Environment

Tribes host prayer ceremony for grizzly bear at Glacier National Park

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

A grizzly bear at Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Terry Tollefsbol / U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Tribes are hosting a prayer ceremony at Glacier National Park in Montana on Friday.

Spiritual leaders from the Blackfoot Confederacy will lead the group in prayers for the grizzly bear, according to a press release. The meeting comes as U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks to remove protections for the sacred animal.

"Our brother, the grizzly bear, is the power of our people. He is the only brother that was a human being in his time on Mother Earth," James “Jimmy” St. Goddard, a member of the Blackfeet Nation who serves as vice chair of the Guardians of Our Ancestors’ Legacy (GOAL) Tribal Coalition. "The grizzly bear is not only equal to, but also far superior to us pitiful humans. To kill the grizzly is to kill our own kind."

Tribes say they weren't properly consulted about the decision to lift protections for grizzly bears in and near Yellowstone National Park. They believe the change will lead to trophy hunts in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho.

US Fish and Wildlife Service Documents:
Press Release | Proposed Rule | FAQ