Lithium Mine Battle at Paiute Massacre Site Links to Global Battle Against Greenwashing

Battle of Lithium Mining at Paiute Massacre Site Links Struggles Against Greenwashing Around the World

By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Dec. 5, 2023

RENO, Nevada -- The struggle to protect Peehee Mu'huh, Thacker Pass, from lithium mine links the global struggles of uncontacted Indonesians battling nickel mining, child slaves in Congo's cobalt mines, and the peoples' battles against lithium mining in Serbia and Argentina. They are all battling the greenwashing of the false solution of electric vehicles for climate change.

The desecration of the sacred Paiute Massacre site by Lithium Americas of Canada is proceeding because federal laws do not protect massacre sites. Further, a man camp of lithium miners threatens the rural communities of Fort McDermitt Paiute Shoshone Nation, and the town of Winnemucca with crime, specifically sex trafficking.

Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Reno-Sparks Indian Colony Chairman Arlan Melendez called for a new mobilization of peaceful protests that will bring awareness to the public about the ongoing desecration to the sacred place and the damage to the environment. He called for support from South Dakota and elsewhere to bring this desecration to the forefront.

"We lost the lawsuit because the law favors mining, especially in this state," Chaimrnan Melendez said.

"Without water, there is no life," said Dean Barlese, Pyramid Lake Paiute, who offered the opening traditional prayer honoring all created things, all sacred creation. "We're teaching our young people these prayer songs."

"Our songs are still out there on the land."

Chairman Melendez said they are concerned about the crime that the mine will bring to Fort McDermitt region, in a rural area near the Nevada and Oregon border, including man camps, especially with the concern for missing and murdered women.

The lithium boom is like the gold rush, the whole state has lithium deposits, and Nevada's 28 bands and tribes are sure to be affected. Already, sacred sites are being desecrated by lithium mining.

Chairman Melendez said the strategy is to mobilize tribes to speak with a louder voice so that the people will understand the devastation.

Speaking on the failure of the United States to engage in meaningful consultation, Chairman Melendez said the Secretary of Interior was invited to meet with Nevada Indian tribes but failed to do so.

Consultation was the only opportunity to affect the outcome, and the United States government did not come out and meet with the tribes, he said.

Michon Eben, tribal historic preservation officer for Reno-Sparks Indian Colony, described the historical significance of the homeland, and how bands were named after the foods they gathered and their cultural ways. Eben described the Massacre of Paiutes here, reading from historic accounts, and how the people still go here to pray.

US federal soldiers in the 1st Nevada Cavalry carried out the massacre of the people on September 12, 1865, across Peehee Mu’huh.

Chairman Melendez and Eben were joined by attorney Will Falk and Max Wilbert, cofounder of Protect Thacker Pass.

Read more at Censored News:
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2023/12/battle-of-lithium-mining-at-paiute.html

Thacker Pass is known as “Peehee Mu’huh” in the Paiute language and is home to sacred sites, harvesting and hunting grounds, ceremonial areas, and the locations of two massacres of Paiute children, women and men.

On November 9th, Northern District of Nevada Chief Judge Miranda Du dismissed a second lawsuit filed in February of this year by the Reno-Sparks Indian Colony against the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for allowing the Thacker Pass Lithium Mine to destroy sacred sites in Thacker Pass without concluding tribal consultation. The Reno-Sparks Indian Colony was joined by the Summit Lake Paiute Tribe, and Burns Paiute Tribe in the suit.

Top photo "Our songs are still out there on the land," said Dean Barlese, Pyramid Lake Paiute, before offering a traditional prayer during the press conference on Tuesday. Screenshot by Censored News.