Category: News

Poll: More Northwest Residents Support Coal Export

A new DHM Research survey of Northwest residents finds that support for coal exports through the Northwest is up from where it was last year, when the issue was the subject of public debate and news coverage. | credit: Heidi Nielsen/GoodWorks
A new DHM Research survey of Northwest residents finds that support for coal exports through the Northwest is up from where it was last year, when the issue was the subject of public debate and news coverage. | credit: Heidi Nielsen/GoodWorks

 

By Courtney Flatt, Northwest Public Radio

 

More people in the Northwest support coal export terminals than oppose them. Those are the results of a new survey. But people who took the survey didn’t feel very strongly about why they supported coal exports.

For the third year in a row, a public opinion poll for EarthFix asked Northwest residents how they felt about transporting coal through the region. That coal would then be exported to Asia.

DHM Research surveyed 1,200 residents in Washington, Oregon and Idaho from June 25-30. The poll found 47 percent of Northwest residents say they support coal exports. That’s up a little bit from last year’s survey, which showed 41 percent or respondents supporting coal exports. 34 percent opposed Northwest coal exports, and 19 percent didn’t know.

John Horvick, DHM Research director, said many people who responded didn’t have very strong opinions about why they support coal terminals. Those reasons include supporting local economies and more property tax revenue.

“These arguments aren’t quite as persuasive as they were in the past. Maybe people are becoming a little bit more cynical, they’ve heard them before, or they’re asking some questions, or the landscape has changed on the issue,” Horvick said.

The survey also found many people aren’t paying close attention to the issue, Horvick said, another possible reason they don’t feel very strongly about why they support coal export terminals.

One survey respondent who felt strongly about opposing coal export terminals was Robert Schuman. The Pullayup, Washington, resident is a 32 year old truck driver. He said he’s not necessarily opposed to coal, but he doesn’t like it being shipped to Asia.

“I don’t like the coal going over there mainly because they don’t have any environmental controls. It’s getting pumped out in the air over there without even basic scrubbers or anything like that. It’s just pumping ash in the air,” Schuman said.

Environmental groups look at less intense support as good news to their cause. They say as people learn more about coal exports, they start to support them less.

Kerry McHugh, Washington Environmental Council spokeswoman, said exporting coal would harm communities along the railroads and where terminals are built.

“It just really starts to add up that it’s not worth it,” McHugh said.

Over the past three years surveys have shown public support for exporting coal dipped as state agencies hosted large meetings and reviews about the terminals.

Fewer meetings took place this year. Support has risen. Opposition has stayed about the same.

Kathryn Stenger is with the Alliance for Northwest Jobs and Exports. The industry-backed group supports coal terminals.

She says one of the main reasons more people are supporting coal exports:

“It’s trade-related jobs in Washington State that are at stake here,” Stenger.

The survey had a margin of error of 2.8 percent.

There are now three proposed export terminals in the Northwest.

5 Things To Know Before Washington Marijuana Stores Open

Legal recreational marijuana goes on sale for the first time in Washington on Wednesday.Brandan Schulze / USDA
Legal recreational marijuana goes on sale for the first time in Washington on Wednesday.
Brandan Schulze / USDA

Source: OPB

 

Tuesday will be the first day that Washington stores can legally sell recreational marijuana. Even though the state has been preparing for this day for nearly two years since it passed Initiative 502, it still could be unclear to some people exactly what the rules surrounding pot are.

Here are some answers to the biggest questions that will arise when pot officially goes on sale this week:

Who can buy marijuana and how much can they possess?

Anyone over the age of 21 can legally buy and consume cannabis in Washington. Yes, that includes non-Washingtonians too. The state’s Liquor Control Board, which is responsible for overseeing the implementation of I-502, says it plans to keep a close eye on retailers so the drug doesn’t end up in the hands of anyone underage. Stores selling marijuana even have to post signs saying that’s what their business does and no one under 21 is allowed to enter.

Adults who can legally buy marijuana can purchase up to 1 ounce of plant material or 72 ounces of marijuana-infused liquid, such as oils. It’s also legal to buy as much as 16 ounces of edible pot products, such as cookies or brownies, but officials at the state Liquor Control Board say no vendors in the state have yet obtained all of the licenses necessary to sell edibles — so, they won’t be in stores initially.

Where will marijuana be on sale?

The state issued 24 licenses to retailers across the state on Monday. WLCB officials alerted the stores via email early in the morning that they could begin receiving product from growers. More stores should receive their licenses on a rolling basis after Monday. The state has said it plans to issue a maximum of 334 store licenses in the first year, and has compiled a list of lottery winners for those permits.

Of the nearly 200 stores in Seattle that applied for a license, only one — Cannabis City — received approval Monday morning. State officials say that’s because many stores there simply failed to meet licensing requirements in time. Customers near Puget Sound will also have options available in Bellevue and Tacoma. Elsewhere in the state, stores could open as soon as Tuesday in Bellingham, Kelso and Spokane. The full list of retailers who received the state’s first licenses is available online.

Locally, two stores in  Vancouver made the licensee list and will open their doors to customers this week: Main Street Marijuana and New Vansterdam. The Columbian reports that the former plans to open its doors to customers on Wednesday after a ribbon cutting ceremony with Mayor Tim Leavitt. They want to open their doors around 11 a.m. New Vansterdam is shooting for grand opening on Friday.

Where is it legal to use marijuana?

This is an area where it’d be easy for marijuana users to run afoul of the law. I-502 makes it illegal to consume pot in public view. That means no visits to nearby parks, no smoking in your vehicle, and definitely no sampling product inside a marijuana retailer. The Seattle Police Department gives a good rule of thumb and describes it like open alcohol container laws. Basically, don’t use pot anywhere you’re not specifically allowed to do so. You may not get arrested just for public consumption, but you can receive a fine.

And while we’re on the topic of consumption, Oregonians and other out-of-staters should be aware that crossing state lines with Washington pot isn’t legal. I-502 does allow residents of other states to buy cannabis, but it has to be consumed in the state. If you try to take pot out of Washington, expect to face the penalties for drug possession in whatever state you enter.

Will legal marijuana be cheaper than stuff on the black market? 

No, at least not initially. Supply is still pretty limited in the state, which means that demand — aka prices at the register — are probably going to be steep.

So, what kind of prices can users expect in the early days? That’s likely to vary from store to store. Ramsey Hamide, manager of Main Street Marijuana in Vancouver, told the Columbian he expects initial prices on their shelves to be “maybe $90 to $100 for a 4-gram bag and $45 to $50 for a 2-gram bag.”

But Hamide also said he expects those prices to go down to near street costs in the weeks and months after the first sales as growers throughout the state begin to meet demand.

Does I-502 change state DUI laws?

It’s still illegal to drive while under the influence of marijuana or any other intoxicant. If you get pulled over by an officer, they can conduct a field sobriety test on you to see if you’re intoxicated. Because there aren’t yet any fancy tools  — such as a Breathalyzer for alcohol — to figure out if you’re high, the officers can take you back to the station and seek your permission for a blood test if they think you’re driving high. That goes for medical marijuana too. And if a driver gets in an accident while driving high, those blood tests are mandatory.

Much like Washington’s blood alcohol content limit of 0.08, anyone caught with a blood concentration greater than 5 nanograms of THC (the active compound in marijuana) will be given a citation for driving under the influence.

Other questions

There are lots of questions that aren’t answered by this list. The sale of recreational pot is relatively uncharted water in the U.S., and the legalization in Washington is different in many ways to the legalization in Colorado. The best source for answers to questions on pot sales in the state is the Liquor Control Board’s website.

Would-Be Customers Eagerly Await Pot Store Openings

By Austin Jenkins, NW News Network

The first legal marijuana stores in Washington are scheduled to open Tuesday. The Liquor Control Board issued the first 24 retail licenses early Monday.

Rick Stevens stopped by 420 Carpenter, a marijuana retail location in Lacey, Washington, to see if it was open yet. The retired TSA worker is looking forward to making some homemade edibles and listening to Pink Floyd.
Credit Austin Jenkins / Northwest News Network

 

But state officials warn of high prices and short supply in the beginning. Even so that’s not keeping away some would-be customers.

420 Carpenter is a recreational marijuana retail location that has received its license – one of the first in the state. There’s a surveillance camera out front. The deadbolt is locked. And nobody is answering knocks at the door.

The location seems out of the way in the back of an office park.

Bobby Johnson, who was scouting this location on behalf of some local users of the social networking site Reddit, said, “It’s very nondescript, but I’m sure everyone will know where it’s at very soon.”

The store’s owner said he plans to open on Friday. Johnson said he’d like to be one of the first customers.

“I might drive by and see if there’s an insane line,” he said. “If there’s not then, yeah, I probably will.”

Another would-be customer, retiree Rick Stevens, said he has used marijuana medically for a bad back. Now he’s ready to become a recreational user.

“It makes food taste better and music seems to sound better and all of those things,” he said.

But Johnson said, “I’m a little more excited about the edibles — once that becomes available. I’m not really a big smoker.”

Eventually, legal pot shops will sell edibles. But that part of Washington’s nascent legal, recreational marijuana marketplace isn’t ready yet. For that matter, much of the legal pot crop isn’t either.

Randy Simmons, deputy director of Washington Liquor Control Board, called it “a real issue,” and he expects some grumbling.

“I would just say give it time,” he said. “This is day one of this infant starting to walk.”

Simmons also said the state will be running stings to make sure stores don’t sell to underage customers.

Descendants of Freedmen sue U.S. government

 BY RYAN ABBOTT,  Courthouse News Service
WASHINGTON – The U.S. government turned its back on the descendants of freed slaves of Native Americans, swindling them out of lucrative land royalties allotted to them as children, a class action claims in federal court.
Leatrice Tanner-Brown and the Harvest Institute Freedman Federation sued Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewel and Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn, seeking an accounting of revenue from leases on land promised to children of Freedmen, who were liberated by citizens of the so-called “Five Civilized Indian Tribes” or Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek, Chickasaw and Seminole nations.
According to the complaint: “The Five Civilized Tribes allied themselves with the Confederacy during the Civil War and attempted to maintain slaves following the War. As a result of the Tribes’ disloyalty to the United States during the Civil War all territory owned by the Tribes was forfeited. The status of the Tribes was reestablished under treaties entered in 1866.”
Some of the forfeited land was allotted to the freed slaves and their descendants.
The Department of Interior in 1908 agreed to keep track of revenue from leases on land granted to Freedmen minors or their descendants.
“Notwithstanding demand from plaintiffs for an accounting of revenue from leases on restricted lands during the period that these lands were held by Freedmen minors and not subject to alienation, defendants have failed to provide the requested accounting,” the complaint states.
“Under the Act of May 27, 1908, restrictions against alienation of Freedmen allotments … were not removed. Accordingly, any royalties derived from leases on [Freedmen] allotments should have been accounted for by the Department of Interior under the terms of the Sections 2 and 6 of the 1908 Act,” according to the complaint. “These failures were not innocent. They were the result of a deliberate strategy to swindle land and money from Freedmen.”
The claims says many of these allotments were for oil-rich land, and the government allowed grafters and speculators “anxious to obtain oil-rich lands for little or no payment to allottees” to exploit the often unsophisticated and uneducated Freedmen.
According to the complaint, there were 23,405 Freedmen in 1914.
“Defendants breached their duty to avoid conflicts of interests and to monitor Freedmen allotments in favor of alienation of European settlers, Oklahoma statehood, and corporate interests,” the class claims.
They want an accounting of money collected from the allotted lands and declaration of the government’s fiduciary duties.
They are represented by Paul Robinson Jr. of Memphis, Tenn.

Canadians are eating tar-sands pollution

Caelie Frampton
Caelie Frampton

 

By John Upton, Grist

Tar-sands extraction isn’t just turning swaths of Canadian land into postapocalyptic film sets. New research shows it’s also contaminating the wild animals that members of the Mikisew Cree and Athabasca Chipewyan First Nations have traditionally relied on for food.

We already knew that the tar-sands operations have been dousing northern Alberta with mercury and other forms of pollution. Now university scientists have collaborated with the First Nations to test the pollution levels in hunted animals found downstream from the tar-sands sites. Here are some lowlights from their findings, which were included in a report published on Monday:

 

Arsenic levels were high enough in in muskrat and moose muscle; duck, moose, and muskrat livers; and moose and duck kidneys to be of concern for young children. Cadmium levels were again elevated in moose kidney and liver samples but also those of beaver and ducks … Mercury levels were also high for duck muscle, kidneys, and livers as well as moose and muskrat kidneys, especially for children. …

Total levels of PAHs [polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons] and levels of carcinogenic and alkylated PAHs were very high relative to other food studies conducted around the world.

The First Nations members aren’t shocked to hear this. Some have already started avoiding their traditional foods because of worries about contamination, they told researchers. More from the report:

Participants were concerned about declines in the quality of [traditional] foods, in the greatest part because of environmental pollutants originating from the Oil Sands. It was notable how many participants no longer consumed locally caught fish, because of government-issued consumption advisories and associated human health concerns. Muskrat consumption had also declined precipitously, along with muskrat populations, a decline that was attributed to changes in hydrology and contaminant levels associated with the WAC Bennett Dam and the Oil Sands. The only effective alternatives to traditional foods are store-bought foods. …

All participants were worried about ongoing declines in the health and wellbeing of their community. They generally viewed themselves as less healthy than their parents, who rarely got sick. Neurological illnesses (e.g. sleeping disorders, migraines, and stress) were most common followed, in descending order of frequency, by respiratory illnesses (e.g. allergies, asthma) as well as circulatory (e.g. hypertension, coronary) and gastrointestinal (e.g. gallbladder, ulcers) illnesses. Yet, everyone was most concerned about the current and escalating cancer crisis.

A documentary about the research — One River, Many Relations — will be released in October. Here’s a trailer:

Alaska From Scratch: Crusted salmon with a kick

Sugar-crusted salmon with avocado-peach salsaMAYA EVOY
Sugar-crusted salmon with avocado-peach salsa
MAYA EVOY

By Maya Evoy

Alaska From Scratch July 4, 2014

 

There is nothing more seasonal in Alaska in July than a wild salmon caught directly from our local shores.

One evening last summer, after 13 hours on the water, a friend of ours came home with a marvelous salmon. Although it was late, it was still light out, and he and my husband made quick work of filleting while I pulled up a recipe. It wasn’t long before the fish was sizzling in a hot pan, filling the house with the aroma of spices and saltwater mingling together. There is truly nothing better.

That night, I coated the salmon with a homemade spice rub, based on a recipe I found on my talented friend Heidi Drygas’ local food blog, Chena Girl Cooks. Together, we ooh’ed and ahh’ed over the smokiness of the paprika and the cumin, the kick of the chili powder and dry mustard, the nice sweetness from the sugar and a surprising pinch of cinnamon. And can we just talk about that beautiful charred crust for a moment? You get a stunning caramelization when a hot pan swirled with oil meets a perfectly fresh fillet of salmon, patted dry (this is key) and rubbed generously. “I have to write about this,” I said aloud between bites, squeezing a wedge of lime over my fillet before diving back in. “We have to make this again.”

Two nights later, we indeed made it all over again, and this time I made a bright, summery avocado-peach salsa to go with it. When I don’t have peaches on hand, I’ve used mangoes in the salsa with equally terrific results. Since last summer, we have looked forward to eating this dish again, as soon as the first fresh salmon comes through the door and into my kitchen.

Sugar-crusted salmon with avocado-peach salsa

For the salsa:

  • 2 sweet but firm peaches, pitted and finely chopped (or mangoes)
  • 2 ripe avocados, finely chopped
  • 1 small red or orange bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup red onion, diced
  • 1-2 jalapenos (to taste), seeds removed and minced
  • 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • salt and pepper, to taste

For the salmon:

  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 11/2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 11/2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 4-6 wild-caught salmon fillets (about 4-6 ounces each), pin bones and skin removed
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

In a bowl, gently stir together the peaches, avocados, bell peppers, onion, jalapeno, cilantro and lime. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

In a smaller bowl, stir together the sugar, chili powder, paprika, cumin, mustard, cinnamon, pepper and salt.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Pat the salmon fillets dry and liberally season the top of each fillet with the rub, patting it so it will adhere. Place the fillets, seasoned side down, into the hot pan. Cook about two minutes, until rub is fragrant and caramelized but not burnt. Flip each fillet and continue to cook on the other side 2-6 minutes more, being careful not to overcook (cooking time will depend on the thickness of your fillets and your preferred doneness. I like my wild salmon fillets medium in the center, so mine were ready after four minutes). Plate the salmon and top with the avocado peach salsa. Spice rub adapted from Chena Girl Cooks, originally adapted from Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.

Maya Evoy lives in Nikiski and blogs about food at alaskafromscratch.com.

24/7 Pow wow and native music online radio stations

Monica Brown, Tulalip News writer

In case you have been looking for timthumb.phpsome native beats to enjoy, visit the links below. Both stations play 24/7 and can be listened to on either a PC or on your smart phone (there’s an app).

 

Pow Wow Radio – Your source for 24/7 Pow Wow music free!

http://www.powwows.com/2012/08/03/pow-wow-radio-247-native-american-pow-wow-music/

 

 

NativeMusicRadio.com – Your source for ALL types of Native American music – jazz, rock, rap, country and more!

http://www.powwows.com/2012/02/16/native-music-radio/

 

 

Also, check out the PowWows.com free mobile app and access latest information right on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device.

The app includes access to

  • Latest Articles
  • Pow Wow Photos
  • Pow Wow Videos
  • News
  • Pow Wow Calendar
  • Classifieds
  • And more!

http://www.powwows.com/2013/08/03/new-powwows-com-app-for-android-and-ios/

 

All information from powwows.com

US Interior Dept. poised to let West Valley casino move forward

By Mike Sunnucks, Phoenix Business Journal

A controversial casino development in the West Valley is taking a big step forward.

The U.S. Department of the Interior is notifying Arizona lawmakers and other Native American communities that it is looking favorably on an effort by the Tohono O’odham Nation to take a parcel of land at 91st and Northern avenues into trust. The Southern Arizona tribe wants to develop a $500 million casino on the parcel.

This move sets the stage for full federal approval, according to an official familiar with the casino plans.

“The handwriting is on the wall,” the official said.

U.S. Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary of Indian Affairs Kevin Washburn told other tribes of his decision to approve the O’odham’s application for the land to be an extended part of their reservation.

This would propel the casino toward construction after a prolonged legal fight.

“Today’s ruling by the Department of the Interior allows the Nation to move another step closer to benefiting from the United States’ promise to the Nation that we would be able to replace our destroyed reservation lands. The Nation is eager to move forward to use our replacement land to create thousands of new jobs in the West Valley,” Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris, Jr. said in s statement.

The O’odham casino has faced opposition — including lawsuits and legal appeals — from some state lawmakers as well as the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and the Gila River Indian Community. Those two tribes, which already operate casinos in the Phoenix area, cite concerns about the O’odham casino’s impact on state gaming compacts.

A federal 1986 law allows the O’odham to replace lands lost to a federal dam built in Southern Arizona with unincorporated parcels in the Phoenix area. The tribe quietly bought the West Valley parcel in 2003.

The O’odham have prevailed in lawsuits brought against the project, and efforts by U.S. Rep. Trent Franks to change the 1986 law have not progressed in Congress.

Officials involved in the casino scrap were still trying to figure out the implications of the federal actions today.

Interior officials and some Arizona players involved in the issue either could not be reached or declined requests for comment.

Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Community President Diane Enos voiced disappointment with the ruling.

““The Community absolutely disagrees with Washburn’s decision for both legal and policy reasons. The Tohono O’odham Nation has asserted a right to create three additional Indian

reservations on county islands in Maricopa County to locate casinos. This is why many Valley mayors have been standing by tribes in asking for a resolution by Congress, fearful that their

city is next,” Enos said.

Gila River Indian Community Governor Gregory Mendoza released the following statement Friday:

“While our Community is disappointed by today’s decision, we are not surprised. As Assistant Secretary Washburn noted, he was faced with interpreting an ambiguous provision of a law passed by Congress decades ago. That’s precisely why our Community believes Congress is the best entity to decide this matter and uphold the will of Arizona’s voters. We hope voters across the state will contact their members of Congress to weigh in on this matter.

“It’s also critically important to note that this decision does not give the Tohono O’Odham Nation permission to game on this land. The Department of Interior has yet to decide that point and the majority of tribes in Arizona – including non-gaming tribes – remain opposed to the Nation’s casino because it poses a direct threat to the balance of tribal gaming in our state.

“We will review this decision thoroughly in the coming days and decide whether to take legal action.”

Brad Pitt’s Make It Right to build houses for Native Americans, website reports

Brad Pitt posing with Janice Porter at the future site of Make It Right in the Lower Ninth Ward, 2007 (Doug MacCash / NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Brad Pitt posing with Janice Porter at the future site of Make It Right in the Lower Ninth Ward, 2007 (Doug MacCash / NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)

By Doug MacCash, The Times-Picayune

Brad Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation is partnering with two Native American tribes in Fort Peck, Mont., to build affordable, high design housing, the website beforeitsnews.com reported Wednesday.

According to the report:

“Brad Pitt has been partnering with Fort Peck, MT’s Sioux and Assiniboine nation tribes to build 20 super green homes for residents whose income levels are at or below 60 percent the area’s mean income, with a percentage of the homes reserved for seniors and disabled veterans.”

The Make It Right website defines the existing situation in Fort Peck in these terms:

“Currently, more than 600 people are waiting for housing. Overcrowding is a chronic problem on the Fort Peck Reservation, where multiple families commonly live together in two bedroom homes.
Make It Right’s work on the Fort Peck Reservation began in June 2013 with community-driven design meetings. Tribal leaders and future homeowners met with Make It Right’s architects and designers to discuss housing needs and vision for their new neighborhood. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2014.
The solar-powered homes will have 3-4 bedrooms and 2-3 bathrooms … Home ownership will be structured through a Low Income Housing Tax Credit Rent-to-Own program with ownership transferring to the tenant after 15 years of renting.”

For architecture fans, the Montana development offers the opportunity to see Make It Right-style homes designed for a cooler, more arid prairie environment.

Pitt’s Make It Right began as an altruistic effort to rebuild one of the most flood-ruined neighborhoods of New Orleans. Since 2008 a part of the Lower 9th Ward near the Claiborne Avenue Bridge has blossomed with 100 new homes.

In recent years, Pitt’s organization has taken on somewhat similar projects in Kansas City, Missouri, and Trenton, New Jersey. As of June, there was only one Make It Right home under construction in New Orleans.

Watch Pitt discuss his vision for Make It Right in Kansas City in the video below.

Human Zoo: The Story of Calafate

by John Ahni Schertow on July 6, 2014, Intercontinental Cry

 

 

The Human Zoo retraces the disturbing and moving journey of a group of Indigenous Peoples who were taken from their lands in 1881 and sent to Europe where they lived–and, in some cases, died–as part of an exhibition.In 1881, a group of eleven Mapuche, Tehuelche, Selk’nam and Kawésqar Peoples from Tierra del Fuego and Patagonia were taken by German businessmen and sent to Europe where they were soon to be be shown off as “curiosities” at various circuses and fairs across Europe. It was a colonial spectacle of the highest order.In 2002, Chilean historian Christian Baez uncovered a series of photographs of the group. Four years after discovering the photos, Baez, along with the Englishman Peter Mason, published Human Zoos, a book that included many revelations about the wanton exhibits. Their book inspired the creation of The Human Zoo: The Story of Calafate.

The Indigenous Peoples were caught and dragged before a European audience who eagerly paid to see the caged “savages”. Among them was Calafate, a 9-year old Selknam boy. They were photographed and their bodies measured; their limbs sought out by scientists. Some of them got sick, others died and others still were victims of sexual abuse.

The sordid “exhibitions” were carried out in several prominent areas including the Eiffel Tower and Léopold Park, located near the current European Parliament.

Calafate survived and returned to his land in the Strait of Magellan, where he helped a Salesian priest named t J.M. Beauvoir to write a Selk’nam dictionary. In 1905, Calafate passed away from tuberculosis in the Mission of Dawson Island. Others faced a much more grim fate.

In 2008, a shocking discovery was made. Records at the University of Zurich’s Department of Anthropology showed that the remains of five Kawésqar were on site. 125 years earlier, they were exhibited, dying, in a theater in the city.

Their remains were soon claimed by the last survivors of their culture, nowadays almost vanished.

In 2010, some much-needed healing finally took place. The remains of the five Kawésqar were repatriated from Switzerland and handed back to their descendants.

The five Kawésqar are now at rest after receiving a traditional ceremonial burial.

 

Credits

Director:
Hans Mülchi

Written by:
Christian Baez and Hans Mülchi

Head of Production:
Margarita Ortega

Photography – Editing:
Enrique Ramírez

Original Music:
Subhira

Sound:
Alfredo Ibarra

Asesor Dramaturgic:
Pamela Cantuarias

Production:
Eduardo Mülchi, Cecile Castera, Marisol Palma, Teresa Salinas Peter Mason