Help Protect Sacred Site Mt.Tenabo - June 10th, 9th Circuit Courthouse

Please forward widely and come out to support! Housing is needed in the Bay Area for 10-12 Western Shoshone Elders and drummers/drum groups are requested to open up the prayer gathering. Please contact John Hadder if you can help to provide support.


Support Religious Freedom
Stop Barrick Gold mining company
from Destruction of the Sacred Mt. Tenabo (Nevada)


June 10 – 7:30 AM - a peaceful and respectful ceremony
will open with native drumming, song, and prayer.
Western Shoshone elders will speak at 8:00 AM
Your Support is Needed

San Francisco
The James R. Browning Courthouse
95 7th Street


On June 10, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments in South Fork Band Council et al. vs. United States Department of the Interior et al., and Barrick Gold Corp. on whether Barrick will be allowed to construct a massive open pit gold mine on the Western Shoshone sacred site, Mt. Tenabo, in Nevada.

On November 8 2008, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management approved the construction of a massive open pit cyanide heap leach gold mine on the face of well-known spiritual area, Mt. Tenabo. The Federal Court in Reno has denied a preliminary injunction that would have stopped mining operations at Mt. Tenabo. South Fork Band Council of Western Shoshone of Nevada, Te-Moak Tribe of Western Shoshone Indians of Nevada, Timbisha Shoshone Tribe, Western Shoshone Defense Project, and Great Basin Resource Watch are seeking to overturn the Reno court ruling to stop further destruction of Mt. Tenabo by Barrick Gold Corporation.

This mine will cause permanent destruction of the cultural and spiritual practices of the Western Shoshone. Mt. Tenabo has been, and continues to be, used by Western Shoshone people as a central part of their religious practices and world view. According to the Western Shoshone, Barrick’s gold mining operation will cause “Spiritual Genocide” and cause permanent destruction of Western Shoshone cultural and spiritual practices because this area is a central site for their religious practices and creation stories. Western Shoshone visit the mountain and the valley below (the location of the mine pit) for prayer ceremonies, gathering of sacred plants, fasting, and vision quests, among other uses. The Mountain also contains Western Shoshone gravesites. All of these values and uses will be destroyed by the mine. In addition, the massive pumping of groundwater will likely dry up sacred springs and streams on and around Mt. Tenabo.

For more information - http://www.gbrw.org - http://www.wsdp.org
Sample letter to President Obama




Morning Star Gali

morningstar [at] treatycouncil.org
Community Liaison Coordinator

International Indian Treaty Council
Office: 415.641.4482 ext. 303
Fax: 415. 641.1298