NOTICES
“In The Light of Reverence”
Chronicles Battles Over Sacred Lands
For Native Americans, Panther
Meadows on the slopes of Northern
California’s Mount Shasta, Devils
Tower in the Black Hills, and the ancient
mesas in the Four Comers area of the
Southwest are more than classic
Western landscapes. They are sacred
sites that still serve the Wintu, the
Lakota, and the Hopi, respectively, as
“doorways to the spirit world.”
These doorways are in danger of
being slammed shut. “In The Light of
Reverence,” a new documentary
narrated by Peter Coyote and Tantoo
Cardinal, reveals that the forces that
threaten them go beyond the usual
mining and timber operations.
Christopher McLeod and Malinda
Maynor’s “In The Light of Reverence”
premieres on Aug. 14, 2001, at 10 p.m.
ET on PBS (check local listings), as part
of the 2001 season of P.O.V., public
television’s ground-breaking showcase
of independent, non-fiction films.
At Devils Tower, rock climbers
insist on using the federally protected
monument even when it intrudes on
Lakota religious ceremonies in June. On
Mt. Shasta, not only a $21 million ski
resort proposal but growing numbers of
New Age admirers of Indian spiritual
practices have endangered a spring at
Panther Meadows that is sacred to the
area’s remaining Wintu.
On Hopi land, the scourge of
mining is destroying numerous places
that have been Native American shrines
for thousands of years, sometimes for
the purpose of providing gravel for a
highway or pumice to soften “stone-
washed” jeans. One mining operation
is draining ground water at such a
prodigious rate that Hopi springs are
drying up, threatening to do what
centuries of conquest have not - destroy
the viability of Hopi religion and culture.
At the root of this destruction are
the profound differences in the ways
Indian and non-Indian societies view
nature’s role in their spiritual and
economic lives. While Congress acted
in 1978, after a century of suppression,
to permit Indian religious ceremonies,
no provision protects the natural shrines
and consecrated places that are
fundamental to Native American
religious practices.
“In The Light of Reverence” gives
a compelling account of the stakes at
each of the sites. While Native
American activists and healers speak
eloquently of the land’s spiritual
importance to Indian survival, a
coalition of miners, developers, local
businesses, and recreational enthusiasts
protest what they see as their exclusion
from public lands.
Ten years in the making, “In The
Light of Reverence” offers the
spectacular tableau of an American West
still under fierce contention more than
a century after the frontier wars between
Indians and non-Indians ceased.
Alcohol/Drugs Linked to Student
Failure and Crime
A new state survey says that Oregon
students who use alcohol or drugs are
more likely to fail school, commit
crimes, and behave violently.
“This report confirms what
teachers, police officers, and social
workers see every day,” says Gov. John
Kitzhaber. “There is a strong correlation
between drinking alcohol or taking
drugs and trouble at school and
juvenile delinquency.”
The Oregon Department of Human
Services (DHS) recently released
“Oregon Public School Drug Use
Survey 2000,” a biennial poll of 12,000
Oregon sixth-, eighth-, and 11 "'-grade
students conducted last spring in 159
schools. Survey respondents were asked
about recent alcohol and drug use,
academic performance, and criminal
and violent behaviors.
Barbara Cimaglio, administrator of
the department’s Office of Alcohol and
Drug Abuse Programs, says the resulting
data shows the stark consequences of
substance abuse by young people.
In each of the three grades
surveyed, respondents who recently
used alcohol or drugs skipped classes,
earned failing grades, or received
suspensions at far higher rates than
those who did not use such substances.
The same pattern occurred with
criminal and violent acts. For example,
a disproportionate number of recent
alcohol ordrug users brought handguns
to school, used a weapon in a fight, or
stole a car.
“Communities need to know that
drug and alcohol abuse by juveniles is
related to juvenile crime and school
problems,’ says Phillip Lemman,
executive director of the Oregon
Criminal Justice Commission.
“Investing in effective alcohol and drug
use prevention programs can help young
people stay in school, improve their
grades, and keep out of trouble. It also
demonstrates the importance of having
school, public safety, and treatment
professionals work together to address
these problems.”
As it does every two years, the state
survey also collected information about
the use of alcohol and drugs among
Oregon’s students. With a few
exceptions, substance use fell slightly
in each of the three grades polled.
According to the 2000 report, 41.8
percent of 1 l"’-graders, 26.4 percent of
eighth-graders, (up from 26 percent in
1998), and 7.8 percent of sixth-graders
reported drinking alcohol recently.
Attention Native American Actors
Morl I a nt?
Anel IllaaZa. —
Here's Your Opportunity To Be Discovered!
NBC & The Oneida Indian Nation
Invite You To Participate In The
Four Directions Talent Search.
. : ■ '
■■■;". ' ’ y
Qualifying Events Will Be Held At ...
Foxwoods Resort Casino, Ledyard CT - August 24
The Comedy Works, Denver CO - September 11
Yuks Yuks Comedy Club, Toronto CAN - September 24
The Comedy Underground, Seattle WA - October 9
The Comedy Corner, West Palm Beach FL - October 22
Semi-Finals - Turning Stone Casino Resort, Verona NY - November 4-5
Finals - PSNBC Studios, New York NY - November 7
Communications Department 315-361-6512
www.faurdirectionstalent.com
(See Survey on page 3)
August 2001
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Siletz News
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