Once more, the future of Medicine Lake was being discussed. Head officials of the Forest Department and the Bureau of Land Management were consulting with the Pit River Tribe about the prospect of building a Geothermal Plant in Medicine Lake.

And once again, the response of the Pit River Tribe was the same: Do not disrupt this sacred place.

Theodore Martinez, a Pit River Tribal member, began his defense of Medicine Lake with a sweet song. This song came to him, as a child, when he visited Medicine Lake during his initiation as a Medicine Man, when we was entrusted by his elders to be the Care Taker of that sacred place.

As the elders before him, Theodore was to look out for the well being of the land, the water, the air, the mountain, and all of the creatures that dwell in the Medicine lake area. And here he was, living up to his responsibility and speaking for all life of Medicine Lake.

Theodore brought us the voice and feeling of Medicine Lake. The deer, the squirrel, the eagle, spoken through his song. So did the white sage, the cedar tree, and the wild flowers.

Theodore had fasted and had done what the Pit Rivers call “Nahui” in the sacred land, which he was entrusted as its keeper. Nahui consists of retreating to a special place in solitude, internalizing the peace and quiet of the environment. Silence is of essence. Fasting prepares the individual to absorb the medicine, which the environment provides.

The silence of the obsidian lake had removed every vestige of inner noise from the keeper. Now, the thoughts and feelings of the sacred place were flowing through this man clearly and undisturbed. Sage from that area was also being burned around Theodore. The aroma bringing Medicine Lake our way. For a moment I thought of the opening lines of the poem “Desiderate”, that say “go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember the peace that lives in silence...”

That peace that lives in silence was strongly present in Theodore. After his song Theodore spoke, and his words carried the strength of trust. I could feel the little creatures of the forest, feeling proud that a human being was making their voice heard to others.

I was given a small piece of white sage gathered from Medicine Lake, and following the example of the elders present; I began to slowly chew on it. It tasted line mint and cinnamon.

I closed my eyes, resonating with Theodore’s words. His words, like butterflies, came into the meeting room, unhurried, graceful, plenty of room between them. Theodore thanks Charlie Thomas, the elder Medicine Man from the Karuk tribe who had opened the meeting with his dance of celebration. Charlie Thomas had spent most of his life defending Mount Shasta, refusing to take millions of dollars in royalties for its development, preserving the natural presence of the great white mountain. And here he had been, dancing in his old tennis shoes, nurturing us with the strength of the mountain that for so long he had protected. Other Indian healers from all over the west coast, who periodically travel to Medicine Lake, were also present at the meeting. Theodore acknowledged them and thanked them. They too were bringing their Nahui, enhancing the voice of Medicine Lake in the meeting. Theodore then gave us a historical overview of Medicine Lake and reminded us that we are all part of the web of life. That in good times we protect ourselves with our love; in bad ones we are to protect our love with ourselves. In this case, Theodore and the Medicine people were here to protect Medicine Lake with their lives. It was a matter of honoring their love.

“All of this land is our temple,” the keeper said, “the peaceful voice of the Creator dwells in it.

“When you walk this land in silence and an open mind, then you get to see that a tree is more than timber, and a lake more than a generator of electrical power.

“When you stand barefoot in Medicine Lake you feel the warm energy rising into your body, bringing you into harmony with the energy of life, restoring balance in your heart. There is a way for us, humans, to use this energy without causing harm to nature. Your scientists have a way of making some assessments, using their instruments and technology. Our wise people have their ways of knowing too. It is them who for thousands of years have listened to the teachings of Medicine Lake and followed them, up till this day. Your scientists know with their minds; our wise people know with their souls. Your scientists have instruments to amplify their senses and understand other levels of this world; our Medicine People have awakened their hearts, they too can see and listen to the voices of nature, they too have a path of knowledge. If you had this way of knowledge, what brings us together here today would not even be an issue. All we would have you do is to go and ask Medicine Lake for its opinion on this matter. But you don’t have eyes to see, or ears to hear. You have lost touch with nature and ignore its voice. You are prey of the illusion that you can improve nature, while much of life continues to die and agonize around you.

“We know that we don’t give life to ourselves. Life comes to us from the tree of life. You are attempting here to go against the roots of the tree of life. Driven by immediate gratification, you have not stopped to consider the long lasting consequences of your actions. The clock of nature is not the human clock. That is why our ancestors asked us to consider how our actions were going to impact our seventh generation.

“Much violence has been done to nature in the name of civilization. There are few places left where the beauty and wisdom of nature has left unharmed. Medicine Lake is one of these places. Trust us. My people have a deep understanding of this place, for we have been here longer than any other human group. My people have identified Medicine Lake as a sanctuary of life, a healing place for illnesses yet to come.

“Medicine Lake is a place for the affirmation of life, and as such, a place for answers. There, we can get in touch with the sounds of silence. There, the eyes of the heart become open and we experience the unity of all life. There, we heal the wounds of our body and soul, for love is strong there, and love enhances our goodness.

“Our animal brothers don’t think of money. You will not find the bird, the squirrel, the fish, and the deer worrying about money. When you go into the woods in a good way, you find out what the animals think about. You get to know their mind and their heart, because deep down inside our minds and hearts are not that difference from theirs. And after all the awful things that civilized people have done to them, if you approach them in the right way, you will find that they are compassionate, that they are loving creatures. In Medicine Lake you can get to hear their voice of forgiveness, their tender hope for a world with meaningful lives for us all.

“Today, here as the keeper for Medicine Lake, I ask that you don’t harm life and yourselves by disrupting this sacred site. And that you help us preserve it the way it is for generations to come.” The keeper concluded his talk.

I thought to myself how fortunate our human family is for having people like Theodore, to remind us how to walk this earth in peace, and how to live up to the responsibility that life has of us as keepers of the earth.