“I weep when I stand on the ridge at Panhe. I can feel the wind wrap around me and I know it is the spirits of those long gone. They offer me comfort, I weep because I cannot offer them peace.” Sally Cruz-Wright, Juaneno Indians

January 23, 2008
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
State Capitol Building
Sacramento, CA 95814

Governor Schwarzenegger,

Please accept this letter as a formal request to enter the fight to protect my homeland. The land of my ancestors is under attack, under attack by those who propose a toll road. A road which will place concrete over the bones of my ancestors. A road that will desecrate land that has long been thought sacred by my people.

I am of a proud people who have long sought Federal Recognition, though this goal has eluded us, we have sought solace in our heritage, our communities and our lands. Many of us have been raised as Christians, due to the conversion of faith by our ancestors but still we hold on to our sacred rituals. We honor our ancestors, we honor our sacred burial grounds, and we honor those who endured the atrocities that they were made to face each day. We weep for those that must be disturbed and re-interred for the sake of progress. It is hard for me to speak of these things, because my heart aches for their pain, the indignities that they had to face each day, the humiliation they must have felt for being Indian.

My heart weeps when I listen to the stories told by my elders. I feel pain when I look at my mothers face when she relays the stories of her childhood to me. She has told me how her father would not let her grow her hair long because she would look too Indian. I weep when she tells me the white children she went to school with would not hold her hands because they were stained by the walnuts she picked to help her family survive. I rejoice in the stories relayed to me by my aunt about her father, how he would take her to the different village sites and tell her this is the land of your people.

On January 20, 2008 I attended a songfest that was held on Panhe. During this meeting a statement was made by a member of my Tribe, and I cannot let it go. The essence of this statement was, as Native Americans we love America, but as Indians, America does not love us. Why?

Native Americans have proved to be extremely loyal to this country and have volunteered to protect the rights of humanity. To protect the homelands of others when in essence they did not have one of their own. When World War I broke out Native Americans (Indians) were not considered citizens. They would not have citizenship bestowed upon them until June 2, 1924. Yet still a large percentage of Choctaw men volunteered to join the US Military, along with about 10,000 other Native Americans. The language the Choctaw spoke was considered obsolete, but proved to be extremely useful. The Choctaw Code Talkers along with their language have been regaled as being instrumental in bringing about a successful end to the war. These code talkers were able to confuse the Germans who were eavesdropping in on Allied communication.

As World War II loomed closer, it has been relayed in history that Hitler so feared the Native Americans (Indians) because of their contribution during World War I, that Nazis were sent to reservations. These Nazi’s posed as anthropologists and writers to try and subvert some Indian tribes and to learn their language.

President Roosevelt stated the following in 1936, “This generation has a rendezvous with destiny.” This prophesy came to fruition December 7th, 1941. Four days later Hitler declared war on the United States. Native Americans (Indians) flocked to the defense of their country. No other ethnic group made a greater per capita contribution. The contributions of the Native Americans (Indians) to the over throw of Hitler are numerous. Their warrior spirit helped to restore the homelands of Europe to their rightful owners.

These are the reasons I ask you for your help, for the contributions that the Native Americans (Indians) have made in defending your homeland. They have fought unselfishly to protect the homelands of others. They have fought unselfishly to bring democracy and freedom to others. They fought for your right to be free and to come to their land and prosper. It is a shame that they must now fight to protect their own homelands, their sacred sites.

I weep when I stand on the ridge at Panhe. I can feel the wind wrap around me and I know it is the spirits of those long gone. They offer me comfort, I weep because I cannot offer them peace.

Sincerely,
Sally Cruz-Wright
Juaneno Band of Mission Indians – San Juan Capistrano

Take action to stop the toll road at the February 6 Coastal Commission hearing! savepanhe.org and savesanonofre.org.