Video Covers Historic Tribal Gathering at Stewarts Point (Danaka)

Video Covers Historic Tribal Gathering at Stewarts Point (Danaka)

by Dan Bacher

The historic tribal gathering at Stewarts Point (Danaka) on April 30 drew 145 people, including members of the Kashia Pomo Tribe, members of other northern California Indian Tribes, recreational anglers, seaweed harvesters and environmental justice advocates. It was very moving to see everybody there united in defense of indigenous food gathering and fishing rights.

This purpose of the event, hosted by landowner Archie Richardson, was to bless an area where the Kashia Tribe of Pomo Indians has gathered seaweed, mussel, abalone, clams and fish for centuries. Danaka, an area that is sacred to the tribe, will close to all take of seaweed, shellfish and fish the following day under new regulations implemented through Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) Initiative.

“We are here today to talk about what the Fish and Game Commission is doing to us,” said tribal elder Violet Chappell. “They’re interfering with our religion, the food that we lived off before the white man came.”

The Fish and Game Commission voted 3 to 2 in their meeting on August 5, 2009 to close “Danaka,” in spite of moving testimony by Lester Pinola, past chairman of the Kashia Tribe, to not close it because the tribe has used the area for centuries.

Under Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's corrupt and injust MLPA process, overseen by oil industry, real estate, marina development and other corporate interests, the Kashia Pomo and other tribes will be denied their right to harvest seaweed, shellfish and fish off Danaka as they have done for thousands of years starting today, May 1.

This is clearly a case of cultural genocide under the guise of marine "protection" under the MLPA Initiative. Everybody who cares about environmental justice must support the Kashia Pomo Tribe and other coastal tribes in their battle to defend their sacred and ceremonial food gathering sites.

A video of the blessing ceremony by the Kashia Band of Pomo Indians, on the Richardson Ranch lands at Stewarts Point, will be aired on MCTV Channel 3 on Wednesday, May 5 at 8:30 p.m. and again on Saturday, May 8 at 8:30 p.m. The show duration is 1 hour, 22 minutes, according to independent journalist David Gurney who produced the video. Contact MCTV @ 961-1127 for additional showtimes and stations.

Here is the link to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat article on the event: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20100430/ARTICLES/100439928/1349?Title=Pomo-grieve-loss-of-ocean-fishing-grounds.

For more information, go to Violet Wilder's facebook page: "KEEP THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BEACHES ACCESSIBLE FOR THE COASTAL TRIBES" (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=105945012781743).