SENTIENT TIMES • August/ September 2007

Red Earth Descendants to Host Upcoming Native EcoSymposium

By Jane Ayers

Weekend event will highlight Annual First Nations Day with community discussions and problem-solving, September 28th-30th, at the Briscoe Art Wing in Ashland, Oregon.

Last year the Mayor of Ashland declared Sept. 30th “First Nations Day” for the dedication parade that hundreds of local citizens attended, and for the unveiling of the beautifully carved statue of “Grandma Aggie” that now stands at the junction overlooking the town square in Ashland.

At the unveiling Agnes Baker Pilgrim, 82, the oldest Takilma woman from the Confederated Tribes of Siletz, held up her sacred fan of eagle feathers, and prayed, “I have a dream, a dream that every state will have a recognition of the First Nations, a memory of the Ancient Ones of their land. We want justice and equality …”

Dan Wahpepah, founder of Red Earth Descendants (R.E.D.), a new group of volunteers dedicated to holding seasonal gatherings to revive Native culture in the Rogue Valley, has been given the reins from Grandma Aggie to host the upcoming First Nations Day Native EcoSymposium which will take place in Ashland during the weekend of September 28th-30th.

Wahpepah explained “The focus of our Native EcoSymposium will be the Four Sacred Elements of Life: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water, plus the Spirit that goes with each element. Indigenous thought and traditions will be highlighted as a guide and standard for environmental restoration. The prophecies of Indigenous nations warn that the health and survival of Grandmother Earth is threatened by human abuse, that the people have now reached a time of crisis and are standing at a crossroads.”

R.E.D. is inviting all to share in discussions and problem-solving with Native people and environmentalists. These two vital groups of people, along with the local communities, will work together to discuss common ground in the ecology, environmental and indigenous movements, and the newly evolving Green movement concerned about global warming.

Wahpepah, who leads the Whistling Elk Drum Group which always accompanies R.E.D.’s quarterly gatherings held on the Solstice and Equinox of the four seasons, says “It is R.E.D.’s intention to provide conversations on how new technology can be best guided by old traditions, and how all can work in a united way to heal Grandmother Earth.” He also reminds us that “we need to remember to be a human being, to be the person like Creator wants us to be, to be giving and loving.”

As traditional native cultures have always taught, the health and well-being of the next seven generations of life should always be of utmost concern. R.E.D.’s vision and the purpose of their Eco Symposium is that All Nations work together to solve these local and world environmental problems.

In addition, R.E.D. emphasizes that different groups of community members can inspire one another to make changes, learn and grow together—especially during this crucial shift in consciousness.

Regional tribal representatives and elders from the Hoopa, Klamath, Grande Ronde, Siletz, Cow Creek, Karuk, Shasta, Warm Springs, Coos/Siuslaw and Coquille tribes will be invited to participate.

Local environmental issues will also be discussed, including restoration of the area salmon populations, water quality, biodiversity and protecting all relations, better forestry practices, climate change and traditional burning practices.

In addition, environmental groups, alternative energy businesses, green industries, and local recycling companies will all be invited to participate in an educational booth area, highlighting Alternative Energy demonstrations and Recycling.

Cosponsors and speakers at the Native EcoSymposium will include elder Agnes Baker Pilgrim (Confederated Tribes of Siletz), Julie Norman (Siskiyou Project), Marko Bey and Robert Brothers (Lomakasti Restoration Project), and others to be announced. Prayers, ceremony and music will accompany the event, including the traditional blessing of Whistling Elk Drum.

Elder Agnes Baker Pilgrim will be addressing the issue of Water at the Native EcoSymposium. As head of the International 13 Indigenous Grandmothers, she blesses rivers and water all around the world. “I did a blessing on Mt. Ashland on Easter Sunday, and I told everyone that the water can hear us. If you swear at it, the water will darken. If you talk kind to it, it sparkles. On Mt. Ashland, we all blessed the snow, because after it melts, it turns to water, and then the blessing runs down the mountain into the rivers and streams, and blesses us all too. We are all water babies, so bless the water before you drink it, and it will lubricate and heal your body. It’s never too late to save the world. Wherever you are, take care of the water—if you really want to live. Recently some whales started swimming up the Sacramento River—something was telling them that things are not right. You better pray. You had better pray to stop Global Warming. Do something to make a difference.”

R.E.D., which held Native Games on the Spring Equinox and an Elder-Youth Conference (in conjunction with World Peace & Prayer Day) at the Earth-Teach Forest Park in June, also plans to celebrate the Winter Solstice with a storytelling gathering. R.E.D.’s social gatherings, where community members can come together to get to know one another, take place on the first Saturday of every month. The Whistling Elk Drum Group is always present, along with a potluck meal, traditionally blessed on a sacred blanket on the ground “to honor the harvest given to us from Mother Earth.”

You can listen to R.E.D.’s weekly community radio show, First Nations Radio, on KSKQ 94.9 LPFM, every Sunday, from 2-4 p.m., streaming live at www.kskq.org. The segment showcases native music and news.

For more information on Red Earth Descendents and the upcoming First Nations Day and Native EcoSymposium, contact Michael Vasquez at (541) 201-8101, Dan Wahpepah at (541) 890-3529, email jaimiesclan@aol.com and redearthdescendants@gmail.com, or visit www.redearthdescendants.org.

Jane Ayers is an environmental journalist, published in Los Angeles Times, USA Today, The Nation and Truthout.org. She can be reached at ladywriterjane@hotmail.com. The photo by Jim Young was taken of Agnes Baker Pilgrim, First Nations Day 2006 at the Russell Beebe sculpture dedication.

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