Paul Chiyokten Wagner
Protectors of the Waters: From the Salish Sea to Standing Rock
Protectors of the Waters: Paul Chiyokten Wagner speaks on carrying forward the sacred way of life, from the Salish Sea to Standing Rock
"We did a camas bake for the first time in a hundred years," he said, describing the sacred camas, the bulb with purple flowers, they gathered for the traditional thirty-six hour camas bake on Johns Island on San Juan island in Washington state.
"Our salmon is one of the key species of our people," he said, speaking of the ecosystems that the people once lived inside of.
"We should be able to open our eyes and look at this world through Indigenous eyes, we should be able to open our hearts and feel this world through Indigenous hearts."
In this way, people can understand why the people stand up, and why the people gave their lives.
"Our people fought out of love, love for a certain way to live."
When the Douglas party showed up, and started the wholesale selling of the ancient forests, the elders tried to tell them to stop, but they would not listen.
The people understood that if the ancient forests were destroyed, this would destroy their ability to live as human beings.
They held on to a sacred promise, and taught this to their children, so that each child would know their place and their place to all other beings around them.
"The Protectors of the Salish Sea are not just frontline warriors," he said, "but people who share these words from our old people."
The most beautiful times in his life were sitting with the elders, listening, and seeing the way they carried themselves. Today, he said the people are at a deficit because many of these elders are not with us anymore.
"We've stepped into a new generation."
In their work as protectors, The Protectors of the Salish Sea occupied the Washington State Capitol at Olympia, and in Standing Rock in North Dakota, during the protection of the waters from construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, they built structures for the people.
The Building Continues
Kanahus Manuel, Secwepemc, thanked Chiyokten for helping her community in British Columbia to build their Tiny Houses to maintain their presence on their lands in their struggle against Trans Mountain Pipeline.
"Our people hold the road map to paradise. Our people have that memory within us."
By Brenda Norrell, Censored News, Nov. 11, 2024
SEATTLE -- The Protectors of the Salish Sea baked camas on their ancestral island for the first time in one-hundred years, occupied the Washington State Capitol, and journeyed to Standing Rock to build warm structures for the elders to brace against the blizzards, said Paul Chiyokten Wagner, WSANEĆ (Saanich) sharing the history from the Salish Sea to Standing Rock and beyond.
Chiyokten, founder of Protectors of the Salish Sea, shared this history of protecting the waters on Thursday, during the three-day Salish Sea Assembly, State of Emergency for the Salish Sea, in Seattle, Nov. 6 --8.
Sharing the work with Lummi youths, he spoke of returning to their longhouses, and returning to the birthplaces of their people, where they have been eradicated from. There, they fished once again, gathered camas and gathered oysters again.
SEATTLE -- The Protectors of the Salish Sea baked camas on their ancestral island for the first time in one-hundred years, occupied the Washington State Capitol, and journeyed to Standing Rock to build warm structures for the elders to brace against the blizzards, said Paul Chiyokten Wagner, WSANEĆ (Saanich) sharing the history from the Salish Sea to Standing Rock and beyond.
Chiyokten, founder of Protectors of the Salish Sea, shared this history of protecting the waters on Thursday, during the three-day Salish Sea Assembly, State of Emergency for the Salish Sea, in Seattle, Nov. 6 --8.
Sharing the work with Lummi youths, he spoke of returning to their longhouses, and returning to the birthplaces of their people, where they have been eradicated from. There, they fished once again, gathered camas and gathered oysters again.
With this work of Whiteswan Environmental, which he founded, youths carry out their ceremonies.
"We did a camas bake for the first time in a hundred years," he said, describing the sacred camas, the bulb with purple flowers, they gathered for the traditional thirty-six hour camas bake on Johns Island on San Juan island in Washington state.
"It's been a hundred years since we've been there and we were able to bake this sacred food in a thirty-six hour camas bake."
For the people, Chiyokten said it means asserting their rights to their lands and continuing their sacred practices. It means consuming the spirit of the beings and this allows them to be part of who we are. "It is something that our people have done since the beginning of time."
"It allows us to continue these sacred practices, and consume these sacred beings."
"We take these beings and pray with them," he said, "and bring them into our bodies, so that it is not just sustenance -- but it is the spirit of these beings that we are bringing into our spirits, so that we are now part of these sacred beings."
"With this, we become a protector of these sacred beings, with this, we remember who we are, that we are a people who have lived unseparated with all of these sacred beings since the beginning of time."
"It was an extremely beautiful journey."
For the people, Chiyokten said it means asserting their rights to their lands and continuing their sacred practices. It means consuming the spirit of the beings and this allows them to be part of who we are. "It is something that our people have done since the beginning of time."
"It allows us to continue these sacred practices, and consume these sacred beings."
"We take these beings and pray with them," he said, "and bring them into our bodies, so that it is not just sustenance -- but it is the spirit of these beings that we are bringing into our spirits, so that we are now part of these sacred beings."
"With this, we become a protector of these sacred beings, with this, we remember who we are, that we are a people who have lived unseparated with all of these sacred beings since the beginning of time."
"It was an extremely beautiful journey."
Inside the Ecosystems
"Our salmon is one of the key species of our people," he said, speaking of the ecosystems that the people once lived inside of.
"We should be able to open our eyes and look at this world through Indigenous eyes, we should be able to open our hearts and feel this world through Indigenous hearts."
In this way, people can understand why the people stand up, and why the people gave their lives.
"Our people fought out of love, love for a certain way to live."
When the Douglas party showed up, and started the wholesale selling of the ancient forests, the elders tried to tell them to stop, but they would not listen.
The people understood that if the ancient forests were destroyed, this would destroy their ability to live as human beings.
They held on to a sacred promise, and taught this to their children, so that each child would know their place and their place to all other beings around them.
"The Protectors of the Salish Sea are not just frontline warriors," he said, "but people who share these words from our old people."
The most beautiful times in his life were sitting with the elders, listening, and seeing the way they carried themselves. Today, he said the people are at a deficit because many of these elders are not with us anymore.
"We've stepped into a new generation."
In their work as protectors, The Protectors of the Salish Sea occupied the Washington State Capitol at Olympia, and in Standing Rock in North Dakota, during the protection of the waters from construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline, they built structures for the people.
"We worked to build a movement that would allow people to step up alongside us and allow us to share our voice, a message to those forces who continue to do harm to our lands, that do not, and have not, listened to our voices. It is only up till now that we have a voice -- it is only up till now that we are seen as human beings."
"Our people hold the road map to paradise. Our people have that memory within us."
Teepee in front of the Washington State Capitol building on the opening day of the Legislature’s session in January of 2018.
The Protectors occupied the Washington State Capitol with Indigenous structures. At Standing Rock, they built 48 structures that looked like teepees, with 2-by-4's, plastic tarps and metal brackets. They put heaters inside to protect the elders during the blizzards.
"Our people hold the road map to paradise. Our people have that memory within us."
Teepee in front of the Washington State Capitol building on the opening day of the Legislature’s session in January of 2018.Standing Rock youths dubbed these tarpees, a term of endearment.
When they hosed water protectors in freezing temperatures, those structures saved lives.
When they hosed water protectors in freezing temperatures, those structures saved lives.
"People came up to me later and said you don't know how many lives you saved because the structures were so warm," he said.
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Paul Chiyokten Wagner designed and is building a new style of teepee for people preparing to stay and continue protesting the pipeline despite the pair of evacuation orders. "They have been endeared with the name 'tarpee.' They're kind of like unicorn teepees, because they only have a stovepipe sticking out the top (laughs)." He says he came up with the design after his first trip to Standing Rock in September (2016)." -- Montana Public Radio |
The Building Continues
During the Salish Sea Assembly, he said that to this date, they've built 93 structures to stop pipelines and deforestation in Indigenous-led movements for occupations.
So that "we can win this fight for Mother Earth, for our people to live in a certain way."
They continue to build.
As keepers of the ancestry, they are now working with youths and collecting cedar bark to build canoes and canoe families.
As keepers of the ancestry, they are now working with youths and collecting cedar bark to build canoes and canoe families.
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| Al Jazeera reports on Tiny Houses. |
Kanahus Manuel, Secwepemc, thanked Chiyokten for helping her community in British Columbia to build their Tiny Houses to maintain their presence on their lands in their struggle against Trans Mountain Pipeline.
"We can be stronger together," Chiyokten said, thanking Kanahus at the Salish Sea Assembly.
"I raise my hands to you for bringing us together here, so we can do the work in a better way, and it will make us stronger."
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| Kanahus Manuel welcomes Rueben George, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Matt Remle, Lakota from Standing Rock, and Paul Chiyokten Wagner Wsanec Nation, on Thursday evening. (Image screenshot Censored News) Watch this session, and read more: Watch Day 2 video by Govinda https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=giH3RP2S1Fw |
Censored News series, video coverage by Govinda Dalton
Coast Salish Warrior Warriors, The Salish Sea Assembly, Day 3
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/11/state-of-emergency-for-salish-sea-in.html
Coast Salish Freedom Fighters from the Alberta Tar Sands to the Salish Sea, Day 2
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/11/coast-salish-freedom-fighters-from.html
Live from the Salish Sea Assembly in Seattle, Day 1
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/11/today-salish-sea-assembly-in-seattle.html
Coast Salish Freedom Fighters from the Alberta Tar Sands to the Salish Sea, Day 2
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/11/coast-salish-freedom-fighters-from.html
Live from the Salish Sea Assembly in Seattle, Day 1
https://bsnorrell.blogspot.com/2024/11/today-salish-sea-assembly-in-seattle.html
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Protectors of the Salish Sea occupation at Washington State Capitol in October 2019. Paul Chiyokten Wagner said the group will not leave the Capitol until Gov. Jay Inslee meets four demands: Declare a climate emergency in Washington state; Issue an executive order to stop fossil fuel expansion projects, such as the liquefied natural gas facility being built at the Port of Tacoma; Convene a special legislative counsel; and Honor the treaties by meeting these demands. -- The Olympian, Oct. 17, 2019 Read more at: https://www.theolympian.com/news/politics-government/article235472547.html#storylink=cpy |
Article copyright Censored News
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