Abstract
American Indian nations are not monolithic in their response to outsiders seeking access to their lands for scientific research, but certain factors can be expected to apply in all cases. First, homelands are considered to be sacred. Sacredness of land, frequently cited although not often defined simply, implies a kinship among people, landforms, biota, and natural phenomena, manifested as a complex system of beliefs linked directly to places [Kelley and Francis, 1994].In particular, geoscientific research in these places may be regarded by many American Indians as inappropriate, disrespectful, or even sacrilegious—much as anyone might feel about intrusive medical or psychological research conducted on a loved one. An ongoing federal court battle over the use of reclaimed wastewater for snowmaking on the San Francisco Peaks near Flagstaff, Ariz., an extinct stratovolcano sacred to a number of tribes but outside of any official tribal jurisdiction, demonstrates that American Indian people will defend lands they hold sacred on the basis of religious freedom.
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