N A T I O N A L C O N G R E S S O F A M E R I C A N I N D I A N S
The National Congress of American Indians Resolution #PHX-08-056
TITLE: To Protect the Sacred Zuni Salt Lake
WHEREAS, we, the members of the National Congress of American Indians E XE CU T IV E C OMMITTEE of the United States, invoking the divine blessing of the Creator upon our efforts and PRESIDENT Joe A. Garcia purposes, in order to preserve for ourselves and our descendants the inherent Ohkay Owingeh (Pueblo of San Juan) sovereign rights of our Indian nations, rights secured under Indian treaties and
FIRST VICE-PRESIDENT agreements with the United States, and all other rights and benefits to which we are Jefferson Keel Chickasaw Nation entitled under the laws and Constitution of the United States, to enlighten the public
RECORDING SECRETARY toward a better understanding of the Indian people, to preserve Indian cultural values, W. Ron Allen Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe and otherwise promote the health, safety and welfare of the Indian people, do hereby
TREASURER establish and submit the following resolution; and gaiashkibos Lac Court Oreilles Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians WHEREAS, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) was RE G ION A L V ICE -PRESIDENTS
ALASKA established in 1944 and is the oldest and largest national organization of American Mike Williams Yupiaq Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments; and
EASTERN OKLAHOMA Joe Grayson, Jr. Cherokee Nation WHEREAS, the significance of the sacred Zuni Salt Lake has previously been
GREAT PLAINS recognized by NCAI in Resolution #SD-02-018 calling for urgent protection of Ron His Horse Is Thunder Standing Rock Sioux Tribe endangered sacred tribal places, including the Salt Lake; and
MIDWEST Robert Chicks Stockbridge-Munsee WHEREAS, the Zuni Salt Lake, Ma’k’yayanne, home to the Salt Mother,
NORTHEAST Ma’lokyattsk’i, is a sacred site of great cultural and religious importance to the Zuni Randy Noka Narragansett people and Indian and Pueblo people throughout New Mexico and Arizona including
NORTHWEST Laguna Pueblo, Acoma Pueblo, Hopi Tribe, Navajo Nation, White Mountain Apache Ernie Stensgar Coeur d’Alene Tribe Tribe, and others; and
PACIFIC Juana Majel Pauma-Yuima Band of Mission Indians WHEREAS, for centuries, indigenous tribes from the Southwest have made
ROCKY MOUNTAIN pilgrimages to the Zuni Salt Lake to request spiritual guidance and rain, make Willie Sharp, Jr. Blackfeet Tribe offerings, and collect salt for ceremonial, ritual, and domestic use; and
SOUTHEAST Archie Lynch Haliwa-Saponi WHEREAS, the surrounding land with its trails and associated cultural
SOUTHERN PLAINS resources has always been respected as a Sanctuary Zone, where tribes shared in the Darrell Flyingman Cheyenne-Arapaho Tribes sanctity of the Salt Mother and ceased aggressions; and SOUTHWEST Derek Valdo Pueblo of Acoma WHEREAS, the Zuni Salt Lake with its Sanctuary Zone was deemed eligible WESTERN Alvin Moyle for listing on the National Register of Historic Places because of its historical and Fallon Paiute-Shoshone cultural significance, and has previously been identified by the National Trust for
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Historic Preservation as one of the most endangered historical sites in America; and Jacqueline Johnson Tlingit
WHEREAS, the unique, delicate hydrologic balance of the Salt Lake is NCAI HEADQUARTERS 1301 Connecticut Avenue, NW naturally maintained by limited supplies of surface water, and also ground water from Suite 200 Washington, DC 20036 various sources, which is in demand from other competing interests; and 202.466.7767 202.466.7797 fax www.ncai.org
NCAI 2008 Midyear Session Resolution PHX-08-056
WHEREAS, the Salt Lake and its Sanctuary Zone are under constant threat by proposed development, including, once again, the possibility that coal mining may be undertaken in the vicinity of the sacred site; and
WHEREAS, the sacred Zuni Salt Lake is an irreplaceable ecological and cultural treasure of North America that must not be permitted to be degraded or destroyed.
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the NCAI does hereby respectfully urge the President of the United States, the Congress, applicable Federal agencies, and the State of New Mexico to take all steps necessary to ensure the continuing survival and integrity of the Zuni Salt Lake and its Sanctuary Zone for time immemorial; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this resolution shall be the policy of NCAI until it is withdrawn or modified by subsequent resolution.
CERTIFICATION
The foregoing resolution was adopted by the General Assembly at the 2008 Annual Session of the National Congress of American Indians, held at the Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, Arizona on October 19-24, 2008, with a quorum present.
President ATTEST:
Recording Secretary
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