Appeal planned in Arapaho eagle shooting case

Monday, January 29, 2007  

Federal prosecutors have filed a notice of appeal in the case of Winslow Friday, a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe who was arrested for shooting an eagle on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming.

Friday shot the eagle to use the feathers and parts for a Sun Dance ceremony. But since he didn't have a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, he was charged with violating the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act.

Backed by the tribe, Friday challenged his indictment and said the permit rules violated their rights. A federal judge agreed and said the government has done little to respect Native religious beliefs.

"It is clear to this court," U.S. District Judge William Downes wrote last October, "that the government has no intention of accommodating the religious beliefs of Native Americans except on its own terms and in its own good time."

The case would be heard by the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, which has ruled that terminated Indians can possess eagle feathers and which has considered the possibility that non-Natives might be entitled to eagles.

Get the Story:
Case pits bald eagle against sacred rites (The Chicago Tribune 1/29)
pwday

Court Decision:
US v. Friday (October 16, 2006)

Relevant Links:
National Eagle Repository - http://www.r6.fws.gov/law/le65.html

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