Indigenous Affairs

“We’re Praying That They Remember These Waters”: Supported By Tribal Ceremony, Salmon Eggs Return To The McCloud River After 80 Year Absence

On July 11 the Winnemem Wintu Tribe danced, sang and prayed for 20,000 endangered salmon eggs as they were returned to the McCloud River. The action is part of new collaboration with government agencies and represented a watershed moment for the Tribe. Hot Sacramento River temperatures threaten winter-run Chinook, but government scientists hope acclimating the eggs to the glacial waters of the McCloud River, their ancestral home, will help them survive.

Latest in Indigenous Affairs
“Wayken Pana El Pom” – New Downtown Wintu Mural  Declares ‘Everyone Is Welcome in Redding’

The newly unveiled Wintu Mural on the Cascade Theatre represents a watershed moment for Wintu and Indigenous people’s representation in what is now known as Redding. Conceptually designed by two local Wintu artists, the mural is the culmination of years of advocacy by a collective of Native activists and supporters.

The Pit River Tribe’s History of Daring Activism Will Be Brought To Life in Locally-Produced Documentary

With a focus on promoting community-wide healing, Sky Scholfield, a Shasta College graduate and tribal member, is shooting a documentary about the Pit River Tribe, whose ancestral lands span eastern Shasta and Modoc Counties. The film will explore the Pit River people’s occupations of PGE and national forest lands during the 60s and 70s and as well as their contemporary efforts to reclaim lands and cultural practices.

Decolonizing California’s Wildfire Zone

Today, in an agreement with the city of Chico, the Mechoopda tribe manages Verbena Fields. It’s an emerging model of what decolonizing land can look like, supported by partnerships between Native and non-Native communities.

Superintendent of Schools Candidate Bryan Caples Comments About Native Students Are Dangerous, Parents Say

Caples is running for the position against the incumbent, Judy Flores. During a recent political forum Caples insinuated that Native students are dangerous and suggested placing them in more restrictive educational settings based on their race. Native parents and educators say they fear Caples, if elected, could make public schools more hostile environments for their youth.

Environmental Advocates, Including Local Tribe, Say Protecting Bay-Delta Water Quality Is A Matter of Justice

The Winnemem Wintu Tribe are part of a larger coalition that's petitioning California to correct water management plans they say harm the Pacific coast’s largest estuary and its surrounding communities. They connect today's disastrous conditions in the Delta to California’s legacy of discriminatory and anti-Indigenous water policies.

Some Wintu People Call For “Land Back” During Riverfront Meetings. Here’s Why.

The land we now know as Redding has been a part of Wintu people’s vast homelands for thousands of years. Today, after surviving state-sponsored massacres, violent removals, and discriminatory legal doctrines, Wintu tribes remain almost entirely landless. For some Wintu people, the proposed sale of riverfront land is inseparable from the need to reckon with this often-suppressed history.

Local Tribe Uses Legal Brief To Argue For More Just and Equitable Water Stewardship

The brief has been submitted as part of an appeal in a case that addresses California’s entrenched water rights system, which prioritizes those who claimed water first, sometimes at the expense of those who need it most. The Winnemem Wintu Tribe argue the current system harms not only California waterways but also tribes, who’ve been historically excluded from claiming water rights.

Documentary About Local Waterways Shares Indigenous Perspectives with Viewers Around the World

Winnemem Wintu Tribal Member Michael “Pom” Preston is the co-director of a recent short documentary that has screened in more than 15 countries. One Word Sawalmem offers powerful Indigenous lessons about our relationship to water during a time of extreme drought. It's currently available to stream online for free.

“Our Greatest Weapon Is Our Relationships”: How the Coalition to Stop Fountain Wind Overcame Partisan Divides

From Indigenous sacred site protectors and former hippies to Trump supporters and conservative Christians, an eclectic Intermountain community collaborated last year to resist the proposed $300 million Fountain Wind energy project. Several key organizers talked to Shasta Scout about what the coalition’s story means for the future of the region and alternate energy.

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