Sagoroe

I had forgotten Will made this short video when we went to Glen Cover, Sagoroe Te, to join the encampment there to save the shell mounds and protect that sacred area on the Vallejo Bay and estuary of our salmon:

Winnemem Ghost Tribe

Tonight, late at night, I'm looking through videos of the Winnemem to find one which Chief can use when she comes to Eugene to keynote for the Women of Color Conference January 25.  She will be speaking in classes, speaking at a keynote of women of color leadership on campus and she will be giving a keynote.  Caleen likes to show video and speak because it is hard to convey accurately who the tribe is and what our struggle to resist extermination of our way of life is to a crowd unfamiliar with the Winnemem without taking them through video to the place and among her people.  Without the technology people would not have reason to care if we exist or not.

I found this film and I want to save it here.  It was put together by California Watch, and it is about restoration.  Will and Toby McLeod have done films about salmon, ceremony but their documentaries have not focused entirely on restoration.  For good reason.  People's eyes glaze over as soon as that word is mentioned.  This weekend I told two friends, tribal, and people who care about the Winnemem that no matter how condensed, when I talk about recognition or restoration, people's eyes glaze over.  They were surprised.  I started one sentence, and their eyes glazed over.  Not easy to do.
But with the magic of video images, this little film is not so painful, especially since there are so many scenes of the village life and the beautiful sacred sites, the ceremony, the dances, the Chief and tribe.  So I'm thinking this should be added to the list of "Dancing Salmon Home" and "Ceremony is not a Crime."

What do you think?

Lyla and Paige Traveling Through

Today is a special day.  Lyla and Paige are traveling through on their way up to Portland!  We had a dinner of vegetable stew and dumplings, Will's wonderful green salad, smoke salmon dip from Alaska from Katie, and corn bread finished by goatcheese and cherry frozen dessert -- like ice creme but doesn't make us sick.  We had wonderful conversations -- even while Lyla washed dishes.  Tomorrow before they leave we will go to Off the Waffle with Steve Morozumi.  Life is perfect!