Kiara Girkins Response to Stephen M. Schnell

Kiara Girkins- Response to Stephen M. Schnell
April 28, 2008

The Native American culture is greatly tied to land and nature, and their religious beliefs often showcase such connections. Native Americans view land as a living entity, not something that can be permanently owned by any living creature, (Gulliford). Geologist Steven M. Schnell explores this idea by quoting fellow Geologist Yi-Fu Tuan saying,
“Landscape is personal and tribal history made visible; the native’s identity- his place in the total scheme of things- is not in doubt, because the myths that support it are as real as the rocks and waterholes that he can see and touch. He finds recorded in this land the ancient story of the lives and deeds of the immortal beings from whom he himself is descended, and whom he reveres. The whole countryside is his family tree,” (Schnell, pg. 156).
Wilderness to Native Americans was, and still is, a large part of everyday life. Learning to live off the land was essential, and being able to coexist peacefully with the wilderness was crucial to survival. It is because of this very reason that we can understand why Native Americans found their sacred places to be within the wilderness, which for them was the very thing that sustained life. Every scrap of what they took from the earth was utilized with very minimal waste. Fish provided not only food, but their small bones were perfect for making sewing needles. Bones and rocks we used to make tools, and the skin of animals was turned into shelter or clothing. Native Americans were highly skilled at working the land.
Many of the spiritual rituals were directly tied to the land as well. Native Americans worshiped the “spirits” of their surroundings. The various entities of the wilderness provided for spiritual enlightenment, which then led to the development of various wilderness locations as sacred places. The idea that earth is the mother, and people are its children is found in the religious ideologies of numerous tribes throughout what is now the United States. Pasha Spa in the Black Hills of South Dakota was considered sacred by the Lakota tribe as their creation myth revolves around the cave, believing that humans, buffalo and other creatures first stepped out onto earth from this cave. The cave makes a unique “whistling” noise as it sucks air in and out due to air pressure. The cave was the first ever to be named a national park, (Shick). In addition, they constructed the Big Horn Medicine wheel between 1200 and 1500 A.D., which was utilized for medicinal and teaching purposes. Fortunately, the medicine wheel and the geysers are now protected by national law; however, many Native American sacred places were not so lucky. When the European settlers arrived in the Americas, they took over the land once utilized and worshiped by the Native Americans. Their conflicting beliefs over the ability to own land or not led to many battles fought in order to defend their particular habitus, and therefore, way of life. Many of the Native Americans’ sacred places were destroyed in the process. An example of such being the sacred lands of the Haskell Indians in South Lawrence, Kansas that have been overtaken by the State Government and turn into what is now known as the “South Lawrence Trafficway.” This initiative has single handedly destroyed these ancient sacred lands, including ancient burial grounds, a medicine wheel and sweat lodge, (Martin). Another problem lies in the fact that a large portion of the locations of Native American sacred places are kept secret within the tribes, which has prevented many to be protected by National law, (Gulliford). In Gary Snyder’s Practice of the Wild, he speaks of such strict preservation of tradition saying,
“To well-meaning sympathetic white people this response is almost comprehensible. In the world of [Native American] people, never over-populated, rich in acorn, deer, salmon, and flicker feathers, to cleave to such purity, to be perfectionists about matters of family or clan, were affordable luxuries…a matter of keeping their dignity, their pride, and their own ways,” (Snyder, pg. 4).
Such pride over traditions and sacredness may be incomprehensible to some, but to many, Native Americans’ secrecy is the only way to truly preserve such places. Many of the secrets of their various tribes largely help to define who they are, and as such, secrecy is the only measure that can be taken to guarantee to some degree, however small, the preservation of their habitus. Several other famous Native American sacred places include the Devil's Tower National Monument, Mount Shasta in California, Mount Graham in Arizona, and the Sweet Grass Hills in Montana

Stephen M Schnell (2000). “The Kiowa Homeland in Okalahoma,” Geographical Review, Vol. 90, No. 2, (April 2000), pg. 155-176. Published by The American Geographical Society.