Arctic is Not For Sale! Day of Solidarity to Protect Arctic Refuge & Indigenous Cultures

National Day of Solidarity to Save the Arctic Refuge & Indigenous Way of Life

On social media on Wednesday, Jan. 6th

Website: https://www.defendthesacredalaska.org/arctic-refuge

This action is in solidarity with Alaska's Indigenous peoples. Defend the Sacred Alaska calls on our allies to take action to stop corporate fossil fuel extraction in the US and Canada. We will hold this solidarity action when the lease sale is announced (12/7/2020) and when the lease sale is held (1/6/21).

An Arctic Refuge National Day of Solidarity will be held 1/6/21 in solidarity with the Gwich’in and Iñupiat peoples against Arctic Refuge oil exploration and extraction.

Virtual Call to Action Video Option:

1. Use your phone to record yourself on video.

3. Hold the camera vertically.

4. Tell us your name, your tribal affiliation and/or the Indigenous territories you are on.

5. Tell us your reason for opposing lease sales on the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge.

6. Post your video to social media use the hashtag #protectthearctic or share with us directly!

Pic Option: Do the same with a pic on social media of you holding a sign demanding that the fossil fuel industry STAYS OUT! of the Arctic Refuge

SCRIPT for video or for post under picture:

"Hi, my name is ____________ I am on the land of (Name of Tribe Here; or Your Own Tribe) and I oppose lease sales in the Arctic Refuge because . . . . "

Don't forget the hashtag(s)!

#ProtectTheArctic
#DefendTheBirthingGrounds
#InupiatGwichinSolidarity
#StandWithTheGwichin
____________________________________________________________

ABOUT: Defend the Sacred Alaska

Defend the Sacred Alaska is an Alaskan movement to boldly uplift our sacred connection to each other, the earth, and all living beings.

The Trump Administration has used the COVID-19 Pandemic to forgo the EPA regulations and continue an aggressive attack to open up sacred lands throughout Alaska for a multitude of development projects that would have far reaching impacts on our environment and Indigneous way of life. We are seeing this beyond the refuge: in the Tongass National Forest in Tlingit and Haida lands, in the Inupiaq communities facing further oil project advancement, Pebble Mine in Bristol Tribal communities, Yukon Flats oil exploration projects in Gwich’in and Koyukon villages in the Interior, and other sacred lands (aka public lands) being attacked under pandemic while EPA restrictions and laws have been relaxed and in some cases dismissed.

Every aspect of Indigenous life is interwoven with connection to the land through food, culture, and spirituality. Stripping the land of protections from fossil fuel extraction, specifically the Sacred Place Where Life Begins, the government is sending a clear message that they do not care about the fundamental rights of Indigenous Peoples. As their actions are directly threatening the rights of mother earth and the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

Indigenous Peoples of the Arctic, the Gwich’in and Inupiaq, have stewarded their lands and the sacred place where life begins since time immemorial. They have and will continue to lead the efforts in defending the sacred in past, present, and future.
____________________________________________________________