2.3 Sacred sites and landscapes

Sacred sites hold deep spiritual and cultural significance for Native American communities. These places, whether natural features or constructed spaces, are vital for maintaining cultural identity and connecting with ancestral landscapes. They often embody creation stories, migration histories, and religious practices.

Many Native American worldviews see the natural landscape as spiritually powerful. Mountains, rivers, and caves are often viewed as sacred beings or homes of spirits. Engaging with these landscapes through prayer, ceremony, and pilgrimage helps maintain spiritual balance and well-being for individuals and communities.

Sacred sites overview

• Sacred sites are places of spiritual and cultural significance to Native American communities, often tied to creation stories, ancestral histories, and religious practices
• These sites can be natural features like mountains, springs, and forests, or constructed places like earthworks, stone circles, and burial mounds
• Sacred sites play a vital role in maintaining cultural identity, transmitting traditional knowledge, and connecting Native peoples to their ancestral landscapes

Spiritual significance of landscapes

• In many Native American worldviews, the natural landscape is imbued with spiritual meaning and power, with features like mountains, rivers, and caves seen as sacred beings or homes of spirits
• Landscapes are often associated with creation stories, migration histories, and the actions of ancestral beings, making them integral to a tribe's identity and sense of place
• Engaging with sacred landscapes through prayer, ceremony, and pilgrimage helps maintain the spiritual balance and well-being of both individuals and communities

Types of sacred sites

Natural sacred sites

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Top images from around the web for Natural sacred sites

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• Many Native American sacred sites are natural features like mountains (Mount Shasta), springs (Montezuma Well), and rock formations (Devils Tower) that are seen as inherently sacred or spiritually powerful
• These sites may be associated with creation stories, the homes of powerful spirits, or places of healing and renewal
• Natural sacred sites are often places of pilgrimage, prayer, and ceremony, with access sometimes restricted to certain individuals or times

Constructed sacred sites

• Native Americans have also constructed sacred sites like earthworks (Cahokia), stone circles (Bighorn Medicine Wheel), and burial mounds (Grave Creek Mound) as places of ceremony, remembrance, and spiritual power
• These sites may be aligned with celestial events, incorporate sacred symbolism and iconography, or serve as portals to the spirit world
• Constructed sacred sites often require great communal effort and knowledge to build and maintain, reflecting their importance to the community

Protection of sacred sites

Legal protections

• Various federal laws like the National Historic Preservation Act, American Indian Religious Freedom Act, and Executive Order 13007 provide some protection for Native American sacred sites on public lands
• These laws require federal agencies to consult with tribes, consider the impacts of projects on sacred sites, and accommodate access for religious practices when possible
• However, these protections are often limited and subject to interpretation, leading to ongoing legal battles and advocacy efforts by Native communities

Challenges in protection

• Many sacred sites are threatened by development projects, resource extraction, tourism, and environmental degradation, often due to competing interests and lack of recognition of their spiritual significance
• The confidential nature of some sacred site locations and practices can make it difficult for tribes to assert their claims and protect these places without compromising their cultural integrity
• Inconsistent application of legal protections and limited tribal sovereignty over ancestral lands outside reservations also pose challenges in safeguarding sacred sites

Sacred sites and cultural identity

• Sacred sites serve as powerful symbols of Native American cultural identity, connecting people to their ancestors, histories, and spiritual traditions
• Engaging with sacred landscapes through ceremony, pilgrimage, and storytelling helps pass on cultural knowledge and values to younger generations
• The loss or desecration of sacred sites can have devastating impacts on a community's sense of identity and well-being, making their protection crucial for cultural survival

Rituals at sacred sites

Offerings and prayers

• Many Native American ceremonies at sacred sites involve leaving offerings like tobacco, corn meal, or sacred objects as gifts to the spirits and ancestors
• These offerings may be placed in specific locations like rock crevices, springs, or altars, often accompanied by prayers and songs
• Offering rituals help maintain the spiritual balance and reciprocal relationships between humans and the sacred beings that inhabit the landscape

Ceremonial practices

• Sacred sites are often the focus of elaborate ceremonial practices like dances (Sun Dance), sweat lodges, and vision quests that connect participants to the spirit world and each other
• These ceremonies may be tied to seasonal cycles, life transitions, or community healing and renewal, with specific protocols and roles for participants
• Ceremonial practices at sacred sites often involve the use of sacred objects like pipes, drums, and regalia, as well as the construction of temporary structures like lodges and altars

Art and symbolism of sacred sites

Petroglyphs and pictographs

• Many sacred sites feature ancient rock art in the form of petroglyphs (carved or incised designs) or pictographs (painted designs) that convey spiritual meanings and histories
• These designs may depict sacred beings, celestial events, clan symbols, or important cultural stories and teachings
• Petroglyph and pictograph sites are often seen as powerful places of spiritual presence and are treated with great reverence and care

Symbolic structures and alignments

• Constructed sacred sites often incorporate symbolic structures and alignments that reflect spiritual beliefs and astronomical knowledge
• Medicine wheels, for example, may be aligned with solstice sunrise and sunset points, with the stones and spokes representing sacred directions, elements, and cycles
• Kivas, sacred chambers used by Puebloan cultures, often feature symbolic floor plans, wall murals, and orientations that reflect cosmological beliefs and social structures

Sacred sites and astronomy

Celestial alignments

• Many Native American sacred sites are aligned with celestial events like solstices, equinoxes, and the rising and setting of certain stars and planets
• These alignments may mark important ceremonial times, reflect creation stories and cosmologies, or serve as astronomical observatories and calendars
• Examples include the Sun Dagger at Fajada Butte in Chaco Canyon, which marks solstices and equinoxes with daggers of light, and the Bighorn Medicine Wheel, aligned with the rising of the star Aldebaran

Archaeoastronomy studies

• Archaeoastronomy is the study of how ancient cultures understood and used astronomical knowledge in their architecture, art, and spiritual practices
• Researchers use a combination of archaeological evidence, ethnographic accounts, and astronomical calculations to interpret the celestial alignments and meanings of sacred sites
• Archaeoastronomy has revealed sophisticated astronomical knowledge among many Native American cultures, reflected in the precise orientations and symbolism of their sacred sites

Threats to sacred sites

Development and encroachment

• Many Native American sacred sites are threatened by development projects like dams, mines, energy facilities, and tourist resorts that can destroy or degrade these culturally important places
• The expansion of urban areas, highways, and agricultural lands has also encroached on many sacred sites, limiting access and disrupting traditional practices
• Efforts to protect sacred sites from development often face challenges from competing economic and political interests, as well as limitations in legal protections and tribal sovereignty

Environmental degradation

• Sacred sites are also threatened by environmental degradation from factors like climate change, pollution, erosion, and invasive species
• Rising sea levels and coastal erosion, for example, are washing away ancient burial sites and shell middens in the Pacific Northwest and Southeast
• Drought, wildfires, and insect infestations exacerbated by climate change are also damaging sacred landscapes and cultural resources, particularly in the Southwest

Indigenous management of sacred sites

Traditional ecological knowledge

• Many Native American communities have long histories of managing sacred sites and surrounding landscapes using traditional ecological knowledge passed down through generations
• This knowledge encompasses practices like controlled burning, selective harvesting, and rotational grazing that help maintain the ecological and spiritual integrity of sacred sites
• Incorporating traditional ecological knowledge into sacred site management can help restore degraded landscapes, protect cultural resources, and revitalize traditional practices and beliefs

Co-management with agencies

• In some cases, Native American tribes are entering into co-management agreements with federal and state agencies to help protect and manage sacred sites on public lands
• These agreements often involve a sharing of decision-making power, incorporation of traditional knowledge and practices, and accommodations for ceremonial access and use
• Examples include the co-management of the Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument by the Pueblo de Cochiti and the Bureau of Land Management, and the joint management of the Bears Ears National Monument by a coalition of five tribes and the US Forest Service and BLM

Sacred sites and tourism

Respectful visitation practices

• Many Native American sacred sites are also popular tourist destinations, attracting visitors drawn to their natural beauty, cultural significance, and spiritual power
• However, tourism can also have negative impacts on sacred sites, from physical damage and overcrowding to disruption of ceremonial practices and cultural appropriation
• Developing respectful visitation practices, such as staying on designated trails, not removing or leaving objects, and observing cultural protocols, can help minimize these impacts and foster greater understanding and appreciation of sacred sites

Impacts of tourism

• The impacts of tourism on sacred sites can be both positive and negative, depending on factors like the scale and type of visitation, the involvement of Indigenous communities, and the use of tourism revenues
• In some cases, tourism can provide economic benefits and cultural revitalization opportunities for Native communities, as well as greater public awareness and support for sacred site protection
• However, tourism can also commodify and degrade sacred sites, disrupt traditional practices, and undermine the spiritual and cultural integrity of these places if not carefully managed

Repatriation of sacred objects

NAGPRA legislation

• The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) is a federal law passed in 1990 that requires museums and federal agencies to return certain Native American cultural items to lineal descendants and culturally affiliated tribes
• These items include human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony that were acquired by museums or federal agencies without proper consent or due process
• NAGPRA has led to the repatriation of thousands of sacred objects and ancestral remains to Native communities, helping to restore cultural practices, spiritual connections, and tribal sovereignty

Repatriation challenges and successes

• Despite the progress made under NAGPRA, the repatriation process still faces many challenges, from inadequate funding and staffing to disputes over cultural affiliation and the definition of sacred objects
• Some museums and collectors have also resisted repatriation efforts, leading to prolonged legal battles and emotional trauma for Native communities seeking the return of their sacred items
• However, there have also been many successful repatriation cases that have brought sacred objects and ancestral remains back to their communities of origin, such as the return of the Zuni War Gods from museums and private collections, and the repatriation of the Kennewick Man/Ancient One to a coalition of Columbia Plateau tribes