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Interior Secretary Deb Haaland joined tribal leaders in Bears Ears National Monument on Thursday morning, before meetings with elected officials and the press. “I’m here to listen and learn,” she said, as tribal leaders discussed the importance of protecting the land.
"This was an opportunity to share with Secretary Haaland the significance of Bears Ears to the Navajo people," said Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez. "This landscape is home to many historical and cultural sites, plants, water, traditional medicines, and teachings for our people. It also provided refuge for our people in times of conflict." In addition, Hopi Vice Chairman Clark Tenakhongva said, "We still have our ceremonial ties to this area. These are our churches. If you disagree, destroy our shrines, our temples down here, you're destroying our culture, our religion, our lifeline and our history."
Today, Secretary Haaland continues her trip with a visit to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. After this trip, Haaland will use her experience in Utah this week to inform the Biden administration's next move, which is expected to be restoring protections for these national monuments. “I know that decisions about public lands are incredibly impactful to the people who live nearby. But not just to us—not just to the folks who are here today—but people for generations to come. So it’s important that the president gets this right,” she said.
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“The earth holds so much power. We must all work together to honor it.”
