Two separate instances are putting Native authority related to religious freedom to the test.
The Northern Arapaho Tribe demands the Christian ministry, Foundations Nations Church, leave the Wyoming reservation. The demand comes after video circulated on social media showed one of the church’s pastors characterizing Native sacred practices—including the Sun Dance—as “idol worship” and “demonic.” Top tribal leadership calls the comments “despicable” and link them to past abuses of Native Americans at the hands of Christian church officials. The Foundations Church leaders say they’ll fight the tribe’s efforts to remove them. We’ll hear about what’s next in the dispute.
At the same time, Native American inmates in a Nebraska state prison scored a victory in securing access to religious ceremonies. In a settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit, corrections officials lifted a temporary ban on accessing a place where Native men conducted ceremonies like sweats and smudges. They instituted the ban after finding contraband at the site. We’ll hear about the legal principles behind the outcome.
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