LAKEPORT, CALIFORNIA - The Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians are asking for public support in attending the hearing in an effort to help protect Rattlesnake Island on Clear Lake, about 125-miles north of San Francisco.

Rattlesnake Island lies a few hundred feet offshore from the Elem Indian Colony, on the eastern end of Clear Lake. It is a burial grounds, village site and ceremonial grounds that has been the spiritual center of the Elem community of Southeastern Pomo for thousands of years.

The Tribe is seeking public support at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, from 1:30 - 4:30 pm at 255 Forbes Street, Lakeport, California.

At issue is the final decision in whether or not to complete an Environmental Impact Report for Rattlesnake Island. Closing statements by both parties will be allowed and the Board of Supervisors will go into deliberation and make a final decision on John Nady's appeal of the County Planning Commission decision to complete an Environmental Impact Report, which calls for a focused study of the archaeological and cultural resources located on the Island.

John Nady is a wealthy businessman, who pioneered wireless technology. His company, Nady, Inc. is the source of the wireless microphones of touring singer and musicians in the music industry.

The island is teeming with diverse plant, animal and bird life, including many species that continue to be utilized by the Pomo. Archeologists have identified sites on Rattlesnake Island dating back as far as 14,000 years, some the earliest documented evidence of human occupation in this hemisphere.

The island was stolen from the Pomo in 1877, when it was deeded to settlers as private property in a supposed "clerical error". Ever since that time, the Elem Pomo have been fighting to regain traditional ownership of the land, and to halt various development projects.

In 1970, Pomo people re-occupied Rattlesnake Island to prevent the Boise-Cascade Corporation from building luxury vacation houses on the ancient burial and settlement grounds - they were eventually removed by force. The entire area surrounding the Elem Indian Colony is an extremely toxic Superfund site, the location of an open-pit mercury mine that operated for over a hundred years and continues to contaminate the surrounding area, such that fish cannot be eaten and spring water cannot be consumed.

The Elem Indian Colony of Pomo Indians is a federally recognized tribe.

SUNDANCE, UTAH - Twelve days ago, several Native leaders were arrested in front of the White House on Indigenous Day of Action. They were calling on President Obama to oppose 1,700 mile the Keystone XL pipeline that if completed will extend from Alberta, Canada down to the Gulf of Mexico.

Actor, director Robert Redford, is now calling on President Obama to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline. Redford in a statement released Monday writes:
“Instead of laying pipes across the plains, it's time to draw a line in the sand. The Keystone XL is a bad idea that needs to be stopped.”
He continues:

"Tar sands crude - bitumen - is nearly solid at room temperature. To flow through pipelines, it must be diluted with highly volatile natural gas liquids, then pumped under pressure at temperatures as high as 150 degrees Fahrenheit."

"This bitumen mix is more corrosive and abrasive than ordinary crude, and it's harder on pipelines. An existing Keystone pipeline that runs tar sands crude from Canada to the United States has failed 12 times in just its first year of operation."

"A year ago this summer, a pipeline failure gushed 840,000 gallons of tar sands crude into Michigan's Kalamazoo River. Cleanup costs have already topped $500 million, and 30 miles of the river remains closed a year on."
Redford's opposition comes at a critical time as opposition mounts on President Obama to oppose the Keystone XL pipeline project. Last month, the National Congress of American Indians opposes the pipeline.

“Homeland and economic security starts with energy security, but Indian Country wants it to be done right; not at the expense of the health of our communities and resources, both tribal and non-tribal,”

said Jefferson Keel, President of National Congress of American Indians, citing the importance of looking to clean domestic energy as a more reliable solution. "During challenging economic times in our country and in our tribal nations, domestic energy when developed responsibly can create jobs while ensuring that our people and natural resources remain safe and plentiful."

I am feeling sad.  We did not get the ANA Language Grant. It feels like the loss of a family member.  The Language Program has been such a large part of my life (even if I do not avail myself of it as much as I should).  I have worked to promote the language since I returned home from college in 1986.  Nancy Steele and I started the Karuk Language Restoration Committee in 1988.  ANA funding has made a huge impact (incalculable) on the growth and restoration of our language.  

We have come so far from those early days of using the uniphon alphabet (http://www.omniglot.com/writing/unifon.htm) and tape recorders to now having digital video and an online dictionary (http://linguistics.berkeley.edu/~karuk/index.php).  I remember Nancy’s Hypercard program that had a picture of a bear lurching over a stick figure like mountain while it sang the song “the Bear Went Over The Mountain” in our language.  I remember in October 1999 when

Bill Bright, his Karuk name was Uhyanapatanvaanich, “little word-asker,” typed on my old Macintosh: 

Uumkun vúra

Tapas’Araaras

Káru vúra

Karuk Vahi

Vaa Vúra

Patapas’Araraahi 

DIRECT TRANSLATION:

Upriver-people

They just are

Real-people, And

Upriver its-language

That just is

The-real-peoples-language

LITERAL TRANSLATION:

The Karuk Indians

Are Real Indian People, And

The Karuk Language

Is The Real Language Of The Karuk People

The first ANA language grant I wrote was a jumble of ideas from developing a Rosetta Stone type language package for distribution to tribal members to contracting with a college professor of mine to teach his language training approach known as the Rassias Method. Since you have no Rosetta Stone type package you can tell it was not funded.  Nancy and I became readers for ANA and figured out how to write a better application.  Since then we have been funded and the program has flourished.

I am hopeful that we will continue with the amazing progress we have shown. Everyone has worked so hard to make sure our language survives.  I am so proud of the hard efforts people have made over the years.  Also, I think back on all of the Elders who have helped us on our learning path and I mourn for their passing.  I am glad we still have Elders that are prodding us in the right direction, working hard to make sure our language remains alive.

 Thank you Auntie for helping us get to where we are today.