Blog – Sacred Land

Making a Difference

By Toby McLeod December 12, 2023

When a donor asked “What is the Sacred Land Film Project’s strategy for making a difference?” it set off a year-long quest to craft an answer.

Hope for Salmon

By Toby McLeod May 9, 2023

Winnemem celebrate the return of salmon to the McCloud River.

A Letter to the Supreme Court

By Toby McLeod July 6, 2021

The California Supreme Court is deciding whether to take on the West Berkeley Shellmound case. Project Director Toby McLeod argues that they must!

Barbed Wire Imprisons Sacred Site

By Toby McLeod March 11, 2021

On the day the California Court of Appeal heard arguments over whether to uphold lower court protection of the West Berkeley Shellmound, landowners erected a six-foot chain link fence topped with three strands of barbed wire. It was a gut punch.

11 Most Endangered

By Toby McLeod September 28, 2020

In a stunning development, the National Trust for Historic Preservation has placed the West Berkeley Shellmound and Village Site on their 2020 list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places.

Comment Letters Needed re Shasta Dam Raise

By Toby McLeod September 9, 2020

Help stop the Bureau of Reclamation from enlarging Shasta Dam. Please send your comment letter by October 5, a sample letter is provided in this blog. Thank you!

Bdote in Mni Sota

By Addie Wright July 31, 2020

Minnesota, known as Mni Sota Makoce to the Dakota, is “the land where the waters reflect the skies.” The Dakota word Bdote means “where two waters come together,” representing the spiritual and physical place of creation for the Dakota people.

Panhe

By Callie Shanafelt Wong July 30, 2020

For more than 10,000 years, Acjachemen people thrived on the coast of what is now Orange County in southern California. They lived in several villages, but Panhe or “place at the water,” at the mouth of San Mateo Canyon, was the most significant.

Cholula

By Neeka Salmasi July 8, 2020

In Cholula, Mexico stands the largest pyramid ever built in human history. This ancient temple could easily be mistaken for a church-on-a-hill scene, as its body is now buried in greenery, and a Catholic church sits on its top.

Conversations with Sacred Land Protectors

By Toby McLeod May 21, 2020

Following free online screenings of the four episodes of Standing on Sacred Ground, we discussed updates and current struggles with indigenous leaders featured in the films. Here are four YouTube videos of those interactive Zoom conversations.