Planting a tree to remember

Pre-Thanksgiving American Indian Ceremony Memorializes Five Centuries of Holocaust

American Indian Holocaust Memorial/Tree of Life TributeNovember 21, 2007, the day before Thanksgiving, the International Indigenous Sacred Women’s Council in partnership with Red Nation Celebration will plant a memorial tree in remembrance of the millions of American Indians who died as a result of the colonization of the United States.

“More than 56 million of our ancestors lost their lives in what was clearly an American Indian holocaust,” states Joanelle Romero, founder of Red Nation Celebration and the International Indigenous Sacred Women’s Council and board member of United Nations Association Pasadena Foothills Chapter. “We--the women--are the life-givers. In our Holocaust Memorial/Tribute to Life Ceremony, we do not forget the past injustices done to American Indians, but for the sake of everyone’s grandchildren, we share our strongest medicine, the integrity of love and respect for Mother Earth and all her peoples,” continues Romero, who is of Cheyenne and Apache bloodlines. “This means deepening our care about the environment and seeing the sacredness shining through all forms of life and freeing ourselves from trying to dominate Mother Earth or ‘other people.’”

Members of the International Indigenous Sacred Women’s Council will plant the memorial tree at 11:00 a.m. in Los Angeles State Historic Park (long known as the cornfield), 1245 N. Spring Street in downtown Los Angeles. A traditional American Indian Red Road Ceremony will be held, where participants will remove their shoes and the bottoms of feet will be painted red to symbolize the Red Road, the Good Road of Life, the path that we aspire to walk with our children and their children and all peoples.