Freedom of religion is one of the fundamental values in American society.
For indigenous communities such as the Wintu, Hopi and Lakota, the earth is sacred, and their religious practices hinge on their responsibility to take care of the natural world by performing ceremonies that are linked to specific places. However, the mainstream society's value of religious freedom does not apply to this indigenous philosophy. Land-based religions were not in the minds of the founding fathers when they wrote the First Amendment, nor are they understood by the American public today. Mining, logging, dams and other forms of economic development have a long and continuing history of destroying ceremonial sites. Today, rock climbers, New Age pilgrims, photographers, anthropologists and skiers present surprising new threats.