The Winnemem Wintu protest U.S. government plans to enlarge Shasta Dam, which would forever submerge the tribe’s last remaining sacred sites, critical to their traditional way of life.

California, U.S.A.

The Winnemem survived massacres, land grabs, mining, logging and the inundation of their homes when Shasta Dam was constructed in the 1940s. Their descendents now face a second deluge. If the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation enlarges Shasta Dam, the Winnemem will lose what little is left of their homeland—ceremonial grounds, burials, and old village sites will be flooded. Puberty Rock, where girls grind medicinal teas in basins hollowed by centuries of use, is already submerged much of the year, and will forever be lost.

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