Juanenos and Panhe - The United Coalition To Protect Panhe by Robert Bracamontes
This image is used with the permission of the Coalition and may not be reproduced without their express authorization.
Almost every person on earth has been to a burial site in his or her lifetime. Very few, if any, would rush to think about damaging or destroying those sacred lands. But throughout American history, and even today, desecration of Indigenous People’s sacred lands is a common occurrence in the landscape of the colonial mindset of the government and their corporate accomplice.
For Panhe, the Acjachemen/Juaneno Village that existed ten thousand years ago and is still used today for gatherings and prayers, this history of desecration is quickly becoming a problem in the present day as it is about to be destroyed by a projected toll road. This issue of defending burial sites, like Panhe, far out shadows the political fighting taking place over federal recognition. This movement takes us to a timeless place of universal thought about how we are ultimately and unwaveringly the same.
I took pictures at Panhe that show us gathering as a single group, proving a united front is possible when it comes to protecting our sacred land and religious freedom. Our willingness to stand up for our rights and freedoms in order to protect our history and culture far exceeds any petty arguments over federal recognition. Should we win this battle, it would have huge ramifications on other Indigenous Peoples struggling to protect their sacred land.
How would America feel if we decide to build a toll road over the Lincoln monument, John or Robert Kennedy’s grave, or the Arlington Cemetery? You can be sure the President, the Supreme Court, Congress and the moral righteousness of the law would protect the sanctity of these historical places. But justice belongs to all people and we have every right to have our sacred ancestors buried at Panhe left to rest peacefully without being dishonored.
Today feels like a new kind of Manifest Destiny has started all over again. There is no respect for our land, our culture or us. The US government is still intent on breaking every dignified law on earth to humiliate us all over again.
. . .
The great and united people, the Acjachemen, Juaneno Tribe are waiting for all of you to show us respect and dignity. Those resting at Panhe are calling out to us, in the hope that we will never forget them and that we will stand up against those that wish to harm them
Bob Bracamontes
Yu-va’-tal ‘A’lla-mal
(Black Crow)
http://www.onlinewithbob.com/
