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.
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.
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.
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.
Celebrate Earth Day with free online screenings of the four films in our Standing on Sacred Ground series, one per week, with discussions with indigenous leaders featured in the films.
As translator for Hopi elders, Thomas Banyacya Sr. (1909-1999) traversed the globe for 50 years sharing the Hopi Prophecy. In November 1995, we filmed Thomas’s presentation in Las Vegas. As a fearful pathogen sweeps the planet, his warnings seem more timely than ever.
After a two-year battle, developers have withdrawn their plans to build a 5-story condo complex at the West Berkeley Shellmound. We are not calling this a “victory” because the land owners say they’ll try to move ahead—but now is the time to advance another vision for the site.
An expensive public relations campaign cannot obscure the fact that an important cultural landscape and designated historic landmark — a sacred site — still graces Berkeley where Strawberry Creek once flowed into the bay and a 5,000 year-old Ohlone village built a massive mound of shells and revered ancestors.
There is very clear evidence of cultural artifacts beneath the pavement of Spenger’s Parking Lot at 1900 Fourth Street, no matter what the developers may claim.
With a June 5 deadline looming, we need your help! Register your opinion with Berkeley decision-makers.