Indybay newswire (video)

Mark Anquoe, Kiowa Tribe My name is Mark Anquoe, I'm a resident of San Francisco. [video is cut off] ...to bring the voice of the Ohlone people, any of the Ohlone people, in to the discussion of what to do with their ancestral land. Or, for that matter, any of the other tribes who have historical ties to the land. And it seems like the tribes that the city has chosen to work with have been hand picked, maybe for their political beliefs or their economic circumstances, I can only speculate. But regardless, I think it is critical that the city does go with the cultural easement plan. I think it's important that this is affirmed, so that Native people have a voice in to what happens to their own legacy, to their own history. I think that has been overlooked up to this point. And in regards to the general morality of the situation, I think it's easy to understand -- I think that most people understand -- the fact that the neighbors in the Glen Cove area, the residents, have been the ones predominantly supplying us with food. You know, I think that speaks a lot as to whether or not the neighborhood supports us, or whether or not we have been a nuisance. The fact is, they are our primary supporters at this time. Lastly, I would just like to maybe try to put this in to a little bit of perspective, because Native history is so often seen as disposable. You know, when the Taliban destroyed the Buddhist statues in Afghanistan, the entire world was shocked, because history, human history, is something that is considered sacred. This is the human history of California, and it should be considered just as sacred as Stonehenge, or the pyramids, or any other ancient human burial site. Thank you.