Desert Palm United Church of Christ presents Standing on Sacred Ground
Sunday, September 25, 2016, 5:30pm
Desert Palm UCC, Tempe, Arizona
FREE and open to the public
Indigenous People’s Day
The United Church of Christ is part of a growing movement to rename Columbus Day, “Indigenous People’s Day.” This name change reflects the evolving realization that Europeans historically said to have “discovered” the Americas were actually agents of colonialization and genocide whose devastating invasions and exploitative practices helped pave the way for the current ecological catastrophe unfolding all around us. In a spirit of solidarity with oppressed Indigenous peoples throughout the world, Desert Palm UCC and the national UCC are committed to truth-telling, restoration and the ongoing struggle for justice.
In our support of Indigenous People, we will be screening the award winning four part series, Standing On Sacred Ground, touching on the plight of Indigenous peoples around the globe.
Pilgrims and Tourists
Russian shamans and a northern California tribe both confront massive government projects—and find common ground.
Around the world, indigenous communities stand in the way of government megaprojects. In the Russian Republic of Altai, a pristine mountain region in southern Siberia, traditional native people create their own mountain parks to rein in tourism, and resist state-run energy giant Gazprom’s plans to run a pipeline to China through a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In California, Winnemem Wintu girls grind herbs on a medicine rock as elders protest U.S. government plans to enlarge Shasta Dam, which would forever submerge this touchstone of the tribe. Winona LaDuke (Anishinaabe), Oren Lyons (Onondaga), Satish Kumar and Barry Lopez provide insights on a growing global indigenous movement for human rights and environmental protection. Narrated by Graham Greene (Oneida), with storyteller Tantoo Cardinal (Métis).
More information: http://desertpalmucc.org/?events=film-series-on-sacred-ground-pilgrims-and-tourists
