At six years old, she weighed not much more than one of the cannon balls that tore through the people like a boulder through willows.  Crouching beneath the water beside the bank she sipped air through a reed to maintain her life.
          Above her, an old world was ending, washed in blood.
          The few who survived continued our Tribe, and she became mother, grandmother, and greatgrandmother.
           If not for her will to survive-- I would not be here to honor her bravery and her sacrifice.
           Many died during that week of retribution.  They died near Big Valley, in Scotts Valley, at Bloody Island in Upper Lake, and on the Russian River.  Over 300 in all.
           It took five days to gather the bodies killed or drowned near the Island for cremation.  Orphaned children had to be hidden from settlers gathering slaves for the market in central California. But it was only the first battle.  More would follow-- battles with small pox and disease, with relocation and isolation, with racism and poverty.
           Still despite our suffering we are grateful to be here, to have survived.
           Today, we pray for a single mind.  That the prejudices and hatreds of the past can be put to rest.
           We pray that our Elders finally be recognized as human beings and the actions of the past be condemned as immoral and unjust.
           We pray that the spirits of those who suffered without ever understanding why, should finally be put at ease.
           We pray they'll pass on to the next world knowing their sorrow does not go unremembered, and that their sacrifice was not in vain.
           We pray that they be aware of this day, when their descendants and the descendants of their tormentors join together to pray for their spirits, and to forgive those who acted against them.
           We do not ask our children to forget this past, but to forgive and go forward.  We do not ask that everything be put back as it was, only that it be acknowledged that our world was beautiful,  so perhaps some of our wisdom may be applied to the problems we face today, even in this new world.
            Just as our children are educated in the history of other Nations,  we desire that our history also be known and our people understood and  appreciated for the harmony and balance of our world.
            If we can do this together-- to know each other better-- to accept the truths of the old world and the new,  perhaps our children will not see the color of skin, the manner of our worship, or cultural heritage as characteristics that divide us, perhaps they will see them as the attributes that make us stronger.
           We must look for common values and common purpose to remake our diverse peoples into human relatives.
           It is possible--the Blood of these Innocents demands it.