Saving Sacred Lands

Written by Samantha Riley

A Chaco Kiva.

Chaco Culture National Historical Park is located in San Juan County and McKinley County, New Mexico. The park is known for having one of the densest concentrations of Pueblo Native Americans in the American Southwest. The location historically was a major center of Pueblo culture and was used for trade, and political and ceremonial activities. The Pueblo people built a number of structures in the hub. Many of the stone structures still stand today, and many ancient artifacts of the Pueblo people remain. 

The park and its outskirts, with their historical and cultural significance, are sacred sites to many Native Americans in the Southwest. The significance of the land is hard to communicate to non-Native parties, because theirs stories of the land are sacred knowledge and are not to be shared with people outside of the tribal communities. Now, the sacred sites near Chaco Canyon are in danger of being destroyed. Companies have repeatedly attempted to explore the area for oil and gas over the years. They have previously been denied drilling within a 10-mile radius of the Chaco Culture Nation Historical Park, but there are ceremonial structures called “kivas,” as well as other culturally significant structures, outside of the 10-mile radius which stand to be destroyed by drilling efforts. This, along with the fact that the Trump administration encourages drilling for resources, poses a great threat to the Pueblo Native American lands. The Trump administration reviews protected lands and evaluate their importance, but they do not consider tribal interests and their beliefs of lands being sacred.

Tribal members have joined forces in an attempt to save not only the sacred site at Chaco Culture National Historical Park, but also for other sacred areas in New Mexico and Colorado. They are attempting to work together to pressure government officials to protect their heritage sites and ban the exploration for oil and gas. Four times a year, an energy company attempts requests access to the land, and each time the tribes protest the sale. They desire a future in which protests are no longer necessary, and the sacred land is safe from the threat of energy industries.

On March 21, 2019, local tribes gathered at Acoma Pueblo, which is a Native American community with ties to the sacred lands at risk. An All Pueblo Council of Governors meeting was held there, and concerned tribe members were there to voice their support for protecting the land. Even though all of the tribes involved did not have ties to the Pueblo Native Americans, they gathered to support the Pueblo people in their efforts to save the Pueblo sacred lands from destruction.

A member of the All Pueblo Council of Governors, Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez said, “Navajo culture and tradition dictate respect for our relatives who have come before us,” he said. “As Native people, we are connected to the land, and it is important to preserve the dwellings and the belongings of the ancient ones.”

As a result of the Native Americans’ attempts to save the land, an executive order is expected from the New Mexico State Land Commissioner’s Office next month. The order would protect the land around Chaco Culture National Historical Park from any attempts to lease land with the purpose of drilling for oil, gas, or minerals.

Brian Vallo, the governor of Acoma Pueblo, grew up hearing stories of his ancestors at Chaco Canyon. He values the land immensely, and appreciates the structures of his ancestors.  He said, “To me, it was the center of where the intelligence of our ancestors evolved,” he said. “It was the place where we observed solar and lunar cycles — all of that was tested at Chaco.”

Sources:

Fonseca, Felica and the Associated Press. “Tribes urge U.S. to ban drilling around sacred New Mexico site.” The Denver Post, Mar. 21, 2019. https://www.denverpost.com/2019/03/21/new-mexico-drilling-ban-native-americans/

“Chaco Culture.” United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/353

“Pueblo Indians.” Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Pueblo-Indians