Press release from Indigenous Peoples’ Day – Shasta County
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Redding, Calif. – At the FREE “Standing Rock Comes Home” community forum, Shasta County indigenous leaders, educators and youth will discuss their experiences visiting the Standing Rock spiritual camp in North Dakota where indigenous people and supporters have resisted the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. They will also discuss “local DAPLs”, big projects such as the proposed raise of Shasta Dam and Medicine Lake geothermal plants that would damage or flood sacred sites and could risk further contamination of the state’s water supply.
The forum will be held 3-5 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 28 at the United Methodist Church community room, 1825 East St., in Redding. Following the panel discussion, there will be a potluck dinner and musical performances by Native American hip hop artists, spoken word poets and local folk rock artists Feral Tortie.
Panelists will include:
- Mickey Gemmill Jr, Chairman of the Pit River Tribe
- Rod Lindsay, Director of the Local Indians for Education Center in the City of Shasta Lake
- Jack Potter, Chairman of the Redding Rancheria
- Caleen Sisk, Traditional Chief and Spiritual Leader of the Winnemem Wintu
The Dakota Access Pipeline would extend 1,168 miles across many states including North Dakota to carry crude oil from the Bakken oil fields to Illinois, where it will link with another pipeline to transport oil to refineries along the Gulf of Mexico. Members of the Standing Rock Sioux, who say the pipeline violates their treaty as well as federal law and that a spill would threaten their water supply, began a spiritual resistance against the pipeline this summer that has brought international attention and support.
This event is organized by Indigenous Peoples’ Day – Shasta County, an organization of Native and non-Native people formed to respectfully promote an accurate and inclusive history of the United States, the West and Northern California that recognizes the humanity and vitality of Pre- and Post-colonial indigenous societies.
Pit River Country 