Protection of sacred lands

It took little for the United States government to take 99% of Native lands along with the lands and resources well they and private corporations continue to exploit. These corporations don't understand that these lands are our place or worship.

By Kristyn E. from Zuni High School in New Mexico

The first thing to point out is that during the time the pandemic first started many Native people struggled to get supplies for their families and the federal government didn’t want to help at the time. There was an article or new report where Trump said, ``For Native people to receive help that they were to give up their lands to the government.” This did not sit well with Native Americans because it wasn’t right for the government to withhold help for Native people. 

Many say that our lands will forever be fought over because of the natural resources that are within that land and that we will protect our lands from those who are hurting the earth. I’ve heard many stories such as the Woodruff Bute site in Arizona which is a sacred site for Zuni people which was almost destroyed by a private mining company. Another story is about the Grand Canyon which is a popular tourist attraction which has a story behind it of the Zuni people fighting for their rights to go to this sacred place where we first emerged in the beginning of time. Our Zuni River once flowed through the village, but to this day the river is dry and the rise behind that is the dam the government built so that they can control the flow of water. 

I believe this is still an ongoing issue of wanting the Zuni River flowing with water again but the government is what’s standing in the way of that happening. Believe it or not that we are not the only ones that are suffering. Somewhere out in the world other Indigenou people are fighting to save their lands as well as protect their way of life in order to keep striving in this world that is constantly evolving. There are many issues dealing with Native lands such as gas and oil pipelines going through the lands or oil companies wanting to take the land for their rich resource of oil. Everyone knows Mount Rushmore has the presidents carved into the mountain of stolen lands from the Natives that once thrived on these lands. Whatever the case may be there will probably be no end in sight to these problems in the near future. Hopefully, we all don’t get pushed off the face of the earth.

Zuni High School

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