Broken treaty at Battle Mountain

Duration: 60

Year Published: 1974

Creator: Cinnamon Productions

Format: 16mm

Color: Color

Sound: sound

Description: This documentary charts the efforts of the Western Shoshone, residents of the Battle Mountain colony in Nevada, to retain 25 million acres of land guaranteed them by the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley. In violation of this century-old agreement, the U.S. government has leased tribal land for lumber, mining and hunting ventures that have caused widespread ecological devastation, most notably, the destruction of the beloved pine nut trees intrinsic to Shoshone culture. Traditional Shoshone refuse to abnegate spiritual values by accepting monetary compensation for their ancestral homeland. At a heated community meeting, tribal leader Glen Holly challenges the assertion of a Bureau of Indian Affairs representative that the U.S. government has the right to seize Indian lands. The precarious position of the Shoshone is made graphically apparent as bulldozers uproot thousands of piñon trees in a matter of minutes. (see also To protect mother earth: Broken treaty II)