Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 22, Number 5, 1 May 2005 — A statement from the Gwichʻin Nation after the Akaka-Inouye vote [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

A statement from the Gwichʻin Nation after the Akaka-Inouye vote

This is an extremist form ofenvironmental racism. No one has the right to deprive a people oftheir subsistence rights. The Gwich'in have protected the Sacred Plaee where Life Begins, the calving and nursery grounds oftheArcticNational Wildlife Refuge for over 1000 generations. — Jonathan Solomon, Gwich'in Steering Committee Gwich'in leader Faith Gemmill of Arctic Village, Alaska

What tangle ofpolitical obligations would eompel Senators Akaka and lnouye to support the destruction ofa plaee and way oflife so unique, beautiful and ancient? Eha ka na au We have been to the coastal plain oftheArctic Refuge, among the musk ox, bears, wolves and the greatherd ofcaribou. We honor our Gwich'in and lnupiat friends and pray that their traditional life goes on unbroken. — Charles 'Ōpe'ape'a Makawalu Burrows Ed. D., Masako Cordray, Lanee Holter, Greg Westcott

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Robert and JaneThompson of Kaktovik, Alaska

"No amount of money is worth exchanging our culture for."