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Reporter's Notebook: Brenda Norrell

Barrick Gold blocks Western Shoshone access to ceremonial grounds

Posted by Brenda Norrell - December 4, 2008 at 11:20 pm

Barrick Gold has turned sacred Mount Tenabo into a construction site, blocking Western Shoshone from their sacred mountain and ceremonial grounds

By Brenda Norrell

CRESCENT VALLEY, Nev. - Barrick Gold is bulldozing the Western Shoshone sacred mountain of Mount Tenabo. Barrick construction crews blocked access to Western Shoshone ceremonial grounds this week with heavy machinery and pipes. Western Shoshone had planned a ceremony on Mount Tenabo, where the sweatlodge is located.

"Right now I am sitting here crying. The mining company is ripping out our hearts and guts," Shoshone elder Joyce McDade said today.

"We went to our scared site to build our Arbor, for the ceremonial gathering on Sunday. We couldn't drive in to deliver the materials for the boys to build the Arbor. The Canadian mining company shut us out, by putting big heavy waterpipes in alongside of our sweatlodge."

Western Shoshone said they will still hold a ceremony on Sunday, at a location to be announced. All are welcome. Western Shoshone ask for help and support.

Western Shoshone called into the Censored Blog Radio today, heavy with grief that their ceremonial grounds were being destroyed. Barrick Gold has ripped the pinon and juniper trees out by the roots and sacred Mount Tenabo is being bulldozed.

"This mountain is the same to us as their church. They can not understand this," McDade said. The pinons are central in Shoshone culture and vital to the animals as well on the mountain.

Listen to the 90-minute show here, which includes news and music:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Brenda-Norrell

Contact:
Western Shoshone Defense Project
P.O. Box 211308; Crescent Valley, NV 89821; 775-468-0230
email: wsdp@igc.org
South Fork office: Larson Bill and Julie Ann Fishel, 775-744-2595

Contact info for Joyce McDade: ejmcdade20@wmconnect.com

More at Censored News blog: http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com

About Brenda Norrell

Personal Website
http://www.bsnorrell.blogspot.com/

Biography

Brenda Norrell has been a news reporter in Indian country for 27 years. She is currently based in Tucson and covers Mexico, the U.S. borders and the West, focusing on Indigenous Peoples and human rights. She cohosted the five-month Longest Walk talk radio across America, with American Indians walking for sacred Mother Earth and publishes Censored News.

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Comments

Credit where credit is due

Submitted December 6, 2008 - 7:22 pm by Don Henry Ford Jr.

While talking to a couple of Mexican immigrants today, I discovered that many Mexican laborers have recently lost their jobs.

The word is, some are returning home; more are discussing the possibility. They say they're better off unemployed at home than they are unemployed here.

It appears that bush may have solved the immigration problem...

Which Barrick Mine

Submitted December 28, 2008 - 10:52 pm by Joe (not verified)
does this affect?

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