The fire was hungry. It consumed milk, vodka, bread, cheese, lamb’s heads, cow’s legs, barley, cedar, juniper, water and the prayers and songs of a dozen shamans from all over Asia. The fire roared, sparked, smoked, called out to ancestors and spirits, and seemed very happy to be fed by the people. On the summer…
The Bureau of Reclamation has released a draft Environmental Impact Statement and opened a 90-day public comment period on the U.S. government’s proposal to raise the height of Shasta Dam by 18.5 feet. Heightening the dam would flood 5,000 more acres, add 14% more water (an additional 634,000 acre feet) to Shasta Lake during wet…
Please join us for the Moscow premiere of Pilgrims and Tourists in the Pastures of Heaven at the Multimedia Art Museum in Moscow on July 1. This hour-long documentary film is the first episode of the new four-part Standing on Sacred Ground series, and it will be screened with Russian subtitles.The film will be shown…
Thousands came to the opening night of the Maui Film Festival to see Islands of Sanctuary! Islands of Sanctuary premiered at the Maui Film Festival on June 12 under a starry sky with more than a thousand people staying to watch the late night screening. I was most touched by the presence of so many…
President Obama has sent a clear message to the environmental community: ‘I need to hear from you loud and clear and often.’ The economic and political pressure on the president to approve the Keystone XL pipeline is enormous. Recent rallies in Washington, D.C. were a great start, but a sustained outcry is imperative if Obama…
After joining a 500-year-long struggle, inspired every step of the way by the deep commitment of so many determined allies, it’s nice to watch the wheel of history turn — ever so slowly. For the last 15 years, the Sacred Land Film Project has worked to improve U.S. government recognition and protection of Native American sacred…
The Sacred Land Film Project is pleased to announce advance screenings of the first two documentary films of the Standing on Sacred Ground series. Please join us for sneak previews in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, March 23 and Sunday, March 24 at the U.S. Environmental Film Festival in the Nation’s Capital. On opposite sides of the globe, a…
We were shocked to learn that SLFP colleague Rogelio Mejia narrowly escaped death three months ago. Mejia, a leader of the northern Colombian Arhuaco tribe, survived an attack that riddled his car with 40 bullets. Such an act of violence committed against the Arhuaco people is not uncommon. Colombian guerilla groups — and the government…
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our year-end funding appeal! Thanks to YOU we reached our $25,000 matching donation goal! We appreciate your continued support of Standing on Sacred Ground. Your contribution enables us to continue with the post-production of our four-part documentary series on sacred places in the United States and around the world. With your…
Month after month in early 2012, the Winnemem Wintu organized protests, online petitions and letter-writing campaigns demanding the closure of a small stretch of the McCloud River in northern California. They were requesting the river closure from the U.S. Forest Service so the tribe could hold a coming-of-age ceremony for the young woman who will…