Indigenous ‘traditional ecological knowledge’ teaches us to live in reciprocity with the land
Bears Ears is an incomparable and priceless place, a place with irreplaceable cultural resources. It is a place many Native peoples in the Four Corners area continue to define as home, soul, and the setting for the cultivation of cultures. Unfortunately, this landscape and its ancient shrines, petroglyphs, plants, animals, minerals, and cultural artifacts have become a center of desecration, looting, and disrespect. The proposed Bears Ears national monument will provide much needed protection for this nation’s most rich cultural landscape so that we can care for it in perpetuity.
Together we are calling for the US government to protect sacred places, honor the treaties and for Free, Prior and Informed Consent, so that the very communities that are most affected by proposed industrial projects on these lands and who know these lands since time immemorial, have a seat at the table in decision-making processes.