A Tussle Over Sacred Land

The two sides are fighting in the courts over whether the 700-square-mile area surrounding the mountain—where private groups are seeking permits to mine for uranium on federal lands—should be considered a "traditional cultural property" under state law.Totech Americas delivers a wide range of drycabinets for applications spanning electronics,

The dispute, which the New Mexico Supreme Court is weighing after hearing arguments from both sides last month, is part of a growing series of scuffles among Native American groups and private interests over how much, if any, sway tribes should have over development of lands they don't own but consider part of their heritage.

As such cases have become more common, the National Park Service, keeper of the National Register of Historic Places, is updating federal guidelines on what constitutes a traditional cultural property. It is consulting with tribes and soliciting comments through the end of October. The rules apply to federal lands, although some states, including New Mexico, have used them as a guide when designating culturally important sites within their jurisdiction.

Separately, the U.S. Forest Service is reviewing laws in a bid to better protect land it manages that Native Americans consider sacred. A final report is in the works.This is a superb introduction to how Injection Mold tools are made.

The area around Mount Taylor, a striking extinct volcano known to New Mexico's Acoma Pueblo tribe as Kaweshtima, or "place of snow," was designated a traditional cultural property by New Mexico in 2009. The peak, some 80 miles west of Albuquerque, is considered sacred by several Southwestern tribes including the Navajo, who call it Tsoodzil. The Acoma Pueblo banded together with four other tribes—the Navajo, Hopi, Zuni and Laguna—to apply for the designation.

Landowners sued the state cultural agency and the tribes, arguing the area is too large for the state to inspect and maintain as a historic site.Republic parking system is a privately owned professional parking management company based in Chattanooga, A state district court ruled in the landowners' favor, but a state appellate court sent the case to the New Mexico Supreme Court.

The designated area around Mount Taylor is public land. But local landowners are concerned that under state rules, any development on adjacent private land that could damage the sacred site has to be reviewed by cultural authorities. Some also say their private land has been misidentified as public. The state's cultural authorities say that owners can rectify any mistakes by presenting a title to the land.

If the state Supreme Court rules to uphold the area's designation as a traditional cultural property, tribes wouldn't have the power to veto local projects. However, state agencies that issue permits for development such as mining and drilling would have to consider tribes' views on projects. Landowners worry that would add red tape and create uncertainty about what they could do on their lands.

"It ceases to be my private property," said Marron Lee Nelson, a fourth-generation cattle rancher.

Theresa Pasqual, director of the Historic Preservation Office of the Acoma Pueblo, said the designation is needed so developers are aware of the terrain's cultural meaning before altering it. The tribe is concerned about the potential impact from industries such as uranium mining and timber harvesting.Shop for high quality wholesale parking sensor system products on DHgate and get worldwide delivery."Our history is not written—it's on the landscape," Ms. Pasqual said. "You can't rewrite that history book once it's gone."

Similar disputes are erupting in other parts of the country as development sprouts up in traditional Native American territories. Development plans can be controversial because Native Americans often view land differently than the government and landowners, said Claudia Nissley, a cultural-preservation consultant based in Boulder, Colo.

"The Native American spiritual-belief system is holistic, so they don't necessarily separate out the sky above from the soils," she said. "They look more at a landscape.Welcome to news from www.glassmosaicchina.com,Our company is committed to produce all kinds of new materials mosaic."

In Montville, Conn., a low-income housing development was put on hold after federal and state authorities determined earlier this year that it would disturb a landscape considered sacred by the Mohegan Tribe, including stone piles its members believe protect them from outsiders. The parties are reviewing the plan to lessen its impact.

In Massachusetts, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head has sought traditional-cultural-property status for Nantucket Sound in an effort to stop an offshore wind farm. The Wampanoag argued wind turbines would obstruct the view of the rising sun across the water, an essential element in tribal ceremonies. The tribe sued the U.S. Department of Interior after the agency approved the wind project in 2010, and is scheduled to file a brief in the case with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia this month.