Cosler- Place as Religious Content

One of the recurring themes in the film In Light of Reverence was the inability for many individuals on the side of the mainstream American culture to recognize the significance of traditional native spaces. In the case of the Lakota Sioux and Devil's Tower, the locals expressed scorn and frustration when speaking of the Lakota's position regarding the climbing of the rock face in June. In many cases, this seems like simple ignorance on the part of climbers, but I wonder to what degree the literate/oral culture divide play in the failure of communication. One member of the tribe compared their relationship with Devil's Tower and the surrounding areas to the Christian concept of a church. Would the judge have sided with the climbers in the official court ruling had he considered the tribe's claim on the land in the same way he would the members of his own church?

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