|
Religious Freedom and
Protection of Sacred Sites
The
policy of the United States must be to protect and preserve for
American Indians and Alaska Natives our inherent right of
freedom of belief, expression, and exercise of traditional
religions, including but not limited to access to scared places,
use and possession of sacred objects, the freedom of worship
through ceremonial and traditional rites, traditional
subsistence practices, and return of Indian human remains and
associated funerary objects to Indian tribes.
The United States must protect threatened sacred places from
intrusion and destruction from development in any form:
-
Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge, Alaska:
www.arcticrefugeaction.org
-
Bear Butte, South Dakota:
www.defendblackhills.org
-
Black Mesa, Arizona:
www.blackmesais.org,
www.blackmesawatercoalition.org
-
Cave Rock, Nevada:
www.petitiononline.com/caverock
-
Haskell-Baker Wetlands, Kansas:
www.savethewetlands.org
-
Mauna Kea, Hawaii:
www.kahea.org/maunakea
-
Medicine Lake, California:
www.mountshastaecology.org
-
Mt. Graham, Arizona:
www.mountgraham.org
-
Mt. Shasta, California:
www.protectourwaters.org
-
Mt. Tenabo, Nevada:
www.wsdp.org
-
Petroglyph National Monument, New Mexico:
www.sagecouncil.org
-
San Francisco Peaks, Arizona:
www.savethepeaks.org
-
Shellmounds, California:
www.vallejointertribalcouncil.org
-
Woodruff Butte, Arizona:
www.sacredland.org
-
Yucca Mountain, Nevada:
www.wsdp.org
Freedom of religion is a principle on which our country was founded.
However, in recent years, in
federal correctional institutions, we have witnessed an erosion of
the religious rights of Native prisoners. Authorities have
interfered with the inipi (sweat ceremony) and decreased or eliminated spiritual
gatherings that are so important to the spiritual and emotional
wellbeing of our brothers and sisters.
Prisoners in state correctional facilities fare far worse as
many of them have failed, to date, to win the freedom to practice their
spiritual beliefs at all.
We work with solidarity groups, our support network, and the
general public to urge Congress to protect this fundamental right.
 |
