Live from the Indigenous Environmental Network Conference on Western Shoshone lands

19.7.08

Photo: The Indigenous Environmental Network's Healing Mother Earth Conference on Western Shoshone lands. Seated are the speakers on Friday morning's panel: "Big Circle: Indigenous Struggles on Extractive Industry:-- Mining the Sources of Life -- Voices from the North and South." Sam McKay, Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwug, among six chiefs who served time in jail for protecting the land from mining in Ontario, is second from right. KI is an Aboriginal community in the Boreal Forest of Ontario. Six chiefs were jailed for refusing to comply with an October, 2007 court ruling that allows Platinex Inc., a Toronto-based mineral exploration company, to begin drilling on KI traditional lands without protest or obstruction. KI established a peaceful protest camp at the Platinex exploration site. (Please double click to enlarge photo.) Photo copyright Brenda Norrell

Protecting the Earth Mother from mining

By Brenda Norrell

http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

Photo Carrie Dann/By Brenda Norrell

SOUTH FORK, Nevada -- The Indigenous Environmental Network's Healing Mother Earth Conference, with speakers from Canada, US, Mexico, Central and South America, is live on the web today and through Sunday, July 20, 2008. Listen now at Earthcycles: http://www.earthcycles.net/

Western Shoshone Carrie Dann, speaking on the gold mining devastating Western Shoshone lands today, said the mountains are being destroyed for minuscule amounts of gold.

"It looks like big cancer sores on the earth mother. They are extracting our water."

Dann pointed out that water and petroleum products are being extracted from the Earth Mother. She said the elders have talked about these things and compared it to the foundation of a house being removed.

The Earth Mother will collapse if they continue to extract these things from her body, she said of gold mining and petroleum extraction.

"Remember those of us destroying the Earth are those of us buying gold jewelry." Dann said she knows now the destruction that comes from gold mining and no longer buys gold.

"We are a part of this destruction as long as we continue to buy gold. The US consumers keep the gold prices up."Louise Benally, Navajo from Big Mountain, Arizona, said Thursday at the IEN conference, that she threw her gold ring in the Rio Grande, in solidarity with those fighting gold mining and the destruction of sacred mountains.

Dann compared the destruction of the Earth Mother to the destruction of the body of Native women."Giving life is very sacred. This giving of life comes from a female."

Dann said Indigenous Peoples must act now to preserve the Earth Mother. She pointed out that the birds and animals can not live without water. She said the most intelligent being, supposedly human beings, are at the forefront of mining and destruction of the earth.

"We must preserve it for future generations, for our grandchildren."

Dann spoke out against Indian Nations accepting royalties from energy companies for the extraction of their resources. She pointed out the various ways the US government attempts to coop Native people and seize their lands and minerals.

She said the whipporwills and Monarch butterflies are vanishing from this region. The plant life is dying.

"Is it because of the mining, the pumping of our water, or the contaminants that come from the mines."

There is also the nuclear testing and the dump sites. "Could that be what is killing our plant life?" Dann also spoke out against accepting US dollars for the Earth Mother.

"We don't want to be paid for our land." Dann said she will not accept payment for land, such as the current US offer of 15 cents per acre.

Julie Fishel of the Western Shoshone Defense Project pointed out that Carrie Dann never enrolled in an American Indian Tribe."Carrie does not need the US government's permission to be who she is."
Listen to the IEN Conference today from the North and South

Speakers include Robert Shimek (Anishinaabe) from Minnesota; Carrie Dann, Western Shoshone; Samuel McKay (Kitchenuhmaykoosib Inninuwu) from Big Trout Lake First Nations, Ontario; Pennelys Goodshield (Anishinaabe) with the Sustainable Nations Development Project and Jeff Tobe of the Solar Energy International.

Friday afternoon small circles

For those attending, there are small circles Friday afternoon include: "Water Healing and Protection with Virgina Sanchez (Duckwater Shoshone) from Nevada; Rick Spilsbury (Ely Shoshone) from Nevada; and Felicia Rocha-Bertin (Inuit)

Climate Change 101 and Solutions: Trainers: Jihan Gearon (Dine') IEN Native Energy and Climate Program in Arizona; Kandi Mossett (Mandan, Arikira, Hidatsa) IEN Tribal Campus Climate Challenge in North Dakota.

"Using CERD as a Human Rights Tool" Alberto Saldamando, legal counsel, Chicano/Zapoteca, International Indian Treay Council in California; Julie Fishel, Western Shoshone Defense Project in Newe Sogobia (Nevada)

"Toxics Policy: The Need for Aggressive Action" Shawna Larson (Ahtna Athabascan/Sugpiaq); Alaska Community Action on Toxics and IEN/REDOIL in Alaska; Andrea Carmen (Yaqui) International Indian Treaty Council.Youth activity, eldery and youth discussions; traditional food and plant discussion by Shoshone elder.

Schedule:

http://www.ienearth.org/

Listen at:

http://www.earthcycles.net/

Photos at:

http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

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Dispatch: Aboriginal Press Media Group | Permalink | [19.7.08] | 0 comments

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