Secretary Haaland Announces Interagency Effort to Protect and Increase Access to Indigenous Sacred S
Share
Secretary Haaland Announces Interagency Effort to Protect and Increase Access to Indigenous Sacred Sites
11/16/2021
Date: Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Contact: Interior_Press@ios.doi.gov
WASHINGTON — Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland today announced a new interagency initiative to improve the protection of and access to Indigenous sacred sites through enhanced and improved interdepartmental coordination, collaboration and action. The announcement comes on the second day of the Biden-Harris administration’s first Tribal Nations Summit.
A new Memorandum of Understanding 
MOU), signed by eight agencies, will increase collaboration with Tribes to ensure stewardship and access to sites, and incorporate Traditional Ecological Knowledge into management, treatment, and protection procedures. Today’s announcement builds on an MOU originally executed in 2012.
“Since time immemorial, the Earth’s lands and waters have been central to the social, cultural, spiritual, mental, and physical wellbeing of Indigenous peoples. It is essential that we do everything we can to honor sites that hold historical, spiritual or ceremonial significance,” said Secretary Deb Haaland. “The Interior Department is committed to protecting these sacred sites from desecration, while at the same time collaborating with Indigenous communities to increase access and ensure good stewardship of their lands.”
More:
https://www.doi.gov/pressreleases/secretary-haaland-announces-interagency-effort-protect-and-increase-access-indigenous