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Article: Sacred Places at risk; Native people struggle to save their lands but find that everyone else--from Congress and the Transportation Department to the NAFTA Tribunal--has the final word.(FEATURE)
- Article from:
- Colorlines Magazine
- Article date:
- November 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2008 Color Lines Magazine. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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HUNDREDS OF PLACES that are sacred to Native people are being threatened by development, pollution, looting and vandalism. Some may not last until the end of this century, despite the valiant efforts by a small number of tribes and allies throughout the continent. The fate of many of these sites is being decided not by Native people but by court judges and government agencies.
This August, judges in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals considered the future of the San Francisco Peaks, which are sacred to Native peoples in the Southwest and threatened by recreation development. The court ruled that neither the National Environmental Protection Act nor the Religious ...