CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A new documentary sponsored by two local tribes that documents the creation of a consortium that protects cultural resources is having its local premiere this week.
The new film, “Saving the Sacred,” will be screened at a special event at 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 28, at the Konocti Education Center, 15850 Dam Road Extension A, Clearlake.
Dino Beltran, a member of the tribal leadership of the Koi Nation, said the program will include pow wow drumming and dancing by the Big Valley Pomo Dancers.
The evening also will feature a talk by local archaeologist Dr. John Parker, and a question and answer session with the filmmakers after the film is shown.
The film follows the creation of Ancestors 1, the memorandum the Koi Nation, the Habematolel Pomo, Elem Indian Colony and Robinson Rancheria entered into with the county of Lake. The Board of Supervisors approved the agreement unanimously in December 2015.
The memorandum of understanding seeks to protect sacred sites through the development process. It also established formal relationships with the sheriff and district attorney to prosecute archaeological crimes. It was the sixth agreement of its type within the state, as Lake County News has reported.
Beltran said he wants municipalities throughout the state to know they can enter these agreements.
He said the film also shows how the community came together to support the consortium.
“We kicked butt on it,” he said of the film.
“Saving the Sacred” was made with the Advanced Laboratory of Visual Anthropology of California State University, Chico. It’s the same group that collaborated with the Koi Nation to win an Emmy for “A Walk Through Time,” its documentary on Anderson Marsh, in 2017.
This latest documentary features actor Peter Coyote as its narrator. Coyote also narrated Ken Burns’ documentary, “Country Music,” now playing on PBS.
It also features appearances by former Gov. Jerry Brown, Sheriff Brian Martin, Supervisor and Tribal Chair EJ Crandell and Native American Heritage Commission Executive Director Christina Snider, among others.
Beltran said “Saving the Sacred” is nominated for the Governor's Historic Preservation Award, which the memorandum of agreement between Ancestors 1 and the county of Lake received in 2016.
The film will be available to all PBS stations for airing through mid-October, and also will be available for Native American Month in November, Beltran said.
Tickets for the Saturday event are $20 each, with all proceeds to go to supporting Anderson Marsh State Historic Park in Lower Lake.
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