From Washington to D.C., this message to Biden is to work with tribes and honor treaties
Native American activists from across the nation completed a cross-country tour from Whatcom County, Wash., to Washington, D.C., to advocate for the protection of sacred sites where Indigenous communities are leading efforts to halt resource extraction and industrial development.
“The Red Road to D.C.” totem pole journey concluded with a rally at the National Mall featuring remarks from tribal leaders, Native activists, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and the National Congress of American Indians President Fawn Sharp. The pole, accepted by Haaland, is a gift to President Biden from the Lummi House of Tears Carvers and a message to his administration to work with tribes and honor treaties.
“When our nation’s capital was established its policies were intended to exclude us, to assimilate us,” said Haaland, an enrolled member of the Laguna Pueblo. “Laws and policies were written without considering Indigenous communities’ challenges or their strengths and we’re working hard to undo so many consequences of these actions... The attempts to take away our traditions, our languages and our cultures failed because we are still here.”
Vice President Kamala Harris and Haaland met with tribal leaders to discuss voting rights Tuesday, July 27, in Harris’ office.
“As we move forward in this new era, we do so with the support and respect of President Biden and Vice President Harris and their commitment to live up to the federal government’s trust and treaty responsibilities,” Haaland said.
The pole was presented along with the group’s petition — now with 75,000 signatures — that calls on the president to take immediate action to ensure the protection of sacred sites and demanding all federal departments include tribal consultation when considering projects that affect Native lands, waters and resources.
“While we have ceded millions of acres of precious land... we never relinquished that spiritual connection that we share with our almighty Creator, with each other and with our sacred sites,” Sharp said. “There’s a powerful force in this country that is seeking to exploit for profit our sacred sites. But like all those generations that have gone before us, we know you cannot put a price tag on our sacred sites... our sacred sites have an incalculable value.”
The National Congress of American Indians, established in 1944 in response to the assimilation policies, represents a diverse network of tribal nations, tribal citizens and Native organizations.
“We will not be exploited. Our sovereignty will be respected. And we have a duty all across this country and globally for all Indigenous peoples... It is up to us to hold the most powerful country on the planet accountable to protect our sacred sites,” Sharp said.
Following Sharp’s remarks, Native Organizers Alliance Director Judith LeBlanc invited all representatives of tribal nations and community groups to speak.
Fossil fuel impact
“We’re all speaking in one voice for sacred places... All who farm, who fish, who hunt and hike must join tribal nations and communities to prevent the destruction of Mother Earth,” LeBlanc said.
Many of the leaders spoke to the impact fossil fuel extraction has had on their communities and the environment.
“Right now we are under attack by the fossil fuel industry, but we have an administration that can protect our human rights as Indigenous people,” said Bernadette Demientieff of the Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich’in — a tribe near Ft. Yukon, Alaska, whose sacred land includes the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. “We need Congress to act and we need Congress to act now. Show the world that we matter, that our ways of life matter and that the First Nations of this country will be respected.”
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Natasha Brennan covers Washington state tribes’ impact on our local communities, environment and politics, as well as traditions, culture and equity issues, for McClatchy media companies in Bellingham, Olympia, Tacoma and Tri-Cities.
She joins us in partnership with Report for America, which pays a portion of reporters’ salaries. You can help support this reporting at bellinghamherald.com/donate. Donations are tax-deductible through Journalism Funding Partners.
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Lummi Nation master carver Jewell James from The House of Tears Carvers — who has led totem pole journeys for 20 years but was unable to attend this year due to health concerns — said at the pole’s launch that it is a reminder to Biden’s administration that “we are still here.”
“The honor of the nation is at risk and we want to make sure there is justice delivered,” James said.
The journey launched Wednesday, July 14, from Northwest Indian College in Bellingham, located on the Lummi Nation.
‘Protect sacred places’
“This totem pole journey to protect sacred places started at home, where we have a sacred obligation to protect Cherry Point, and bring attention to the deteriorating reality our salmon face,” said Lawrence Solomon, chairman of the Lummi Nation. “Lummi Nation is here in support of the House of Tears Carvers and all the other tribal nations calling on President Biden to protect their ways of life, sacred lands and places.”
The two-week tour included eight stops: at Snake River at the Washington-Idaho border, Bears Ears in Utah, Chaco Canyon in New Mexico, the Black Hills in South Dakota, the Missouri River in South Dakota, Standing Rock in North Dakota, Line 3 oil pipeline in Minnesota and Line 5 pipeline in Michigan.
The totem pole previously toured the country as organizers met with tribal and non-tribal communities to develop the proclamations, receive blessings and empower earth protectors. It will be exhibited outside of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian as part of the “Kwel’ Hoy: We Draw the Line” exhibition about the 20-year history of Lummi Nation totem pole journeys, developed by the Natural History Museum and the House of Tears Carvers.
For more information, visit redroadtodc.org.
This story was originally published July 29, 2021 at 3:29 PM with the headline "From Washington to D.C., this message to Biden is to work with tribes and honor treaties."
