Native American Sacred Sites

Hoping for a happy ending with Glen Cove demonstrations

An activists' encampment has been at a proposed GVRD parksite in Glen Cove for more than 12 weeks, protecting lands sacred to Native Americans. An agreement is to be voted upon by the Vallejo City Council and GVRD board tonight that reportedly grants the tribes legal oversight in all activities at the shell mound burial site. (Mike Jory / Times-Herald file) Vallejo city and parks officials are crossing their fingers that a protracted fight over plans to build a park on an ancient American Indian burial ground will end peacefully tonight.

If it does, a mostly peaceful months-long standoff that has included a protest encampent at the park will likely end soon afterwards.

Both the Vallejo City Council and the Greater Vallejo Recreation District board are set to vote at about the same time on a proposed agreement negotiated with two tribes. It would allow a scaled-back Glen Cove waterfront park project to proceed.

Talks have been held over the last few weeks in response to the months-long protect encampment at the planned park site on 15 acres at the end of Whitesides Drive. The city and GVRD also were under pressure from some Glen Cove residents complaining that the encampment had become a nuisance.

Other residents, however, supported the demonstrators or stayed neutral, hoping for a speedy resolution.

On Wednesday, the city released the proposed agreement's terms. They include the scrapping of a planned bathroom facility, which had particularly offended the protesters. It also includes relocation of a down-sized parking lot.

However, the deal's specifics leave some ambiguity about how GVRD's park development project can proceed. A key concern for park opponents has been the proposed flattening of a hillside, which would remain part of the development.

But Committee to Protect Glen Cove member Corrina Gould said she has faith that ancestral remains and cremations will not be further disturbed or desecrated.

The negotiating parties represented the city, GVRD and two federally recognized tribes -- the Yocha Dehe and Contina -- whose ancestral lands include the Glen Cove area in south Vallejo. Those at the encampment -- which has lasted 99 days and nights -- were not at the bargaining table.

In recent weeks, the two negotiating tribes distanced themselves from the demonstrators, saying that the protest could draw looters to the former shell mound burial sites.

The Wild Hunt » Protecting Native American Sacred Places

June 17th through June 21st of this year are the official 2011 days of prayer to protect Native American sacred places . Observances and ceremonies are being held across the country to honor and bring attention to the plight of Native sacred sites culminating in a Washington, D.C. Solstice observance on Tuesday, June 21 at 7:30 a.m. on the United States Capitol Grounds, West Front Grassy Area.

“Native and non-Native people nationwide gather at this time for Solstice ceremonies and to honor sacred places,” said Suzan Shown Harjo (Cheyenne & Hodulgee Muscogee). She is President of The Morning Star Institute, which organizes the National Sacred Places Prayer Days. “Ceremonies are being conducted as Native American peoples engage in legal struggles with federal agencies that side with developers that endanger or destroy Native sacred places,” said Ms. Harjo. “Once again, we call on Congress to build a door to the courts for Native nations to protect our traditional churches. Many sacred places are being damaged because Native nations do not have equal access under the First Amendment to defend them.”

All other peoples in the United States can use the First Amendment to protect their churches, but the Supreme Court closed that door to Native Americans in 1988. The Court, in the 23 years from 1988 to 2011, has declined to allow federal religious freedom statutes to be used to protect Native American sacred places or the exercise of Native American religious freedom at sacred places.

“Ben Shelly, Navajo Nation president, is apologetic yet determined when it comes to one of the country’s special places, a place he calls “very important.” He is one of the leaders in the fight to protect the San Francisco Peaks—sacred to more than 13 Southwestern tribes—from using treated sewage water for artificial snowmaking at the Arizona Snowbowl Ski Resort near Flagstaff. [...]  “In the city of Flagstaff, some of the people there are starting to voice concerns that the wastewater is not going to meet the [snowmaking] needs—they are kind of afraid drinking water will be used,” Shelly said, explaining that millions of gallons might be required to create just two feet of artificial snow over the ski season.