The Ancestors Expect It. The Unborn Demand It. OUR SACRED .

PHOTO: PAUL ANDERSONTIME TO UNITECoal exports and tar sands crude oil will degrade and denature thenatural environment of the Pacific Northwest. Our first order of business—our sacred duty and shared obligation—is to steward and conserve theplace we call home.For generations, tribal peoples have witnessesed theimpact of faceless ‘persons’—corporations—on the lands,water, air, and human and environmental health. Though attimes consulted, we have not been heard as a real voice indefending our traditional homeland territories. Instead, wehave seen the gradual, now accelerating, degradation ofour land and water, our traditional foods and medicines,and the health of our people.But this is a new day. To those who would sacrifice the wayand quality of life of all peoples of the Pacific Northwest, wesay: Take notice. Enough is enough! The game has changed.We come united to protect the sustainability of ourcommunities and environment. We the People standunited to protect, and pass on as our legacy, our bountifulnatural heritage. Coal and oil exports will not be allowed tothreaten our future.The path of destruction by coal exports will begin onuncovered rail cars spewing coal dust across Montana,Idaho, Washington and Oregon before it is “stored” on theshorelines of the Salish Sea in places such as Xwe’chi’eXen(Cherry Point). Massive ships will carry the coal throughtribal and non-Indian fishing areas of the Salish Sea, allthe way across the fragile salmon runs of the NorthPacific Ocean.These proposals trample the treaty rights of the Tribes.They break the social compact between the governmentof the United States and its people to secure the generalwelfare of its residents. And they threaten a way of life, arich and varied ecological, social and cultural landscape.6The proposed terminal at Xwe’chi’eXen will dishonorthousands of years of our history. It is not only a matter ofenvironmental justice, but of social justice and civil rights.Xwe’chi’eXen coal proposalby the numbersGateway Pacific Terminals wants to export 54million tons of coal annually from Cherry Point.What’s the real cost to our communities? Ongoing safety and congestion problems alongrail-line communities by transporting coal to theproposed terminal using 18 coal trains per day.Each coal train is 1.5 miles long. New health and safety risks from coal dust: In a150-car train, each open-top car will lose up to500 pounds of coal dust on its journey from thePowder River Basin. Degradation of water quality, fisheries andaquatic habitat from a 100-acre coal stockpilenext to the Salish Sea. Increased risk of vessel collisions and oil spillson the Salish Sea from hundreds of additionalcapesize ships carrying millions of gallons of fuel. Lasting harm to our region’s reputation as aclean energy and climate change leader as thecoal burned overseas comes home in the form ofmercury pollution in fish and carbon pollution inour skies.Protecting Treaty Rights, Sacred Places, and Lifeways: Coal vs. Communities

PHOTO: PAUL ANDERSONA SACRED PLACE, VIOLATEDXwe’chi’eXen (“the place of the mink”) is a village complex that dates backat least 3,500 years. It is where our inland relations came to visit relatives bycanoe on Vancouver Island and mainland British Columbia.It was one of the first places to be listed on the WashingtonState Historic Register and is one of the largest sites ofits kind in Washington State. Across 175 generations, atleast 35,000 of our ancestors lived at Cherry Point. NineLummi kinship groups are affiliated with Xwe’chi’eXen: 60percent of modern-day Lummis have direct ancestral tiesto this site.Time and again, non-Indian archaeologists have performedintrusive studies at Xwe’chi’eXen, digging up the remainsof our ancestors to store in boxes at their university.This disgraceful activity is part of a shameful legacy thatpermeates our relationship with portions of the non-Indiancommunity and breaks faith with promises made to ourancestors. As is well known, promises made to us are oftenmade only to be broken.Already, coal export CEOs seem intent on treating us inthe same manner. Pacific International Terminals (PIT)authorized its contractors to bulldoze what it knew to be ahighly significant registered archaeological site. Instead ofapplying for the required permits, PIT bulldozed four milesof road and drilled deep boreholes into our ancestral land.They also drained the wetlands without a permit, preferringto save time and risk a slap on the wrist.In both cases, the excuse was the same: the activity wassimply an oversight, a communications breakdown. But oneof the nation’s leading experts on large-scale constructionprojects disagreed, concluding: “PIT intentionally chose toproceed.without necessary permits to obtain the expectedeconomic benefit” that came with saving time rather thanrespecting treaty rights.1Export companies view our rights, our culture, our sharedenvironment and way of life as little more than a nuisanceto be overcome with lawyers, lobbyists, and public relationsfirms. They seem to play by their own rules.“It is an old, old story ofcoercion, with new players,big money, and co-optionof a lead agency. TheIndians are in the wayof ‘progress’: Indians andtheir sacred grounds, theirburial grounds, their customary way of life,and Indians who value family and futuregenerations above short-term profit. Thenaked truth is, the proposal by PIT/SSA,Carrix, Berkshire Hathaway, and PeabodyCoal for coal shipment, storage, andtransport would cost us all—Indian andnon-Indian—dearly here, and across thePacific Northwest, but handsomely profita handful of shareholders far from here.”JEWELL JAMES, LUMMI TRIBAL MEMBERAND THE LUMMI TRIBE’S HOUSE OF TEARS CARVERS1 RE Sources for Sustainable Communities v. Pacific International Terminals, Inc. Report of Philip S. Lanterman (2013). W.D. Wash. No. 2:11-cv-02076-JCC.”7Protecting Treaty Rights, Sacred Places, and Lifeways: Coal vs. Communities

“I am a fisherman and crabber. I recentlylost 30 crab pots from Sandy Point toCherry Point due to tanker traffic. This isa financial loss to me. No one is paying formy lost pots dragging behind the tankers.We hear in Gateway Pacific’s Terminal’spublic relations campaign about thepromise of jobs. We are no strangers topromises. What we know is true is that thefishing industry supports many families atLummi and throughout Whatcom County.This is my life they are destroying. What isworse, they are destroying the future ofmy children’s children.”JAY JULIUSPHOTO: PAUL ANDERSONPROTECTING SALMON AND JOBSFor thousands of years before European settlement, Lummi people fished atXwe’chi’eXen. It is an important shellfish, herring and salmon fishery area.The Lummi developed a unique and sustainable fish trapand reefnet technology to harvest salmon and limit bycatch.The traditional sites (Sxwo’le) are protected by treatyand are both critical economic resources and historicallysignificant areas.The marine waters near Xwe’chi’eXen belong to one of thelargest and most bountiful estuaries on the west coast ofNorth America. This rich place already is under pressure.Since 1970, Cherry Point herring have declined from 17,000tons of spawning biomass to less than 1,000 tons. Thesesmall fish play a crucial role in Puget Sound: they are alinchpin in the food web that includes endangered Chinooksalmon, migratory seabirds, and Southern Resident orcas. Inthis ecosystem, herring are the canary in the coal mine.The Cherry Point proposal would deal a fatal blow to thedelicate Puget Sound ecosystem and to our traditionalfisheries, which are a cornerstone of our cultural economy.The facility’s Gateway Pacific pier would be 3,000 feet longand 100 feet wide, dwarfing the site’s existing piers.8An increase in large vessel traffic means that we anticipatean increase in the frequency and severity of accidents andstress to our fishing fleet. And the almost inevitable threatof a disastrous fuel or coal spill raises more questions,as does the presence of insidious chronic pollution fromcoal dust and small oil and coal spills. We know from theDeepwater Horizon disaster that spill response is not thesame as restoration. Salish Sea damage to would takedecades, or longer, to repair.Our voices were silenced politically and legally whenearlier docks were built at Xwe’chi’eXen. We will not besilenced now.The Lummi Nation has the largest nativefishing fleet in Puget Sound. More than450 boats employ at least 1,000 tribalmembers and contribute millions ofdollars to the local economy.Protecting Treaty Rights, Sacred Places, and Lifeways: Coal vs. Communities

2015TotemPoleJourneyVANCOUVER, ANDCELILOFALLSSPOKANEMISSOULAPORT OFMORROWLAME DEERDedicated to the life and vision of Billy Frank, Jr.THE 2015 TOTEM POLE JOURNEYThe 2015 journey comes at a defining moment in our collective effort todefeat these fossil fuel export proposals. The US Army Corps of Engineerswill soon decide whether to uphold Lummi Nation treaty rights and deny allpermits for the Gateway Pacific Terminal Project.Recently, in the papal encyclical Laudato Si, Pope Francisissued a sweeping condemnation of the “relentlessexploitation and destruction of the environment and thereckless pursuit of profits, excessive faith in technologyand political shortsightedness.”9The central theme of his message was “our sharedresponsibilities” to the Creation and to each other. This isalso the theme of the 2015 totem pole, and one that goes tothe heart of opposition to the proposed extraction, transportand storage of fossil fuels in the Pacific Northwest.Protecting Treaty Rights, Sacred Places, and Lifeways: Coal vs. Communities

PHOTO: PAUL ANDERSONART INSPIRES ACTION INSPIRES ARTThe totem pole is one of North America’s oldest storytelling forms. Todayit still reminds us of our place within nature, our responsibility to futuregenerations and our connections to each other.To spread the message of shared responsibility withindigenous and non-indigenous peoples, Lummi Nationelder and Master Carver Jewell James carries on thetradition of raising totem poles.The 2015 totem pole helps honor, unite and empowercommunities in the destructive path of coal and oil exports,from the American heartland to the Pacific Coast andfrom Alberta, Canada, to British Columbia. Beginning onAugust 22, the 22-foot-long totem, made from westernred cedar, will travel 2,600 miles from the Salish Sea to thePowder River Basin. During community events at each ofthe proposed coal export sites in Washington and Oregon,in tribal communities and in places of worship, all will beinvited to experience and help carry the message by seeingand touching this indigenous, activist art form. The totemspeaks to the heart of the matter and the moral conscienceof culturally diverse communities.Along with the totem pole, theLummi travel with a mural that givesexpression to our trip’s intentions.Acclaimed muralist Melanie Schambachguided the mural’s creation, workingwith Coast Salish artists in partnershipwith youth and elders frompotentially impacted communities. Themural literally paints the picture ofour journey’s message and intentions.It travels alongside the totem pole andexpresses our shared responsibilityto steward the land and waters forfuture generations.10Protecting Treaty Rights, Sacred Places, and Lifeways: Coal vs. Communities

PHOTO: PAUL ANDERSONLUMMI COMMUNITY CONCERNSThe Lummi community has made clear its concerns about the proposedCherry Point terminal. These include but are not limited to: The desecration of one of our oldest village sites and thefirst archaeological site to be placed on the WashingtonState Register of Historic Places. Up to 1.5 billion gallons of water per year needed to waterdown the coal piles. Millions of gallons of toxic runoff inevitably finding itsway to Puget Sound from the proposed terminal. More than 400 cape-sized ships, each 1,000 feet long,departing the Cherry Point terminal each year bearingindividual loads of 287,000 tons of coal. When fullyloaded, each ship takes up to six miles to stop. Eighteen coal trains, each 1.5 miles long, traveling to andfrom the terminal every day.11 Toxic coal dust deposited along the rail line betweenthe Powder River Basin and Cherry Point. Threats to a way of life: the endangerment of a Lummifishing fleet that includes 450 vessels and 1,000 tribalmembers. In the Salish Sea, 3,000 people are directlyemployed by the fishing industry. Blocked access to tribal fishing grounds protectedby treaty. Increased risk of vessel/tanker collision, resulting inpotential oil spills. Global climate change, mercury pollution in salmon andother fishes, and impacts to air and water quality that areassociated with burning coal for energy.Protecting Treaty Rights, Sacred Places, and Lifeways: Coal vs. Communities

“We call upon the tribes, thenon-Indian community, civicorganizations, professionalorganizations, the businesscommunity, the faith-basedcommunities, nongovernmentalorganizations, and electedofficials to put aside anydifferences for the sake of theCreation. Most importantly, weare asking that the generalpublic take the time to becomeinformed on the magnitudeand madness of this proposal.Let our voices be heard for thebenefit of our children and ourchildren’s children  —  and toPHOTO: PAUL ANDERSONhonor the Creation.”JEWELL JAMES, LUMMI TRIBAL MEMBERAND THE LUMMI TRIBE’S HOUSE OF TEARS CARVERS“The Lummi Nation commits tocollaborating with the AffiliatedTribes of Northwest Indians and theOur Lummi ancestors had a chain of occupation areas atXwe’chi’eXen that trace back to our Creation Story. It isinconceivable that our community and the communityof neighbors around us will accept erasing our history,defiling our ancestors, devastating our climate,and denaturing our land and waters for the highlyquestionable economic benefits promised to a few bythe coal industry.Mitigation is not acceptable. We will stop thedevelopment of the export terminal and put in its place aplan that honors our shared responsibility to the land andwaters of Xwe’chi’eXen and all our relations. And there,we will begin the true recovery and restoration, not onlyof the landscape, but also of our connections throughthe land and waters to each other.12National Congress of American Indiansto develop an action plan which laysguiding principles and action steps toaddress the impacts of climate changeupon tribal governments, cultures,and lifeways; that will protect andadvance our treaty, inherent andindigenous rights, tribal lifeways andecological knowledge ”GUIDING PRINCIPLES TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE:RESOLUTION 2014-084 OF THE LUMMI INDIANBUSINESS COUNCILProtecting Treaty Rights, Sacred Places, and Lifeways: Coal vs. Communities

Reprinted from the New York TimesPHOTO: PAUL ANDERSONOctober 11, 2012TRIBES ADD POTENT VOICEAGAINST PLAN FOR NORTHWESTCOAL TERMINALSBY KIRK JOHNSONFERNDALE, Wash. — At age 94, Maryand occasional trips to the nearbyAsia. But in recent weeks, Indian tribesHelen Cagey, an elder of the Lummimarket town. The idea that coal produc-have been linking arms as well, citingIndian tribe, has seen a lot of yester-ers would make a comeback bid, with apossible injury to fishing rights and reli-days. Some are ripe for fond reminis-huge export shipping terminal proposedgious and sacred sites if the coal shouldcence, like the herring that used to runat a site where she once fished, calledspill or the dust from its trains andrich in the waters here in the nation’sCherry Point, is simply wrong, she said.barges should waft too thick.upper-left margin, near the border with“It’s something that should not comeCanada. Others are best left in the past,about,” Ms. Cagey said.she said, like coal.13And as history has demonstrated overand over, especially in this part of theMany environmental groups andnation, from protecting fish habitats to“I used to travel into Bellingham andgreen-minded politicians in the Pacificremoving dams, a tribal-environmentalbuy my sack of coal,” she said, standingNorthwest are already on record asalliance goes far beyond good publicin sensible shoes on a pebbled beach atopposing a wave of export terminalsrelations. The cultural claims and treatya recent tribal news conference, talkingproposed from here to the south-centralrights that tribes can wield — older andabout her girlhood of rural subsistencecoast of Oregon, aiming to ship coal tomaterially different, Indian law expertsProtecting Treaty Rights, Sacred Places, and Lifeways: Coal vs. Communities

Reprinted from the New York Timessay, than any argument that the Sierraand abundant supplies of natural gasThen, in the 1970s, when the IndianClub or its allies might muster aboutflowing because of new fields and drill-rights and environmental movementsfederal air quality rules or environmen-ing technologies, especially hydraulicwere both surging, tribal timing wastal review — add a complicated plankfracturing, or fracking, many electricityfortuitous in pushing court cases thatof discussion that courts and regulatorsproducers that can switch are doing so.reinforced their claims.That has made coal exports, which“They made really good use of thoseLummi tribal leaders recently burnedhave increased this year in every regionrights, and have become major players,”a mock million-dollar check in a ceremo-of the country except the West, accord-said Sarah Krakoff, a law professor atnial statement that money could nevering to federal figures, even more crucialthe University of Colorado who teachesbuy their cooperation. Last month, theto the industry than they were when theIndian law and natural resources law.Affiliated Tribes of Northwest Indians,six terminals on the Pacific Coast wereTribal rights have been a cornerstonea regional congress of more than 50first proposed. Jason Hayes, a spokes-in the long battle over restoring salmontribes in seven states, passed a reso-man for the American Coal Council, saidstocks in the Columbia River. This year,lution demanding a collective envi-that with coal-producing nations likeone of the biggest dam removal proj-ronmental impact statement for theAustralia and Indonesia competing forects in the nation’s history reached aproposed ports, rather than project-Asian markets, a roadblock on the Westmilestone when a section of the Elwhaby-project statements, which federalCoast is an issue for the entire AmericanRiver near Olympic National Park inregulators have suggested.economy.Washington was restored to wild flow,have found hard to ignore.14Leaders of the Columbia River Inter-The first public hearings for the ter-Tribal Fish Commission, which focusesminal projects, conducted by the Armywith fishing rights an important driveron fishing rights, said in a statement inCorps of Engineers, are set to begin thisCoal has also become an element insupport of the resolution that movingmonth in Bellingham, near the Lummithe presidential race, as energy execu-millions of tons of coal through thereservation.tives have poured tens of millions ofin the process.region could affect a range of issues,“The people that can produce effi-dollars into campaigns backing Mittlike road traffic and economic life onciently and can ship quickly and reli-Romney, the Republican candidate, andthe reservations, not to mention theably — those are the big things — theyaccusing the Obama administration ofenvironment.are going to be the ones that are chosenharboring hostility to coal through tight-“It brings another set of issues tofor being reliable business partners,” Mr.ened air pollution rules.the table,” said Gov. John Kitzhaber ofHayes said. “If we can build the portsAn executive order dating from theOregon, a Democrat who earlier thison the West Coast, then it just becomesadministration of Bill Clinton could giveyear asked for a broad federal envi-that much more reliable.”further ammunition to Northwest tribesronmental review that would examineBut by coincidence of history, geog-in their coal fight, Professor Krakoff andimplications of the

The Rev. Martin Wells BISHOP, EASTERN WASHINGTON-IDAHO SYNOD, EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH IN AMERICA. J Jewl alms,15e 0lB1Cm,7l34190ae 21J80a 3410s21TmH E0B3F1Iw081R3S1IwAALsmlm 3 1500 BC Lummi village already established at Xwe’chi’eXen . 1500 BC 1000 BC 500 BC 1 BC Jewl alms,15e