Huicholes form alliance to fight mining on sacred land
First press conference with an international audience at COP 14 Climate Talks in Cancún, 2011. With Rodolfo Cosio, Jesus Lara, and Antonio Carrillo. Photograph ©Tracy Barnett
CANCUN, Mexico -- A Canadian mining company is threatening the most sacred place of the Huicholes, where sacred water is found and where prayers are said for the balance of the world.
The Huicholes, who call themselves Wixarika, make pilgrimages to their ceremonial place in the Sierra Madres across the Chihuahua desert to Leunar in Mexico, their sacred mountain where the sun first rose. A Canadian mining company, First Majestic Silver Corporation, plans to exploit and mine this area. The company is planning to use cyanide to mine the sacred region. This disastrous mining will destroy the ecosystem and the sacred places of the Wixarika.
The Franks Landing Indian Community in Washington State is spearheading a project to bring support to the Wixarika. Franks Landing Indian youths planned to meet with the Wixarika in Cancun, but were unable to secure passports.
Still, Robert Free Galvan of Seattle met with the Wixarika in Cancun, and new alliances were made with other Indigenous Peoples, including Sarah James, Gwich'in from Alaska, and Ofelia Rivas, O'odham from the US/Mexico border.
During an interview with Censored News in Cancun, Wixarika said that the balance of the world will be upset if the Wixarika do not continue their prayers here.
Wixarika said they have gone to their sacred place for a millennium to collect their sacred waters and sacred peyote for ceremonies. Mining will contaminate the water and the land there.
Wixarika said they came to the Cancun Climate Summit looking for alliances, urging people to write letters to the government of Mexico and put pressure on Mexico to halt this mining.
“What this comes down to is an extermination of the Wixarika people," a member of the Wixarika delegation said in a radio interview with Censored News. Follow link below to continue reading...
