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13 NARF Legal Rev. 1 (1988)

handle is hein.journals/narf13 and id is 1 raw text is: Native AMer Isc --ights Fund Church Leaders Issue Apology to Indians On November 21, 1987 at the site of an ancient burial ground in downtown Seattle, Washington, a formal Declaration of Apology was presented by ten major Christian denominational leaders of the region to the tribal councils and traditional spiritual leaders of the Indian and Eskimo peoples of the Pacific Northwest. The Declaration was for their church's partici- pation in the destruction of Native American religions. In the statement, the leaders formally recognized customs and beliefs, the protection of sacred sites for religious purposes, and the use of objects such as feathers and tobacco for religious purposes. The churches also pledged support in upholding the American Indian Religious Free- dom Act of 1978. (A copy of the Declaration is on page 3). Along with the document a gift of $1,000 was given to the Native American Rights Fund for use in its religious freedom efforts on behalf of Native Americans. For the past 17 years, NARF has worked to protect the right of Native Americans to practice their traditional religions. This year the U.S. Supreme Court will review two Indian reli- gious freedom cases in which NARF has filed amicus curiae (friend of the court) briefs. In the first case, Lyrn v, Northwest Indian Cemeter, the Court will determine whether the construction of a forest service road in an area of religious significance to the Yurok, Karok and Talowa Tribes violates those Indians' First Amendment right to free exercise of their religion. In the second case, Emplovrnent Division. De- partment of Human Services of the State of Oregon v, Smith, the Court will decide if members of the Native American Church who were dis- charged from their jobs for peyote use during religious ceremonies are entitled to unemploy- ment compensation benefits from Oregon's un- employment fund by virtue of the First Amend- ment free exercise rights. NARF is also representing Native Hawaiians in their effort to prevent geothermal development on the island of Hawaii. The case, Dedmanv. Hawaii Board of Land and Natural Resources, is on appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Natives assert that their goddess Pele lives in the volca- noes and that the proposed development would illegally desecrate their religious beliefs and prac- tices. NARF serves as co-counsel with the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation and private attor- neys. Protecting Indian burial sites from excavation and desecration has been the objective of NARF's advocacy for a new federal Indian burial policy. The policy would provide for the reinterment of over 300,000 Indian bodies stored in federal and state institutions, and would also establish a new federal policy properly recognizing the cultural (Continues on nexd page) t Contents: Vol. 13, No. 1, Winter 1988 Declaration of Apology ...................... 1 National Support Committee ............... 4 Board of Directors ............................ 5 NARF Resources & Publications ..... 6 We would like to extend a special note of acknowledgement to the Philip Morris Company for its major funding of this issue of the NARF Leaal Review. Digitized from Best Copy Available 5: _ = E _E .N -\I /A \

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