GLEN COVE SHELLMOUND SPIRITUAL WALK

For the past ten years, there has been an on-going dialog between Vallejo Inter-Tribal Council of California and the GVRD (Greater Vallejo Recreation District) regarding the desecration of the Glen Cove Shellmound in Vallejo, California and the GVRD's plans to 'develop' the 15 acres of this Sacred burial site.
A Spiritual walk for the Ancestors is scheduled for tomorrow, September 30, 2009. Walkers and supporters are asked to meet at the GVRD building at 395 Amador St. in Vallejo, California at 11:00 AM and walk to the Glen Cove Shellmound (approximately 3.5 miles) Please join us in this sacred walk. Photographers and journalists - please join us to document this historical Spiritual Walk for the Ancestors.

A burial site is meant to give us assurance of peaceful rest, dignity, respect, the comfort of prayers, ceremony and memory, regardless of race or religious affiliation. Burial sites and cemeteries are places of the Sacred, where prayer and ceremony allow us to honor family and traditions.
The desecration of the Glen Cove Shellmound, the theft of remains, artifacts and sacred items is criminal. The criminal aspects of greed, profit and power over others, through the desecration and abuse of the departed is a crime against humanity.

It is unacceptable to dig or use augers, or to sift through the shell and soil to unearth bones and artifacts of the Ancestors for financial gain, this is in direct violation of the accords, legal understandings, principles and the law under the American Indian Religious Freedom Act. Paving is unacceptable, as are conventional methods of demolition in the removal of the Stremmel house on the property, as with the use of heavy equipment to raze the building for disposal. To protect the Shellmound existing beneath the structure of the house, it is imperative that the demolition is conducted with extreme care. The choice of a salvage company who will honor the sanctity of this burial site is vital, to further insure against any additional disruption and damage to the Shellmound. Any pathways constructed should be created with natural substances, without digging or the use of the usual paving materials.

It is also important to have full clarification of the funding of the GVRD project of Glen Cove. Considering the city of Vallejo is unable to provide the financial backing, where did the grant money originate?

We stand before you as Spiritual people, who honor our Ancestors; we understand the implications of the violations committed on this Sacred Shellmound. The Glen Cove site is a Shellmound, a Sacred site where our Ancestors rest. The truth lies in the GVRD's own documentation and in the bowels of the Hearst Museum at UC Berkeley where many of the Ancestors skeletal remains and sacred items from the Glen Cove Shellmound are held hostage.

"In 1984, an archeologist named Dan Foster visited the property to observe damage caused to CA-SOL 236 (Glen Cove Shellmound) by workers clearing the grounds for its new owners, the GVRD. Fosters visit led to the production of an amended archeological site form and a new map showing where he felt the archeological deposit was primarily located. The accidental disturbance of the archeological site led to a commitment by the parks (GVRD) to include cultural resource issues in any future park planning activities."[Page4, Glen Cove Waterfront Park, Appendix B - A Summary of Cultural Resource Research]

It is impossible for the GVRD to stand in the shadows of denial to the fact that their own documentation speaks of the destruction of the burial site and the multitude of Ancestral skeletal remains and artifacts confiscated by UC Berkeley from the Glen Cove site.

The ritual of prayer, ceremony and burial of the departed is as varied as the cultural traditions and religions of the world. Nonetheless, a common thread exists for Spiritual people, in holding respect for the departed and the resting place thereof. As Native People, our prayers, traditions and ceremonies may differ; but as Spiritual people, we would not knowingly malign any ancestors, or desecrate any cemeteries. Respect and dignity must prevail. Cultural differences aside, a burial site is a Sacred place and to continue to desecrate it is truly a crime against humanity.

Native American writer Vine Deloria Jr. wrote "Sacred places are the foundation of all other beliefs and practices because they represent the presence of the Sacred in our lives." The Glen Cove Shellmound is a sacred place for us, it is the final resting place for the Ancestors of many California tribes. It is estimated to between 3,500 to 4000 years old.

We live in a time where our natural landscapes are fast disappearing, our Sacred sites are violated, our water and skies poisoned by pollution, our wildlife are pushed out of their natural habitats and big box stores, housing developments, and pavement cover the vast majority of our land; all in the name of progress.
It is time for everyone to understand that progress is not measured by how many acres of land and Sacred Sites are destroyed to construct another building, another parking lot, another shopping mall. True progress will only come when there is respect and honor for what Creator placed here; when moral and Spiritual responsibility hold more importance than lining your pockets and the calculated destruction of Indigenous culture.

The GVRD may hold a paper of ownership to the Glen Cove Waterfront, but this does not release them from the moral and spiritual responsibility that is paramount in respecting the Shellmound and the natural habitat.

Vine Deloria Jr. also stated that "A society that cannot remember and honor its past is in peril of losing its soul." There must be an end to the desecration of this Sacred burial site, as well as an end to the crimes inflicted upon our Ancestors resting here. We are here to preserve our past to protect our future and we can do no less. We will not lose our soul.

In Honor and Protection of the Ancestors,
Orannhawk