Legal and Cultural Barriers to Indigenous Protection of Sacred Places
An in-depth article in USA Today, by Debra Utacia Krol
Published August 17, 2021. Link here.
The following article describes situations and conditions that also exist here in N’dakinna - Abenaki homelands - and the Northeast in general, often with even less oversight and protection, due to a 400-year-deep history of colonization, erasure, and contemporary ignorance. Petroglyph sites, hydroelectric dams, and historic industrialization are graphic demonstrations that you don’t need to look beyond your own familiar landscapes to witness the pattern of usurpation and disregard. It’s all right here, now.
Native peoples have always regarded certain places, like mountains, springs, particular groves of trees, rock formations or petroglyph sites as sacred spaces. These sites serve as churches, much like synagogues, mosques, temples or other structures serve Christians, Jews, Muslims, Hindus and other religious communities.
…laws meant to protect these spaces or Native American religious practices, often come up short. Some legal experts say the federal government seems to practice a double standard when it comes to upholding the religious rights of Native peoples.