Bear Lodge — Mato Tipila

It was a place of the Great Bear who taught the People.  Most of us know it as Devil’s Tower, although why should the devil have all the great towers, postpiles, or golf courses?  It is more than where some had Close Encounters of the Third Kind. and more than an earthcache.

Over the years, Native American spiritual leaders and allies have petitioned to change the name to Bear Lodge.  They were unsuccessful. Last year, bills were reintroduced to prohibit any change.  I still pray that the name will be restored, but it is up to us all to honor its meaning.

My Log

We are on special ground. The area is sacred to at least 20 nations. The prayer bundles around the tower make this clear. The Lakota call the Tower Mato Tipila (Bear Lodge), and claim it is where Hu Nump (The Great Bear) gave the People language and healing ceremonies. They have asked that this spot be renamed.

The park once shut down climbing in June, out of respect for Native ceremonies. After they were sued by climbers represented by the conservative Western States Legal Foundation, the park made the ban voluntary. Although the NPS eventually prevailed in court, the ban remains voluntary. Hundreds now ignore it and climb in June or any other month. 

The tower was on Lakota land under the 1851 treaty, which was soon broken. The broken treaty did not mean the area was any less important. A 1991 ethnographic survey sponsored by the NPS concluded that climbing should be prohibited. The study cited several indigenous Nations, including the Shoshone, who stated the tower is a major center of power and climbing on it is not only sacrilegious but also dangerous to those who do not respect it.

Like many of our dealings with the Native people, that advice was ignored. But as the Lakota elder Waylon Black Crow stated, “Those rocks represent grandfathers. So when people climb Devils Tower, it’s like they’re climbing one of our grandfathers.” Other Native people have said, “You don’t disturb a sacred space. You have to respect it. To respect it is not to disturb it.” Privilege should give way to respect.

The visitors center quotes Arvol Looking Horse, who states that climbing affects both psychological and spiritual well-being.

Black Crow has said that it would be better to ban climbing, but at least not climbing in June is a small way of recognizing both the past and the modern rights of Native people. When I saw people climbing, I consigned them to certain places.

Prayer Bundles

The description notes that a physical container once was here. This is one of the areas that makes me glad that physical containers were removed from most National Parks. The Tower is a sacred space. You can see prayer bundles tucked into a corner here or there or hung on a tree, left by Native people. Indeed, one ritual site identified in a 1991 survey is near this location. There was no need to have an ammo box left here as part of our game.

Still, I was glad that this virtual and an earthcache led me around the trail. I don’t think that these are necessarily disturbing the area. Although I doubt that the traditional elders were asked, perhaps this game can contribute to our understanding and experience. Then again, perhaps not.

The tower is truly an awe-inspiring place. Its power is evident. Walk softly. Listen. You may see a falcon. You may hear something that goes even deeper.  Get close and experience what the tower has to offer. Or you may hear the voices of tourists and the sound of RVs.

. . . . 

Postscript 

Some argue that they are not Native, they just want to climb. Perhaps, some view the climb as spiritual.  Some contribute money to Pine Ridge on the Lakota land. Others simply think, as people have told me in other contexts, that they are not hurting anything, and they should be free to do things  

All I know is that it may just be a matter of respect.  After everything else.  

09/13/2019