Lummi Nation Chairman Cliff Cultee and hereditary Chief Bill James are scheduled to speak tomorrow at Cherry Point, the site of a controversial proposed coal exporting facility.
According to an Ecowatch post:
“It is our promise and our duty to our ancestors, our elders, and to future generations to protect and preserve Cherry Point,” said Clifford Cultee, chairman of the Lummi Nation. A Hereditary Chief of the Lummi Nation, Tsilixw (Bill James), a linguist and cultural historian, supported the chairman’s remarks, noting that Cherry Point is “the home of the ancient ones. Our ancestors are still there.”
Known to the Lummi people by its ancestral name Xwe’chi’eXen, Cherry Point has a deep cultural, historic and spiritual significance to the Lummi people who have a longstanding history of opposing development of the property. Xwe’chi’eXen was the first site in Washington State to be listed on the Washington Heritage Register and is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
More information and directions to the event are posted on the Bellingham Business Journal’s website:
The terminal project, which is proposed by SSA Marine of Seattle, is currently undergoing an environmental impact assessment. SSA Marine wants to build a facility at Cherry Point to ship millions of tons of coal to Asian markets, along with smaller amounts of other commodities including potash and grain.
