Diverse Native traditional religious and ceremonial practices
​are often inseparably bound to specific areas of land. ​

Protecting Sacred Places

Many of these Sacred places are located on what is now public land and Western concepts of resource development, such as logging, mining and tourism, may conflict with the integrity of these Sacred places. Yet, while federal and other land managers routinely take into account the needs of developers and recreational users in making land management decisions, they do not so readily take into account the often profound effect of their undertakings upon Sacred, ceremonial and traditional cultural places that are critical to Native Nations.

Sacred Places and Religious Freedom

For most of United States history, the federal government actively discouraged and even outlawed the exercise of traditional Native religions. The efforts to destroy traditional religion and culture failed because of the determination of Native Peoples to continue their traditions, belief systems and ways of life.

Today, official federal policy is “to protect and preserve for American Indians their inherent right…to believe, express and exercise [their] traditional religions…” Yet, in practice, the activities of the federal government (and other government and private entities) can interfere with the exercise of these religions.

Click on the images below to learn more about our work to protect sacred places and practices.

Technical Assistance

We provide technical assistance and training to Native Nation advocates, attorneys and federal land managers, including workshops about how they can use the law to protect Sacred places and a handbook summarizing those laws, see below.
​We have provided assistance to Tribes and traditional practitioners to protect Sacred places for decades. For example:

  • For more than 20 years, we provided legal assistance to and engaged in advocacy efforts in support of Nations seeking to protect the Sacred Medicine Wheel/Medicine Mountain in Wyoming. The ultimate result of these efforts was the approval of the area as a National Historic Landmark because of its traditional cultural value and the development of an Historic Preservation Plan to protect the site.
 
  • We provided support for the efforts of many other Nations to help them fight development that would have had an adverse impact upon their Sacred places. These places have included San Francisco Peaks (Arizona), Devils Tower [Bear Lodge] (Wyoming), Bear Butte (South Dakota), Medicine Lake (California), Rainbow Bridge (Utah), Cave Rock (California), Indian Pass (California), Petroglyph National Monument (New Mexico), Black Creek (New Jersey), Mount Graham (Arizona), Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [ANWR] (Alaska), and Otter Creek (Montana).