Standing on Sacred Ground (2013)
Around the world, indigenous people stand up for their traditional sacred lands in defense of cultural survival, human rights and the environment.
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Voices of the Land (1991)
In this moving visual poem, Christopher McLeod explores why certain places are held to be sacred and how wilderness nourishes the soul. Stories include a Hawaiian protest against geothermal drilling in the Wao Kele O Puna rainforest, the vision song of Southern Ute elder Eddie Box, and an interview with Earth First founder Dave Foreman.
Poison in the Rockies (1990)
Poison in the Rockies details how thousands of abandoned mines in Colorado contaminate drinking water by leaching heavy metals into rivers and streams, a problem compounded by acid rain and snow. Broadcast four times on NOVA.
Downwind/Downstream (1987)
Downwind/Downstream documents serious threats to water quality, subalpine ecosystems and public health in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains due to mining, acid rain and urbanization. We updated this film for PBS’s NOVA and it became Poison in the Rockies.
Florence Jones and Caleen Sisk: Winnemem Healers
The legendary Winnemem Wintu healer, Florence Jones (1907-2003), passed on leadership of the Winnemem Wintu Tribe to Caleen Sisk over a decade ago. Although Chief Sisk is recognized the world over as a powerful indigenous leader, the U.S. government continues its failure to recognize the Winnemem Wintu.
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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.
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Sacred Sites and Biodiversity – Scenes from Standing on Sacred Ground
This clip contains three scenes from Standing on Sacred Ground—in Australia, Papua New Guinea and Ethiopia. We’ve frequently been asked the question, “What is the tangible value of sacred places?”
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Behind the Scenes – In the Gamo Highlands of Ethiopia with Director Toby McLeod
One of the most dramatic scenes in episode 3, Fire and Ice, of our Standing on Sacred Ground series, unfolded during a new year ceremony that escalated to a dangerous conflict right before my eyes – and my lens
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The Legacy of Kaho`olawe: Protecting the Ancestors at Honokahua
How does one sacred site struggle affect another? When Ritz Carlton resort construction on Maui churned up the bones of 1,100 ancestors who were peacefully resting in sand dunes, seasoned defenders of Kaho`olawe island responded to the call. Here’s how two sacred places were saved.
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Behind the Scenes – Guardians of the River
In rural Papua New Guinea, the villagers of Bosmun revive a long dormant canoe ceremony along their sacred Ramu river.
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