Greetings from Black Mesa
Indigenous Support,
We are
excited to inform you that we are currently putting together
efforts to bring a caravan of work crews that will be converging
from across the country to support residents of the Big Mountain
regions of Black Mesa who, on behalf of their peoples, their
sacred ancestral lands, and future generations, continue to carry
out their staunch resistance to the efforts of the US Government,
which is acting in the interests of the Peabody Coal Company to
devastate whole communities & ecosystems, and greatly
de-stabilize our planet's climate for the profit of an elite few.
At this
moment the decision makers in Washington D.C. are planning ways to
expand their occupation of tribal lands to extract mineral &
other resources. The coal companies have a long history of and
continue to fund both the Republican and Democratic parties
because they have huge interests at stake. Peabody Coal, the
world's largest coal company, is currently pushing through plans
to massively expand dirty coal strip-mining operations which has
destroyed land and water aquifers, completely dug up burials,
sacred areas, and shrines designated specifically for offerings,
preventing religious practices.
By
assisting with direct, on-land projects with these Sovereign
communities, you are helping families resist an illegal occupation
and to stay on their lands, who serve as the very blockade to coal
mining! "The Big Mountain matriarchal leaders always believed
that resisting forced relocation will eventually benefit all
ecological systems, including the human race." Bahe
Keediniihii, Dineh organizer and translator states.
"Continued residency by families throughout the Big Mountain
region has a significant role in the intervention of Peabody's
future plan for Black Mesa coal to be the major source of
unsustainable energy, the growing dependency on fossil fuel, and
escalating green house gas emissions. We will continue to fight to
defend our homelands."
With the
guidance of Black Mesa residents, the aim of this caravan is to
bring support to their communities before the approaching cold
winter months. We expect volunteer work parties to help with
firewood chopping & hauling, do minor repair work, provide
holistic health care, and a few days of herding sheep. Volunteer
work crews are expected to be adequately prepared and
self-sufficient prior to your visit on Black Mesa, which is a very
remote area in a high desert terrain! (Be prepared for extreme
weather, it will be cold!) Each participant will need outdoor
camping equipment, food, water, and have appropriate attire for
hands-on manual work. Please visit the BMIS website for an
in-depth guide on how to prepare for your stay and what supplies
are needed for work projects.
Host or
attend regional organizational meetings in your area! The Caravans’
coordinators are located in Prescott, Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tuba
City, Colorado, Portland, Ohio, New York, and San Francisco’s
Bay Area. The meeting locations and dates are being posted at the
BMIS website as coordinators set them up. This caravan will be in
addition to the annual Clan Dyken Fall Food & Supply Run. We
strongly urge participants to attend regional meetings & to
pre-register to help us estimate how many people to expect as well
as to help us make necessary accommodations. You can download a
registration form off of our website.
Ways you can help in the
weeks leading up to the caravan:
- share information
about the caravan & request materials from us and help
spread the word in your area.
- arrange/organize
outreach events and/or fundraisers for gathering supplies in
your town or city with BMIS supporting you.
Ways you can help during
the caravan:
A number
of volunteers are needed to help with shifts to be covered for the
opening & closing circles with a variety of different
responsibilities such as pre-setup, kitchen shifts, fire-wood duty
at main camp, and cleanup. Please contact BMIS at blackmesais@riseup.net
We are at
a critical juncture and must take a stand in support of
communities on the front lines of resistance now! Indigenous &
land-based peoples have maintained the understanding that our
collective survival is deeply dependent on our relationship to
Mother Earth. Victory in protecting and reclaiming the Earth will
require a broad movement that can help bridge cultures, issues,
& nations.
BMIS
wishes for this caravan to be an important opportunity for people
of all backgrounds to listen & work with the families of Black
Mesa to generate more awareness that relocation laws & coal
mining need to stop, that these communities deserve to be free on
their ancestral homelands, & to come together to strengthen
our solidarity and find ways to work together to protect Black
Mesa & our Mother Earth for all life.
If you have any questions
or concerns, please contact us:
Black Mesa Indigenous
Support
P.O. Box 23501
Flagstaff, Arizona 86002
Message Voice Mail: 928.773.8086
Email: blackmesais@riseup.net
Web: www.blackmesais.org
We can't wait to see you
in November!
Give Back To Mother
Earth! Give Back To Future Generations!
In Solidarity,
Black Mesa Indigenous
Support
Black
Mesa Indigenous Support (BMIS) is a grassroots, all-volunteer
organization dedicated to working with and supporting the
indigenous peoples of Black Mesa in their Struggle for Life and
Land who are targeted by & resisting unjust large-scale coal
mining operations and forced relocation policies of the US
government.
http://www.blackmesais.org
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