" Bear Butte is sacred ground to upwards of 60 American Indian tribes. Thousands of Indians make the pilgrimage to the isolated mountain north of Sturgis each year. As the town of Sturgis grows and its annual motorcycle rally continues in popularity, Bear Butte is becoming less isolated from encroaching development.

Bear Butte is a sacred site to Indians because it is viewed as a place where the creator communicates through visions and prayers. People who make the trek up the mountain in search of a vision often leave ribbons or prayer cloths tied to trees as an offering. In a very real sense, Bear Butte is sacred ground, a church for Indians to practice their religion.

The mountain itself is protected by the state of South Dakota as a state park, but the land surrounding Bear Butte is privately owned and used, for now, as ranch land.

How to protect Bear Butte from encroachment is a problem that Meade County, the state of South Dakota and especially Indian tribes must address now before it is too late."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Preserving Bear Butte (The Rapid City Journal 11/27)

Relevant Links:
Defenders of the Black Hills - http://www.defendblackhills.org/defenders

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Non-Indians press for access at sacred Bear Butte (07/16)
Plans for shooting range near sacred site scrapped (01/12)
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S.D. commission bans hunting at sacred site (11/07)
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S.D. governor says shooting range grant was OK (10/13)
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S.D. to return grant for Bear Butte shooting range (09/19)
Protections for sacred sites called inadequate (06/19)
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