Sacred Sites

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Sacred Sites 1 2 The Gaia Foundation The Gaia Foundation (Gaia) provides a platform to innovative people and issues, and is committed to strengthening cultural and biological diversity, justice and resilience. We work with outstanding individuals and partner organisations in Africa, South America, Asia and Europe, and our efforts have been recognised by the Schumacher Award, One World Media and the Right Livelihood Fund. Our work on the protection of sacred sites began in the Colombian rainforest in the 1980s, working with local partner Fundacion Gaia Amazonas and accompanying Amazon indigenous peoples to secure their right to govern and protect their traditional lands. An innovative approach evolved, reviving cultural identity and ecological practices and restoring the vital role of elders and traditional knowledge-holders. Since then, information sharing and learning exchanges organised by The Gaia Foundation have sparked similar activities in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa, under the umbrella of the African Biodiversity Network, and also with partners in Europe. This report was commissioned by The Gaia Foundation to provide an overview and summary of documented materials and advances on the protection of sacred sites. We hope it will contribute directly to ongoing discussions and actions amongst those with whom we work, from indigenous and traditional peoples through to civil society groups, media, policy-makers and funders. This full report of 2007 was refined and developed into an abridged version which was published in 2008 and is available from The Gaia Foundation. For further information please visit www.gaiafoundation.org Sacred Sites: an Overview © 2007, 2008, The Gaia Foundation Authors: Anthony Thorley and Celia M Gunn This report was commissioned by The Gaia Foundation. The views presented here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of The Gaia Foundation and its international partners. Photography: 3 CONTENTS SUMMARY AND KEY AREAS FOR ACTION 5 INTRODUCTION 15 OUTLINE TERMS OF REFERENCE 17 METHOD OF WORKING 20 PART I THE SACRED SITE IN CONTEXT Defining Sacred Beliefs and Beliefs of Sacredness 21 The Western Academic Perspective 31 The Experience of the Sacred 41 The Rise and Apparent Demise of the Ley Line 44 The New Age Movement: an Important Voice for Sacred Sites 49 Sacred Sites and Consciousness Studies 53 The Place of Pilgrimage 57 Sacred Sites: Towards a Deeper Meaning 59 Some Classifications of Sacred Sites 61 Towards a Working Definition of Sacred Site 71 PART II PROTECTING SACRED SITES Is there a Rationale for Protection? 78 Protecting Sites of Cultural Heritage 84 Sacred Sites and Biodiversity: the International Response 85 The Rise of the Indigenous Voice 90 Some Key Representative International Agencies and NGOs 98 Sacred Sites Protection: some Judicial and Political Issues 102 Key Issues of Legal and Political Import 107 Sacred Sites in Court: a Series of Lessons to Learn 109 Total Heritage Protection or Informed Voluntarism? 124 4 PART III PROTECTING SACRED SITES: THE WAY FORWARD A Basic Thematic Conclusion 130 Identifying Good Practice and the Main Players in the Field 133 The Challenge of Effective Networking 137 An Overview of Key Issues and Strategies 139 Concluding Themes and Action Points 150 KEY AREAS FOR ACTION 151 ANNEXES 1. IUCN/WPCA Guidelines for the Management of Sacred Natural Sites 152 2. The ASLaN Charter 159 3. The Chehalis Indian Band Cultural Heritage Resources Policy 160 SELECTIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY 169 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 176 AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES 177 5 SUMMARY AND KEY AREAS FOR ACTION SACRED SITES: AN OVERVIEW A REPORT FOR THE GAIA FOUNDATION Anthony Thorley and Celia M Gunn PART I SACRED SITES IN CONTEXT Defining Sacred Beliefs and Beliefs in Sacredness • The concept of sacred and the sacred site is examined in both western and indigenous traditions. • Whilst many sacred sites are based on natural features and can be termed ‘sacred natural sites’, this report adopts the broader term: sacred site. Sacred sites can be natural, man-influenced or entirely man-made and occur in all cultures throughout history. The Western Academic Perspective • Academic views of the sacred landscape are examined and key issues are discussed. The separation of culture and nature in western thinking is contrasted with the indigenous worldview, where man is inseparable from nature and all its active agents. The rise of academic interest in an essentially interconnected world leading to ideas of animism and universal agency is discussed. This seems to herald a coming paradigm shift which challenges current western distinctions between subject and object, mind and body, and culture and nature. These new perceptions may assist western understanding of the role and function of sacred sites. The Experience of the Sacred • The tangible and almost palpable special quality when experiencing sacred places is described in a series of accounts spanning hundreds of years and across cultures. Wonder and awe are universal terms used to express its essential mystery. 6 The Rise and Apparent Demise of the Ley Line • The rise and apparent demise of the influential concept and phenomenon of the ley line is charted, particularly over the last thirty years. The controversial intangible qualities of ley line energies have been rejected by more rational earth mysteries researchers, and for many, the ley line concept is an illusion of imagination and enthusiasm. Most academics would agree with this. However for other researchers, such as dowsers, alignments (often between sacred sites) carry some form of identifiable energy field even if it is difficult to objectify. The New Age Movement: an Important Voice for Sacred Sites • The New Age Movement, in all its disparate forms, tends to embrace the idea of sacred sites as being centres of spiritual and energetic dialogue between man and the landscape. This view of an animistic world, which so matches that of indigenous peoples, may be an important growth point in western culture and thinking. Sacred Sites and Consciousness Studies • Sacred sites are alleged to affect human consciousness, and our consciousness appears to affect the quality of the energy of a sacred site. Research in consciousness over the last twenty years, including important work from Princeton University Global Conscious Project, is used to support this observation. The possibility of communication of information-specific consciousness between man and sacred sites and vice versa is discussed, providing important insights about their role and function. The Place of Pilgrimage • Pilgrimage, as a universal relationship to sacred sites, is examined as a way in which the dialogue between man and landscape is enriched. Pilgrimage would seem to be a fundamental process which vitalises sacred sites and provides a profound opportunity for individuals to experience personal and spiritual growth. Sacred Sites: Towards a Deeper Meaning • The deeper meaning and significance of sacred sites is examined against a background of increasing world awareness and zeitgeist. Patrick Curry’s idea of Ecocentric Spirituality is introduced, and Martin Gray’s analysis of a rising socio-cultural phenomenon: eco-spiritual consciousness. As each of us wakens to a fuller knowledge of the universality of life, we in turn further empower the global field of consciousness. 7 Some Classifications of Sacred Sites • A range of classifications of sacred sites from western researchers and indigenous peoples is examined showing the wide application of the concept of sacred site in terms of both place and social and spiritual function. Towards a Working Definition of Sacred Site • The authors of this report propose an operational definition of sacred site which it is hoped might assist networking and international dialogue. PART II PROTECTING SACRED SITES Is there a Rationale for Protection? • Starting from the premise that there is no absolute right to the protection and conservation of sacred sites, the various bases for creating a rationale for protection are systematically examined against ideas of cultural heritage, cultural diversity and survival, and biodiversity. Through insights, including Curry’s Ecocentric Spirituality, it is argued that protection of sacred sites needs to recognise the centrality of the spiritual and its part in sustaining the absolute interconnectedness of the Earth and all its life. Hence a spiritual dialogue becomes the fundamental rationale for attempting to protect all sacred sites and this endeavour is central to supporting the natural (man- included) processes of Earth’s potential survival. Protecting Sites of Cultural Heritage • The development of the principles and processes of conserving and protecting cultural heritage is surveyed over the last thirty years, with special regard for the role of UNESCO’s World Heritage Convention. Its adoption of the concept of Cultural Landscape and the related Associative Cultural Landscape has helped to recognise the conservation potential of sacred landscapes identified only through belief and non-tangible values. 8 Sacred Natural Sites and Biodiversity: the International Response • The relationship between sacred natural sites, cultural survival and biodiversity as a major link for overall environmental conservation strategies is surveyed, particularly through the work of the IUCN (World Conservation Union). The work of the IUCN/WCPA Task Force on Cultural and Spiritual Values has drawn up important draft guidelines on the conservation and management of sacred
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