Struggles to save sacred site
11/20/96
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RELAYED TEXT STARTS HERE:
Andrea Thein "They had things to SAY.
Director, Planet Peace We had things to DO!"
First Nations Community Internet Project --Alvina Lum, Sinix
http://www.teleport.com/~amt/planetpeace/ email: amt@teleport.com
"Native American Community Struggles"
Anpo Inc.
PO Box 42608
Portland, OR 97242
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release November 16, 1996
Contact Mark Lipe (503) 735-0453
"Native American Community Struggles to Save Sacred Site"
Logging is scheduled to begin early this week at the Anpo Ceremonial
Grounds and Cultural Youth Camp, amidst strong protest by Native
American Community and Spiritual Leaders. Members of the Native
American Community have committed themselves to strong, non-violent
civil disobedience as a means of protecting their sacred ceremonial
site. Native American Leaders feel that logging of these sacred
grounds is a violation of their religious freedom and vow to see the
the sanctity of this site is protected.
The Anpo Ceremonial grounds and Cultural Youth Camp, located in
Eastern Oregon in the Mt. Hood National Forest, has been the site of
annual intertribal ceremonies for the past 14 years. In addition,
Anpo Camp serves the religious and spiritual needs of a broad
spectrum of the Traditional Native American Community throughout the
year, offering ceremony, retreat, and personal counseling. Anpo Camp
also serves the needs of Native American Youth by offering numerous
youth camps designed to teach Native American children their
traditional ways. The youth camps teach arts & crafts, oral
traditions, outdoor survival, hunting, fishing, sports, and
traditional religious practices. The youth camps build a sense of
character and identity that keeps Native American Youth out of gangs,
and off the streets.
Susana Santos, of the Anpo Board of Directors, is outraged at the
callous disregard for the Native American Children which the U.S.
Forest Service has shown in its decision to log within their youth
camp. Santos says, "The decision by the Mount Hood National Forest
Service to allow logging in an Intertribal Native American Youth and
Religious Sanctuary, is child abuse and religious persecution. There
is simply no way to adequately explain the desecration of this youth
camp to our children. So, we pose this question to the Mt. Hood
National Forest Service, would they create public policy to log and
conduct archaeological desecration through The Boy Scouts or Girl
Scouts of America camps?" Susana Santos Speaking at Honor the Earth
Concert, Portland, Oregon
Thomas Creek Lumber, who bought the rights to this timber sale for
$40,000 is demanding $100,000 from the Native American Community in
order to stop the impending desecration of this sacred site. Native
American Youth are calling upon the citizens of Oregon to each send
$1 to a fund that will be established to pay Thomas Creek the ransom
that will save their youth camp. A food drive will also be
established to help the families of loggers prevented from working
during the ongoing protests.
Susana Santos and Milton Sahme will be on scene to answer media
questions.
For directions to Anpo Camp, and Updates, contact Mark Lipe at (503)
735-0453
Please distribute as widely as possible.
For further information and background on the Anpo issue see
http://www.teleport.com/~amt/planetpeace/sacred_sites/anpo/
The Press Release below is located at
http://www.teleport.com/~amt/planetpeace/sacred_sites/anpo/anpo1116.h
tml
In the Spirit of Friendship,
Andrea
Web-Diva, Planet Peace