Bearing Witness to Extractivism, Colonialism: Day 5

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Interfaith Power & Light New Mexico & El Paso and Sisters of Mercy of the Americas are co-sponsoring an immersion retreat through some areas of New Mexico to bear witness to the damage #extractivism has inflicted on the people and the land of our state.  Tbe accounts and pictures come courtesy of Heather Scott-Molleda, senior director of communications for Mercy Sisters of the Americas.   Read Accounts for Days 1 and 2  Day 3, Day 4

Arriving in the Permian Basin

We have arrived in the Permian Basin on day 5 of the pilgrimage, an area of 6,000 square miles of southeastern New Mexico and West Texas where the explosion of fracking is releasing toxic methane and other chemicals into the air and water with little control. Activists from New Mexico Interfaith Power and Light, Earthworks and the local Citizens Caring for the Future are working to help the people, protect the land and prevent the climate bomb, while balancing the people’s reliance on the jobs the industry provides.

 

 

 

 

 

And here is a brief message from Marianne Comfort, justice coordinator for Earth, antiracism, and women for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.

Bearing Witness to Extractivism, Colonialism: Day 4

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Interfaith Power & Light New Mexico & El Paso and Sisters of Mercy of the Americas are co-sponsoring an immersion retreat through some areas of New Mexico to bear witness to the damage #extractivism has inflicted on the people and the land of our state.  Tbe accounts and pictures come courtesy of Heather Scott-Molleda, senior director of communications for Mercy Sisters of the Americas.   Read Accounts for Days 1 and 2 and Day 3

Day 4: Bosque Redondo

The pilgrimage has bought us in the fourth day to a painful place in US history: Bosque Redondo. The US government forced 10,000 Diné (Navajo) and Ndé (Mescalero Apache) to walk hundreds of miles to a concentration camp. The aim was to eradicate the native people. Hundreds died of starvation, disease and exposure. The Ndé eventually escaped. The Diné stayed until they signed a peace treaty allowing them to return to what was left of their sacred lands. The memorial museum here was created as the result of a letter from visiting Diné school children who wanted the true story of the hardship inflicted at Ft Sumner told.

Bearing Witness to Extractivism, Colonialism: Day 3

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Interfaith Power & Light New Mexico & El Paso and Sisters of Mercy of the Americas are co-sponsoring an immersion retreat through some areas of New Mexico to bear witness to the damage #extractivism has inflicted on the people and the land of our state.  Tbe accounts and pictures come courtesy of Heather Scott-Molleda, senior director of communications for Mercy Sisters of the Americas.   Read Accounts for Days 1 and 2

Day 3: A Visit to Navajo and Pueblo Lands

We began our third day of our pilgrimage reflecting on the harm done to the Native people and the Earth by colonialism. But the Navajo and the Pueblo and other indigenous people have not been erased and continue to struggle to protect their land and traditions despite ongoing attempts to strip the resources.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3: Laguna Pueblo

We spent our third day at the Laguna Pueblo witnessing the sacred dances for their feast day, where young and old participate in the traditions. We also learned from one of the Laguna leaders about the canes given to them by various colonizers to denote their authority as a sovereign people. There has been a lot for the group to process and reflect on during the pilgrimage.