Raising Shasta Dam Could Put Sacred Indigenous Sites Underwater

As California looks for ways to alleviate drought, the federal government is considering raising Shasta Dam by 18-and-a-half feet in order to store more water in wet years. Behind it, three rivers backup creating Shasta Lake, the largest reservoir in the state. If the dam enlargement proceeds, areas up river from the dam that aren’t currently underwater will flood. The Winnemem Wintu people have opposed the dam enlargement project. Much of their ancestral land has already been taken from them and the proposal would flood many of the group’s remaining sacred sites. This week, host and reporter Judy Silber takes us on a journey "around the world," a Winnemem Wintu phrase for visiting the sacred sites, to understand what these places mean to their original inhabitants. This episode is part of a series from KALW's The Spiritual Edge podcast called A Prayer For Salmon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices