Mato Paha, or Bear Butte, in South Dakota. Photo by Jerrye & Roy Klotz MD
Members of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe are in South Dakota to preserve and protect sacred Bear Butte. A crew of more than 30 is fixing up a campground that the tribe owns, KOTA reports. The goal is to make sure tribal members can come to Bear Butte for ceremonies. “Our tribe bought it for $1 million and it's really sacred to us,” James Wick told the station. “It's where Sweet Medicine our prophet founded all of our traditional values here and it's where we get our strength from.” The campground sits on a 40-acre site below Bear Butte. In addition to ceremonies, it's been used for an annual Cheyenne language immersion camp since 2014, The Native Sun News reported. The site was purchased in 2013, The Native Sun News reported. The tribe would like the land placed in trust but the effort has been somewhat controversial Read More on the Story:
Northern Cheyenne Tribe rehabbing Bear Butte property (KOTA 8/11)
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Sun News: Tribes battle to protect sacred Bear Butte land (02/11) Controversial defense bill includes Northern Cheyenne Tribe deal (12/09)
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