Western Shoshone elders, activists at Global Healing rally demand end to nuclear testing and waste on treaty land

At a Global Healing gathering near the Nevada Test Site, Western Shoshone elders and activists urged an immediate end to nuclear testing and the storage of nuclear waste on lands they said remain theirs under treaty, described health and environmental harms, and called on the public to contact federal officials about the issue.

Speakers said the site and surrounding lands are spiritual ground for the Western Shoshone and others. Corbin, described in the gathering as a spiritual leader and healer for the Western Shoshone, said, “All our food, all the living things here had to be prayed to because they're life like we are.”

The gathering’s speakers tied cultural and spiritual concerns to specific policy grievances and health claims. Maha Spotted Eagle, who identified herself as Western Shoshone, said the 1863 Treaty of Ruby Valley established continuing Shoshone claims to the land and said the federal government did not disclose above‑ground atomic…