Non-Natives who follow Native religious practices would be able to obtain and use eagle feathers, if a federal appeals court upholds a ruling by a Utah District Court judge.

Judge Dee Benson found in February (background here) that the government is too restrictive in its ban on the possession of eagle feathers and parts by non-Natives, and said that non-Indians should be able to use them for religious purposes.

But the Justice Department will appeal that ruling, according to this excellent story in Indian Country Today.

The feathers are available only from the National Eagle Repository in Denver, which – as this recent report shows – already is dealing with a huge backlog of requests from members of federally recognized tribes.

The government contends that upholding Benson’s ruling would put the federal Fish and Wildlife Service in the uncomfortable position of making judgments about the authenticity of Native American religious practices.

The government is asking the 10th Circuit Court to schedule arguments to help resolve the questions raised on appeal.

When you check out the story, be sure and read the comments below it. It’s spawned quite a lively discussion. And, of course, we also welcome discussion here!

Gwen Florio

Tags: buffalo post, eagle feathers, National Eagle Repository, Native American news

Here’s a fascinating story from the Denver Post on the National Eagle Repository that collects eagle parts and then, slowly and laboriously, distributes the feathers, talons and whole eagles to tribes around the country that use them for religious purposes.

“A one-of-a-kind religious-supply house,” writer Electa Draper calls it.

The repository, at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, processes about 2,000 bald and golden eagles a year that have been found dead in the wild, or die in zoos or while in the care of licensed rehabilitators.

Getting the parts to the tribes is not an easy process; in fact, the back-order list now numbers 6,000. The wait for a whole bird can be four years, feather orders take about six months, says supervisor Bernadette Atencio.

“There is a lot of red tape for Native Americans to practice their religion using eagles. It is a very big hindrance,” says Myron Pourier, a cultural-affairs official with the South Dakota Oglala Sioux tribe, or Lakota.

The process might be slow, but it’s respectful, Atencio says, adding that the attitude of those applying to use the birds emphasizes that.

“These birds mean a lot to them,” she says. “You know that just by talking to them on the phone. They are sincere and humble about what they’re asking for.”

Gwen Florio

Tags: buffalo post, National Eagle Repository, Native American news, Oglala