| Native cultural heritage items and Ancestors have long been the target of theft and looting by collectors seeking to line their shelves or their pockets. These sensitive items are often referred to by collectors and dealers as “antiquities,” “artifacts,” or “art.” However, Native cultural heritage items are held communally by Native Nations and cannot be removed without consent at the time the item was originally taken. Those who claim rightful possession must be able to prove it under federal, state or Native Nation laws. Domestic and international legal frameworks affirm that Native Nations and Indigenous Peoples have civil and human rights to manifest and practice their cultures without interference. The right to protect sacred cultural items is no different than the right to prevent someone from walking into a church or cemetery and looting it for personal gain. |  |
A victory for the Religious Freedom Coalition
On October 6, 1994 President Clinton signed into law Title I of the Native American Free Exercise of Religion Act. This title deals with the right of Native American religious practitioners to use the divine sacrament peyote in their religious ceremonies. The Association has served as the coordinator of the American Religious Freedom Coalition, a group of more than 100 Native Nations, Native and non-Native organizations, politicians, etc. seeking to educate the public about the need to protect the rights of Native Peoples to freely practice their religions.
Why Protecting Native Peoples Religious Freedom Matters
 Author: Felix S. Cohen
The Association on American Indian Affairs, The American Indian: Volume 2, Number 2, 1949 Not all who speak of self-government mean the same thing by the term. Therefore let me say at the outset that by self-government I mean that form of government in which decisions are made not by the people who are wisest, or ablest, or closest to some throne in Washington or in Heaven, but, rather by the people who are most directly affected by the decisions. I think that if we conceive of self-government in these matter-of-fact terms, we may avoid some confusion. Let us admit that self-government includes graft, corruption, and the making of decisions by inexpert minds. Certainly these are features of self-government in white cities and counties, and so we ought not to be scared out of our wits if somebody jumps up in the middle of a discussion of Indian self-government and shouts “graft” or “corruption.” Self-government is not a new or radical idea. Rather, it is one of the oldest staple ingredients of the American way of life. Many Indians in this country enjoyed self-government long before European immigrants who came to these shores did. It took the white colonists north of the Rio Grande about 170 years to rid themselves of the traditional European pattern of the divine right of kings or what we call today, the long arm of bureaucracy, and to substitute the less efficient but more satisfying Indian pattern of self-government. South of the Rio Grande the process took more than three centuries, and there are some who are still skeptical as to the completeness of the shift.  Vine Deloria, Jr. Author: Vine Deloria, Jr.
Originally published by the Association on American Indian Affairs, New York, New York, May 1991 Since time immemorial, Indian tribal Holy Men have gone into the high places, lakes, and isolated sanctuaries to pray, receive guidance from the Spirits, and train younger people in the ceremonies that constitute the spiritual life of the tribal community. In these ceremonies, medicine men represented the whole web of cosmic life in the continuing search for balance and harmony, and through various rituals in which birds, animals, and plants were participants, harmony of life was achieved and maintained. When the tribes were forcibly removed from their aboriginal homelands and forced to live on restricted smaller reservations, many of the ceremonies were prohibited by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the people were forced to adopt various subterfuges so that ceremonial life could continue. Some tribes conducted their most important ceremonies on national holidays and Christian feast days, explaining to curious whites that they were simply honoring George Washington and celebrating Christmas and Easter. Since many shrines and Holy Places were isolated and rural parts of the continent were not being exploited or settled, it was not difficult for small parties of people to go into the mountains or to remote lakes and buttes and conduct ceremonies without interference from non-Indians. Most Indians did not see any conflict between their old beliefs and the new religions of the white man and consequently a surprising number of people participated in these ancient rituals while maintaining membership in a Christian denomination. |
