2002 Shundahai Network’s Campaign Report
November 1, 2001 – October 31, 2002

2002 has been an important year for Shundahai Network. While facing increasingly dangerous U.S. nuclear initiatives, we have been able to motivate over 2000 activists to take action in support of sustainable energy, nuclear waste policies and for the abolition of nuclear weapons. Shundahai Network is a unique organization and we have creatively used our resources efficiently and effectively as our campaigns have evolved.

This year Shundahai Network underwent some structural changes. Corbin Harney moved from the Director’s position to Chair of the Board of Directors. Four long-term staff members moved on to have families and further their education. Due to funding concerns, we closed our Pahrump and Tecopa offices and consolidated all of our resources in Salt Lake City. In September, we hired a new Executive Director and opened an office in Las Vegas. The culmination of our campaign effort was the Family Spirit Walk and Action for Nuclear Abolition events in Nevada.

Shundahai Network serves as a clearinghouse for information. Through our regularly updated, award winning web page, email action alerts and E-News lists, major outreach mailings, and newsletters, we continue to educate and inspire thousands of organizers, activists and concerned people. We are always responding to requests for information, interviews and contacts. Outside of our campaigns, Shundahai Network staff members are also very involved in peace and justice work in our local communities

Environmental Justice Now Campaign

Environmental Justice remains a cornerstone of all of our campaigns. Indigenous and low-income communities around the world continue to suffer the deadly consequences of nuclear colonialism. We work closely with Western Shoshone, Paiute, Goshute and many other indigenous activists to insure that indigenous voices are heard in the movement to influence U.S. nuclear policies.

The primary focus of this campaign is supporting Corbin Harney’s speaking tours through out the Western United States. Besides finishing a new book “The Nature Way”, Corbin has worked tirelessly to educate and inspire communities involved in fighting nuclear contamination. This year he has conducted several ceremonies at the Nevada Test Site and organized resistance and ceremonies to highlight each subcritical nuclear weapons test. He has traveled to and spoke at major environmental conferences in California, Nevada, Oregon, and Arizona. Wherever he goes, Corbin is always conducting ceremonies, making important connections with community leaders and inspiring people to join us in taking actions to protect Mother Earth.

In Utah, we provide direct support to Skull Valley Goshute resistance to the proposed high level nuclear waste dump on their reservation. This support has been in the form of technical knowledge and computer equipment. Setting up speaking engagements and helping set up media interviews. We work closely with Ohngo Gaudadeh Devia Awareness, the Goshute grassroots resistance movement, and the new Tribal Council, which is opposed to the dump.

This year, we have worked very closely with Western Shoshone communities facing renewed nuclear testing and dumping on their land. We provided direct support to the Western Shoshone National Council Gathering at Crescent Valley in April. We also provided critical support for the Western Shoshone Newe Sogobia Mava’a Mia “walk on Sacred Land”, which brought indigenous activist together in a walk around the Nevada Test Site. The Walk ended at our Mothers Day weekend Gathering to “Celebrate All Life”, where over 300 people honored and learned from our Shoshone hosts, mothers, elders and each other.

Throughout this year, we have maintained our close ties with the Western Shoshone Defense Project by helping to organize speaking engagements, providing research and spreading the word, through our newsletter and email alerts, of continued offenses against the Newe (Western Shoshone) people. Our staff and volunteers have provided critical direct support during recent crisis situations arising from long-standing and internationally scrutinized conflicts with the US government. In September, Shundahai Network activists provided field, documentary and office support for non-violent resistance to a Bureau of Land Management raid on Western Shoshone land and livestock. During this event, armed BLM agents, aided by private “contract cowboys”, illegally seized Western Shoshone livestock in violation of the standing treaty with this sovereign Nation. This crisis continues as members of Congress are trying to pass a Western Shoshone land payment bill that would force the Western Shoshone to accept fifteen cents per acre for all of their lands. All traditional Western Shoshone communities and most of the Tribal governments oppose this bill. Tribal opposition continues despite incidents of social and economic disruption, direct harassment and intimidation of Western Shoshone communities by the U.S. government and it’s agents. These incidents, which occur at times of critical political importance, require the constant attention of all who work on these issues.

In the summer, we helped organize and sponsor the “Family Spirit Walk for Mother Earth”. Led by Indigenous elders and community members, twenty-seven dedicated people of all ages walked over 800 miles from Los Alamos, birthplace of the nuclear bomb, to our Peace Camp at the Nevada Test Site, the current central link in the U.S. nuclear weapons programs. This walk went though many Pueblo and reservation lands that have been irrevocably contaminated by Uranium mining for nuclear energy and weapons. The walk reached Nevada in early October and culminated in our “Action for Nuclear Abolition” events.

We are very excited to have recently joined a new alliance called “Building Actions for Sustainable Environments”- or BASE. This network, which is funded and organized by the Peace Development Fund, is bringing together minority and indigenous communities who are impacted by D.O.E and military nuclear and toxic contamination. The first coordinated action for this alliance was to send representatives from around the country to our Action for Nuclear Abolition events. Together, these leaders held a press conference in Las Vegas on Oct 15th calling for an end of the US government s policy of targeting impoverished communities of color for their toxic and radioactive production and dumping.

Nuclear Free Great Basin Campaign

With decisions to move forward on the Yucca Mountain and Private Fuel Storage (PFS) nuclear waste dumps, our Nuclear Free Great Basin Campaign has intensified. Besides our participation in national campaigns and actions, our focus has been on mobilizing the grassroots in Utah to oppose nuclear waste transporting and dumping in the Great Basin. Our work has built on the momentum of our first “Nuclear Free Great Basin Gathering” held at the Skull Valley Goshute Reservation, October 6-7th, 2001.

Since October we have hosted the life sized Mock Nuclear Waste Cask in Salt Lake City twice and organized a nuclear waste educational tour across Northern Utah and Nevada. These events were held in conjunction with a series of Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) public meetings on the proposed PFS dump.

Our events in Utah included an inspiring rally and march in Salt Lake City on April 8th that drew 300 activists out on to the street and then to a public NRC hearing on the proposed Skull Valley PFS nuclear waste dump. This was a wonderful event with diverse communities’ represented and strong state and city support. The NRC continues to review the many issues with PFS and a licensing decision is expected this winter. Shundahai Network continues to prepare for a massive public campaign of non-violent direct action led by Goshute tribal members in the event that PFS receives its license and tries to begin construction in the spring of 2003.

On June 9th, 2002, Shundahai Network organized a press conference at the Salt Lake City Hall led by Mayor Rocky Anderson to voice opposition to Congressional approval of Yucca Mountain, Nevada, as the US Government’s primary high level nuclear waste dump.

Working with local Utah Allies we have organized and helped sponsor many training workshops, speaking engagements and conferences. We are making a strong impact as we see evidence that the Utah State government and congressional delegation are shifting their position on Yucca Mountain. This has developed through many meetings with government leaders and several public phone call and letter writing campaigns. This summer in Salt Lake City, we held two Nuclear Free Great Basin Film Festivals and one large concert to promote our campaign and educate the public about nuclear issues.

We have helped sponsor and send community representatives to the Western States Nuclear Waste Forum, in Fresno CA February 16 – 18, and the Peoples Summit on Nuclear Waste in Connecticut, April 12 –14. These conferences have produced the “Peoples Nuclear Waste Policy”, a citizen alternative to the U.S. nuclear waste policy which targets impoverished minority and indigenous communities for nuclear dumping.

Besides Yucca Mountain and PFS, we have also been involved in helping communities affected by the Envirocare low-level nuclear waste dump in Utah’s West Desert and a Uranium reprocessing mill and dump in Southern Utah on the boarder of the White Mesa reservation.

Action for Nuclear Abolition Campaign

Our Action for Nuclear Abolition campaign has focused on the continued subcritical nuclear weapons testing program, which has exploded plutonium on Western Shoshone land three times this year. We are also responding along with the international Nuclear Abolition movement to the funneling of more money into the nuclear weapons industry and the threat of resuming full-scale nuclear weapons explosions at the Nevada Test Site.

Besides organizing public pressure campaigns on the Bush administration and key congressional leaders, we have organized two gatherings at Peace Camp near the Nevada Test Site.

On May 10 –14th, over 300 activists and organizers from communities around the world joined us for the annual Mothers Day Weekend Gathering to “Celebrate All Life”. This was a wonderful weekend of ceremony, educational workshops, planning councils and nonviolent direct action led by Western Shoshone mothers.

The Family Spirit Walk arrived near Las Vegas on October 4th and the Action for Nuclear Abolition events began with a Peoples’ Nuclear Abolition Summit on October 5th. This important event drew indigenous and environmental resistance leaders from around the country to educate and inspire the participating activists.

The Family Spirit walk continued from Oct 6th – 11th through Las Vegas, then North on Hwy 95 toward the Nevada Test Site and our Peace Encampment. Each evening of the walk was filled with community building workshops and preparation for nonviolent direct actions at NTS.

Our final events at the Peace Camp across from the main entrance to NTS brought over 500 international activists from diverse backgrounds. We had strong leadership from Western Shoshone elders as well as community organizers from minority communities working with the BASE initiative. These events included daily ceremonies and workshops on Oppression Awareness and Cultural Sensitivity for environmental organizers, as well as in-depth discussions on indigenous and minority issues. We also hosted an all-night Dance Party of Resistance and an Indigenous Peoples’ Day Rally, Action and Concert. There was one day focused solely on direct action planning and preparations. Throughout the weekend there was a youth program with ongoing art projects and workshops. All together, sixty-six people were arrested during the weekend, including five on Yucca Mountain. The weekend culminated on Monday, Oct 15, in a sunrise occupation of NTS. Here, over 200 people participated in an on-site ceremony led by Western Shoshone and Navajo leaders. Later that morning, all of the participating “BASE” community leaders from across the country joined for a press conference in Las Vegas, expressing solidarity with the Western Shoshone people and calling on the government to end all nuclear and toxic dumping on indigenous and minority communities.

Shundahai Network is currently providing legal support for the more then 40 people awaiting trial in Nye County, Nevada, for their nonviolent direct actions to stop nuclear weapons testing and waste dumping on Western Shoshone lands. These efforts are vital to the urgent and on-going struggle to protect indigenous sovereignty, to resist escalating nuclear risks to Western Shoshone and all other vulnerable or targeted communities, and to protect the land for all life. This is an effort to which Shundahai Network is committed.

Action of Nuclear Abolition,
By Kalynda Tilges.

This years event started a little differently as we were hosts for the Family Spirit Walk (FSW) in which 27 wonderful people walked from Los Alamos NM., to the NTS. These courageous people left Los Alamos on August 9th and walked through the Southwest desert for 800 miles before reaching the NTS. Every step was a prayer and a direct action in itself.

The FSW arrived just outside of Las Vegas and set up camp on BLM land not far from Nellis Air Force Base. This was also the place where we held the Action For Nuclear Abolition Summit. We were blessed to have many speakers from national anti-nuclear groups as well as many Native American speakers at this Summit. These speakers included a Supai man from the Grand Canyon.

The FSW, while in Las Vegas, held two vigils at the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) building, formerly known as the Department Of Energy (DOE) building. There was also a “die-in” at the Federal Building and a demonstration at the air show at Nellis AFB. There was great local, national, and international press for these events and photos are on our web site.

By the time the FSW got to NTS, it was fifty people strong with locals as well as other gathering participants joining in. (Including my nine year old son, Chasen) There was harassment and threats of arrest from the local authorities at the air show and at the campsites on the way from Vegas to NTS. This was handled very well by the local ACLU lawyers, with the timely arrival of the local press. Evenings on the FSW were split between training's and visits from Las Vegas locals and press.

The gathering was a day behind schedule because the FSW was a day late in getting to NTS and the powerful winds we get here in the desert at times. A large tent got picked up by the wind and put through the windshield of one of our board of directors cars. The windshield got fixed, volunteers gathered to finish putting up the tents as the wind stopped and the gathering went on.

The arrival of the FSW at NTS marked the beginning of the Action For Nuclear Abolition gathering with a beautiful and inspiring welcome and morning prayer circle. There were many Shoshone Elders present and all of them offered prayers and thanks to the Creator. Because we were a day late starting, the Keep Space for Peace panel discussion was replaced by a presentation about minority communities affected by DOE and Department Of Defense (DOD) nukes, including Yucca Mt. and NTS. The rest of the day was for camp setup completion and orientation.

Because we are on Shoshone land we try very hard to adhere to Western Shoshone customs, so it is important to remind our guests about the expectations our hosts have of us. Since there were many new people there this year, orientation was repeated in shorter versions at the dinner circles.

That evening the Unchained Reaction Dance of Resistance was held. Subversive Soundz brought an amazing setup with them for this event. I was especially interested in the bio diesel generator that powered three different busses and some musical side events as well as a complete light show. All this in the desert! There was no smell from the generator and you couldn't hear it at all. On top of that, the collective had made their own bio diesel fuel for all of this. I was extremely impressed with this collective. I would like to do something like this at each large gathering.

The second day had a long training on oppression Awareness and Cultural Sensitivity . There was also a training for organizers on this topic. That evening, was the first rally and nonviolent civil resistance at the gates to NTS with 29 arrests. The security was unnecessarily rough and we are working with them to develop better ways to deal with nonviolent demonstrators. Because of the evening rally, dinner was held at the concert site that evening, so participants were able to enjoy dinner and a show. The performers were all excellent and once again, the Subversive Soundz collective were amazing. I have to say, I have been coming to the gatherings since 1988 and have put on some of the shows myself and I have never seen anything like this!

I awoke on the morning of Sunday the 13th to the news that two groups totaling 21 people had gone into the NTS back country to the town of Mercury. These people were taken to Beatty, NV for processing. The arrestees were cited and released except for 8 people who refused to give their names which began a long ordeal of dealing with Nye County officials and the ACLU. I am acting as coordinator for the attorneys and the arrestees which may last until after the coming new year. Nonviolence, peacekeeper, blockade, lock down, media, direct action first aid and affinity group training's took up the rest of the day along with legal coordination and press. in the late afternoon,, 7 people went back country to do a banner drop at the Yucca Mt. site. 5 people were arrested and taken to Beatty for processing.

After dinner, the raffle to raise money for the Western Shoshone Outreach was held. It raised over $1,000.00.

Monday morning was Sunrise Ceremony and a Spiritual Occupation of the NTS and a press conference in Las Vegas for the BASE group. BASE is an alliance of over 20 minority and indigenous organizations that are affected by DOE and DOD radioactive and toxic contamination in their home communities. We have just recently become the Nevada partner in this alliance which we helped pioneer and is a project of the Peace Development Fund. Our Action For Nuclear Abolition event was the first major action for this group. This was very well attended by the local press and also went out on the Associated Press news wire.

Tuesday, I took 3 van loads of people on the Peoples Tour of Yucca Mt. and the nearby dairy farm to show participants what the area was really like and explain the issue in detail. This day also marked the end of the event and breakdown commenced.

This years Action for Nuclear Abolition gathering at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) was one of the largest gatherings Shundahai Network has had in many years. There were 500 registered participants and approximately 600 people all together. There was a total of 66 arrests.

We attribute these larger numbers to the Building Action for Sustainable Environment (BASE) participation, with a representative from each member organization, more Western Shoshone presence and a very large youth turnout which we believe came for the dance party and the fact that youth activism is on the rise in this country.