Plains

Aboriginal Star Knowledge Menu
A collection of (mostly plains) information on Indian astronomy and earthworks which involved astronomical observation.

Bear Butte, Black Hills, South Dakota
A photo essay about Bear Butte in the area of the Black Hills. It's a sacred area for the Lakota and Tsistsistas people and now a current area of land conflict with Euroamericans. (Howard J. Vogel, Sacred Sites and Human Rights Web Site, 1998).

Blackfeet: Land and Language is the Heritage
Describes attempts to drill for oil in the Badger-Two Medicine area, a religiously significant area for the Blackfeet under Forest Service jurisdiction. (Andreas Knudsen, Indigenous Affairs. The International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs. Archive: NAE, 1996).

Brucellowsis: A False Issue
The ITBC opposes the slaughter of bison which roam outside of Yellowstone National Park. The Animal-Plant Health Inspection Service kills the bison out of fear the herd may transfer the brucellowsis virus to domestic cattle. (InterTribal Bison Cooperative, Archive: NAE, 1997).

Buffalo Comeback
An article about the InterTribal Bison Cooperative's (ITBC) efforts to restore bison populations. (Carol Goodstein, The Amicus Journal (e-Amicus). Natural Resources Defense Council, 1995).

Buffalo Nation
Water BigBee (a Comanche member of the Intertribal Bison Cooperative) provides an on-line lecture about the cultural importance of the buffalo and their reintroduction on tribal lands. Excellent K-12 resource. (Walter BigBee, New York: National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institute, 1997).

Buffalo Nations
This site reports on current protest activities against the slaughter of bison that roam outside Yellowstone. Not a Native American site but very current.

Chief Big Foot National Memorial Park
Discusses this proposed park memorializing the Wounded Knee Massacre Site. Raises concerns about the propriety of such a park and the social disruption that would result for Sioux communities if the park is established. (Michele Lord, 1995).

Devil's Tower/Mato Tipi, Wyoming
A distinctive feature of the landscape in eastern Wyoming in the Black Hills of Wyoming and South Dakota. "It is a sacred site of great power to the Lakota, Tsististas and other Native American peoples of the Great Plains." (Howard J. Vogel, Sacred Sites and Human Rights Web Site, 1998).

Inter-Tribal Bison Cooperative
"The ITBC is committed to reestablishing buffalo herds on Indian lands in a manner that promotes cultural enhancement, spiritual revitalization, ecological restoration, and economic development." One of their recent efforts has been to stop the killing of buffalo in Yellowstone National Park.

Inter-Tribal Environmental Council of Oklahoma
"The mission of the ITEC is to protect; the health of Native Americans, their natural resources, and their environment as it relates to air, land and water. To accomplish this mission ITEC provides technical support, environmental services, as well as assistance in developing tribal environmental programs."

Mni Sose Intertribal Water Rights Coalition, Inc
A coalition of Missouri River tribes which works to protect their reserved water rights and their access to water. Check out the newsletter and the map!

Native Americans and the Environment
Discusses the Haskell Indian Environmental Research Studies Center. (Dan Wildcat, Healthy and Sustainable Communities Conference: Building Model Partnerships for the 21st Century. Atlanta, Georgia, March 20-22. Archive: NAE, 1997).

Native Rites and Wrongs
The National Park Service at Devils Tower implemented a management program which would curtail rock climbing for part of the summer, when many native peoples come to the area for religious practices. A local tour operator took the Service to court but the plan was upheld before the Supreme Court. (Editorial, The Nation (21 July):4-5. Archive: NAE, 1997).

Native Shop
In addition to their Environmental Awareness and Action Project, the Center has dealt with various environmental issues on the Yankton Sioux Reservation over the years. Native Shop raises funds for the Center and they have some environmentally-themed T-shirts, etc. (Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center).

Only Beavers Should Build Dams
Chief John Miswagon of the Pimicikamak Cree Nation speaks about the human impacts of energy development for the community of Cross Lake, Manitoba. (Chief John Miswagon, Archive: NAE, 2000).

People and Climactic Change on the Northern Great Plains
Starts with Native Americans and covers recent events such as the Dust Bowl. (Todd Kapler, Larry J. Zimmerman and Shesh Mathur, 1996).

Review of Backbone of the World
We review Backbone of the World, a new film by George Burdeau about the Blackfeet and their relationship to the Badger Two-Medicine area, currently being considered for gas and oil development. (Alx V. Dark, Native Americans and the Environment, 1999).

Sacred Buffalo People
Web site for the video, with quotes on the role and value of the buffalo in Plains cultures. (Red Eye Television, Video (VHS), 56 min. Lincoln, NE: Native American Broadcasting Consortium, 1992).

Symbolic Role of Animals in the Plains Indian Sun Dance
"The sun dance reflects relationships with nature that are characteristic of the Plains ethos, and includes symbolic representations of various animal species that once played vital roles in the lives of the people and are still endowed with sacredness." (Elizabeth A. Lawrence, Society and Animals: Social Scientific Studies of the Human Experience of Other Animals 1(1), 1993).

The Use of Participatory Rural Appraisal Methodologies to Link Indigenous Knowledge and Land Use Decisions among the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska
"Participatory rural appraisal (PRA) techniques can facilitate the use of indigenous knowledge as an integral part of a land-use decision process. In this way, cultural and spiritual values are linked directly with environmental values and economic needs, as part of a community-driven decision-making process." (Marcella Szymanski, Lisa Whitewing and Joe Colletti, Indigenous Knowledge and Development Monitor 6(2). The Hague, The Netherlands: Centre for International Research and Advisory Networks, 1998).

"There's a Notion that Indians Practicing Their Religions are Less Than Religious"
"In her own words, Lakota Sioux spiritual and cultural leader Charlotte Black Elk discusses the clash between Native and white spirituality at places like Devils Tower." (Elizabeth Manning, High Country News 29(10), May 26, 1997).

Treaty Land Entitlement Committee of Manitoba
The TLE Committee was formed in 1977 by the First Nations having outstanding TLE in what is now Manitoba. The TLE Committee's function is to work towards settlement of the Treaty land entitlement issue in Manitoba. Details of a settlement are included at their web site.

Voices of the Wintercount
Covers the slaughter of bison that roam outside of Yellowstone, as well as many other land and treaty issues. (1997-).

Yankton Sioux Oppose Reservation Waste Dump
The Yankton Sioux are going to receive a waste dump on their reservation, despite irregularities in the environmental review process and even though they are not members of the landfill district siting the dump. Article from Support for Native Sovereignty. (On Indian Land. Seattle: Support for Native Sovereignty. Archive: NAE, 1996).