Cremations in a Sacred Spring

Once each year, the Winnemem Wintu make a summer pilgrimage to their sacred spring on Mt Shasta, the source of the McCloud River, to conduct a healing ceremony. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, New Age offerings — mostly in the form of crystals — disrupted the start of the ceremony as designated men had to clean the spring by removing all foreign objects. Recently, cremation remains have been scattered above the spring, below the spring, and — unbelievably — in the spring. In the last couple years this has delayed the ceremony for more than an hour, as the men sift the churning sands for bone fragments, tooth fillings, and other pieces of the deceased. The Forest Service has erected signs stating that this is illegal but the desecration continues. This clip extends the scene we edited for Standing on Sacred Ground: Pilgrims and Tourists, and allows Winnemem Chief Caleen Sisk to explain the situation in greater detail.