Holy River and Magic Mountain: Public Lands Management and the Rediscovery of the "Sacred in Nature"

Recent years have witnessed debates over the use of public lands for spiritual purposes. Those debates are usually viewed as pitting the spiritual and cultural values of Native Americans against the secular interests of the dominant culture (Burton, p. 3). Lloyd Burton, in Worship and Wilderness, demonstrates that the real situation is "much more complex and multidimensional." He breaks new ground, going beyond standard legal and anthropological categories, to present a rich ethnographic study (p. 6). In doing so, Burton reaches a surprising conclusion: that Native Americans and the dominant culture alike are rediscovering "the sacred in nature" (p. 6). He believes that the revival of "ancient environmental wisdom" (p. 269) will foster more harmonious relationships among peoples and further Native American interests. Burton's book is thorough and balanced enough to support alternative readings (p. 14), and this article offers one. This reading emphasizes not the similarities between indigenous and immigrant peoples, but the long-standing historical differences between them. A cultural dialogue that acknowledges these differences ultimately may do more to further Burton's aspirations than any revival of ancient wisdom. The Revival of Ancient Environmental Wisdom and the Future of Public Lands Management Burton asserts that Western religion is "beginning to relearn lessons from its own history that surviving tribal peoples have managed never to forget" (p. 8). He first observes that the core elements of Native American religions are contemplation-an extrarational way of knowing-and connection-a close relationship between the individual and the environment. Indigenous peoples are intimate with nature. "In fact, to speak . . . of spiritual traditions and the environment is conceptually awkward, since . . . indigenous spiritual traditions are altogether of the environment rather than separable from it" (p. 33). Some tribes literally believe that they were born from the earth (p. 34) or that they join with it upon death (p. 44). Burton then claims that native spirituality serves as an elder brother, anticipating movements within the dominant culture.1 As evidence, Burton points to the revival of pre-Christian earthen spiritual traditions (p. 272), the eco-feminism movement (p. 187), the growing interest in Buddhism and Taoism (pp. 255-8), the emergence of New Age religions (p. 274), the "greening" of the Jewish and Christian faiths (pp. 258-61), and even the spiritual experiences of persons lacking religious beliefs (pp. 6, 58-61). Burton thinks that the rediscovery of environmental learning is transforming public lands management.2 For one, the rediscovery is encouraging a "consensus-oriented mutual accommodation of intercultural differences," (p. 198) a process preferable to the "adversarial, either/or context of constitutional litigation" (p. 5). By building on shared values, rather than on power and rights, negotiators can reach a "just and durable" agreement (pp. 289-90). By sparking interfaith dialogue and hosting spiritual ceremonies, national parks serve as classrooms, mediating institutions that teach the importance of "ancient environmental wisdom." Burton illustrates interest-based negotiation with the conflict over Devil's Tower, a site used by rock climbers for recreation and Native Americans for worship. For several months in the mid1990s, representatives from each group met, finally agreeing to a one-month voluntary limitation on climbing activities. This remarkable agreement resulted from mutual education, cross-cultural brokering, and solutions rooted in cultural values.3 Burton also believes that the rediscovery of environmental wisdom is transforming legal doctrine. Traditionally, native peoples seeking to preserve their way of life could only appeal to the federal government's trust responsibility, which is derived from its authority to enter into treaties. …