They Preserve Indigenous Heritage & Sacred Sites

Devils Tower National Monument, WY

(Photos by Mark)

You may or may not know, but the entire month of November is designated as National Native American Heritage Month.

Long before the first European Colonists arrived in what is now the United States, there were at least 600 Native American tribes. For thousands of years, up to 10-million Indigenous peoples lived on and cared for the land, with unique and sometimes complex knowledge systems, spiritual traditions, and sustainable practices that helped shape their landscapes. They saw the land as relatives – living entities to be respected. 

As European colonists arrived and expanded their own belief systems of destiny, they saw the land as resources to consume with most Native Americans “in the way.” Conflicts began and continued for hundreds of years with violence, disease, forced removals, racism, broken treaties, boarding schools, assimilation, and outlawed traditions. Populations plummeted to under 300,000. History dramatically changed for both. 

From Yellowstone National Park, to Devils Tower National Monument to Mt Rushmore National Memorial, the establishment of many of today’s national park areas came at a significant cost – especially occupying lands forcibly taken from Native Americans. The Department of Interior has a complicated history with Indigenous people but the establishment of national park areas also began to highlight historic exploitations - from the untold stories of River Raisin National Battlefield Park to the much-researched narratives of the Trail of Tears. As a result of this belated awareness, the National Park Service (NPS) began to set the stage for eventual recognition and rights. 

In recent decades, Native Nations fought for their voice to be heard and for stewardship of ancestral lands through court battles and activism. With willing allies in the NPS, more common ground has been established via Federal recognition, self-governance, park area interpretive initiatives, repatriation of Indian remains and artifacts, the designation of national monuments, increased influence in NPS policies, and co-management of park lands. 

On your next visit to places like Grand Portage National Monument, Bandelier National Monument, or Pipe Spring National Monument learn how Tribes own their land, co-manage the lands, or are formally engaged in decisions regarding lands they once owned. Canyon de Chelly National Monument is unique among NPS areas, as it is comprised entirely of Navajo Tribal Trust Land that remains home to the canyon community.

In many national park areas, local Indigenous people’s cultures and history are placed front and center, allowing visitors to understand the history of the land and the loss suffered by displaced Tribes. Maybe incrementally, progress can occur.

It is interesting to note that many Native American philosophies reflect that progress can be achieved while remaining aware that change is constant and often unpredictable. Rather than viewing progress and time as linear, many Indigenous cultures understand existence as a circular and cyclical process, in which impermanence is a natural part of life. Within that cyclical framework, periods of growth can be followed by periods of setbacks. Resilience is key because progress can be fleeting. 

Besieged by an Administration with a 180-degree different philosophy, decades of Tribal – National Park Service progress seem to be entering into one of those periods of setback. What do you perceive? 

Next week, in Part 2, this post continues with stories of progress from Valles Caldera National Preserve, Rainbow Bridge National Monument, and Zion National Park. But also, the revelation about new (or maybe old) obstacles from the current Administration. Stay tuned.

Grand Portage National Monument, MN

Bandelier National Monument, NM

Canyon de Chelly National Monument, AZ