreciate the fact that Robert invited me to participate in this sacred ritual."
"I'm happy that (Rosendahl) was a part of the process," Dorame added. "It takes people with integrity, a certain individual to stand up for someone else."
The chosen site, which is not far from an original burial ground, will feature Native American monuments that honor the dead. There will be four columns in native basalt stone, with depictions of animals and insects that are important to the Gabrielino culture through pictography, the use of pictorial images.
"I think that works in conjunction very well with the ancestors in honoring them," Dorame said.
"It will not only be a place for prayers, but also a place for honor and respect for the ancestors of the Gabrielinos."
Playa Vista has agreed to pay for the monuments.
"We absolutely will be working with Mr. Dorame on the monuments," Sugerman confirmed.
Mercedes Dorame, who has worked at various Native American reinterment sites, said that she did not expect to be in the position of seeing her ancestors' remains with a new resting place this soon, in light of the fact that the original proposal from Playa Vista called for reinterment after 2010 or 2011.
"It's often a very difficult process, and a very long process that can take years," she explained. "Sometimes it can take 20, 30 years before remains are reinterred."
Her father recalled that there had been resistance from Playa Vista officials in the past regarding his ancestors, and with the assistance of Rosendahl, he is hopeful that that chasm has been repaired.
"Back in January, there was a change of heart with Playa Vista, about the consideration of repatriation of the ancestors," said Dorame. "There was a decision not to prolong it anymore.
"It's been very difficult in the process of dealing with reinterment from the original issue of how we were going to do it, and to no longer prolong it was like a triumph of the spirit," he continued. "It's been very rewarding to have that change of heart and it continues to move along."
Sugerman said that the reburial process can serve as a bridge to prior unpleasantness between the tribe and Playa Vista.
"From day one, we have been trying to be as sensitive to (repatriation of the remains) as we could be," said the Playa Vista spokesman. "We look forward to working with Mr. Dorame to find the best possible solution for everyone."
Rosendahl said he remains committed to seeing Dorame's elders returned to their rightful place.
"I have said before that I will not rest until those sacred ancestors are at rest in their burial ground," said Rosendahl. "I truly believe that we are all connected in this universe, and I will be overjoyed when they are finally at rest."
While Dorame is excited and hopeful about the day that he can fulfill his responsibility and repatriate his elders into hallowed ground, he remains cautious about the ongoing process until that anticipated day arrives.
"Once the repatriation occurs, that's when (Playa Vista's) cooperation will be complete," he said. "That's when we'll finally have closure."
The state Native American Heritage Commission says it has linked remains to closest descendant
The state Native American Heritage Commission says it has linked remains to closest descendant
The skull believed to have belonged to an American Indian will likely be reburied where it was found at the Oceano Dunes, according to the state Native American Heritage Commission in Sacramento.
The commission was contacted this week by the county Sheriff’s Department after a resource worker discovered the remains Tuesday while checking the nesting grounds of the threatened western snowy plover at the State Vehicular Recreation Area.
The commission’s procedures require the agency to contact the person believed to be the closest descendent of those remains, said Larry Myers, executive secretary of the commission.
The commission would not disclose the name of the descendent.
Of ficials at the Oceano Dunes said they were not concerned that the droves of tourists expected for the Fourth of July holiday weekend would get close to the remains.
“It’s in a very remote area,” said Andrew Zilke, State Parks superintendent for the Dunes. “We don’t believe it will be disturbed.”
Archeologists and an envi-ronmental scientist are expected to inspect the area where the skull and arrow were found for other possible remains because those found could be part of an American Indian burial ground, Myers said.
“If it’s a burial site, they have to ensure vehicles don’t travel over it,” Myers said.
“We encourage the property owner to work with the archaeologist and the Native American descendants to make the best judgment call,” he said.
Zilke would not say whether archaeologists have already visited the site or what the descendent has suggested doing with the remains.
The specific location of the find has not been disclosed because State Parks and Heritage Commission officials do not want people searching for it.
The skull believed to have belonged to an American Indian will likely be reburied where it was found at the Oceano Dunes, according to the state Native American Heritage Commission in Sacramento.
The commission was contacted this week by the county Sheriff’s Department after a resource worker discovered the remains Tuesday while checking the nesting grounds of the threatened western snowy plover at the State Vehicular Recreation Area.
The commission’s procedures require the agency to contact the person believed to be the closest descendent of those remains, said Larry Myers, executive secretary of the commission.
The commission would not disclose the name of the descendent.
Of ficials at the Oceano Dunes said they were not concerned that the droves of tourists expected for the Fourth of July holiday weekend would get close to the remains.
“It’s in a very remote area,” said Andrew Zilke, State Parks superintendent for the Dunes. “We don’t believe it will be disturbed.”
Archeologists and an envi-ronmental scientist are expected to inspect the area where the skull and arrow were found for other possible remains because those found could be part of an American Indian burial ground, Myers said.
“If it’s a burial site, they have to ensure vehicles don’t travel over it,” Myers said.
“We encourage the property owner to work with the archaeologist and the Native American descendants to make the best judgment call,” he said.
Zilke would not say whether archaeologists have already visited the site or what the descendent has suggested doing with the remains.
The specific location of the find has not been disclosed because State Parks and Heritage Commission officials do not want people searching for it.
Tooele skull likely that of Native American woman
Tooele skull likely that of Native American woman
By Ben Winslow
Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, July 2, 2008 9:16 a.m. MDT
4 comments
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A human skull that was found in the attic of a Tooele home is likely that of a Native American woman, state archaeologists said.
"We can more than likely confirm it's a woman, and she died when she was in her early 20s," said assistant state archaeologist Ron Rood.
A sample of the skull was sent to a Florida laboratory on Tuesday to determine how old the skull is. Rood said it could be anywhere from 200 to 1,000 years old.
The skull was found in the attic of a home near 200 West and 100 South last month when workers remodeling a home tore open the old layers of the roof and found it there. There was no body, just the decaying skull.
Police originally investigated it as a homicide, even bringing out cadaver dogs to search in and around the 1900s-era home for any more remains. They did not find any, nor did it match with any missing person or unsolved murder cases.
Tooele police said they still do not know how the skull came to be in the attic. Rood said he has seen Native American bones show up in homes from time to time.
"People have collected human bones in the 1920s and 1930s that they found in the desert," he said. "They've kept them around the house. I remember one family was cleaning out the garage after their dad passed away and they found a box full of human bones. He had dug up an old Indian skeleton near Moab."
Story continues below
It is a felony-level crime to dig up human remains no matter how old they are. Under state law, tribes can also lay claim to the remains and arrange for a proper reburial. The lab tests can help determine how old the remains are and narrow down a cultural affiliation.
"Ultimately, in this case, the remains are not going to be stuck up in an attic," he said. "We're going to try to get some scientific information and work toward a respectful end to this."
http://deseretnews.com:80/article/1,5143,700239900,00.html
In peace & solidarity,
Tamra
www.NDNnews.com
www.protectsacredsites.org
www.protectbearbutte.com
PROTECT BEAR BUTTE!
"Providing news and information about Native American Issues & Causes"
"Helping to make a difference for our people in Indian Country, one day at a time. What will you do today to help make a difference?"
"Our sacred lands are all that remain keeping us connected to our place on Mother Earth, to our spirituality, our heritage and our lands; what’s left of them. If they take it all away, what will remain except a vague memory of a past so forgotten?"
By Ben Winslow
Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, July 2, 2008 9:16 a.m. MDT
4 comments
E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + -
A human skull that was found in the attic of a Tooele home is likely that of a Native American woman, state archaeologists said.
"We can more than likely confirm it's a woman, and she died when she was in her early 20s," said assistant state archaeologist Ron Rood.
A sample of the skull was sent to a Florida laboratory on Tuesday to determine how old the skull is. Rood said it could be anywhere from 200 to 1,000 years old.
The skull was found in the attic of a home near 200 West and 100 South last month when workers remodeling a home tore open the old layers of the roof and found it there. There was no body, just the decaying skull.
Police originally investigated it as a homicide, even bringing out cadaver dogs to search in and around the 1900s-era home for any more remains. They did not find any, nor did it match with any missing person or unsolved murder cases.
Tooele police said they still do not know how the skull came to be in the attic. Rood said he has seen Native American bones show up in homes from time to time.
"People have collected human bones in the 1920s and 1930s that they found in the desert," he said. "They've kept them around the house. I remember one family was cleaning out the garage after their dad passed away and they found a box full of human bones. He had dug up an old Indian skeleton near Moab."
Story continues below
It is a felony-level crime to dig up human remains no matter how old they are. Under state law, tribes can also lay claim to the remains and arrange for a proper reburial. The lab tests can help determine how old the remains are and narrow down a cultural affiliation.
"Ultimately, in this case, the remains are not going to be stuck up in an attic," he said. "We're going to try to get some scientific information and work toward a respectful end to this."
http://deseretnews.com:80/article/1,5143,700239900,00.html
In peace & solidarity,
Tamra
www.NDNnews.com
www.protectsacredsites.org
www.protectbearbutte.com
PROTECT BEAR BUTTE!
"Providing news and information about Native American Issues & Causes"
"Helping to make a difference for our people in Indian Country, one day at a time. What will you do today to help make a difference?"
"Our sacred lands are all that remain keeping us connected to our place on Mother Earth, to our spirituality, our heritage and our lands; what’s left of them. If they take it all away, what will remain except a vague memory of a past so forgotten?"
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