The Real Thing
When I told people that I was
going to Devils Tower National Monument in Wyoming, most looked
at me oddly and said, “Where's that, and why are you going
there?” Others would have a vague recollection of a giant rock
formation they had seen in the 1977 movie Close Encounters
of the Third Kind, starring Richard Dreyfus
From what I knew already about
Devils Tower, this response disconcerted me on a number of
levels. And now that I have actually been there, I can say with
certainty, that Devils Tower is much more than a set for a
Steven Spielberg movie.
I am also sure that every
individual who makes the journey to Devils Tower will discover
that it has some significant impact on them; as it did on me. A
visit to Devil's Tower is something that cannot be fully
appreciated on a silver screen.
The Moment
There is a long, winding road
that leads for several miles towards to the entrance of the park
in which Devils Tower is located. There is one spot in
particular on the approach when the Tower appears for the first
time. As it came into view, my heart actually began to beat
faster. It was then that I became aware of the power of Devils
Tower.
I knew when I arrived in
Wyoming that I was about to take a journey that leads to sacred
ground; and that I would be following a path that so many before
me had also followed.
The Centennial
The year 2006 marked the
centennial celebrations of Devils Tower as a national monument,
but its place in human history began many generations and many
thousands of years before.
This monolith has served as a
sacred gathering place for Native-American tribes long before
Europeans arrived on this continent; and long before new
Americans from the eastern part of the U.S. discovered it.
Devils Tower is American
history long before it was recorded in any historical documents.
As we have learned in recent history, the stories of
Native-American peoples have not always been considered part of
our history.
But, as I looked over this
sacred land, I imagined that I could hear the whispers of the
native ancestors, telling me their stories, and beckoning me to
bring these stories into the light of the 21st century.
A Monument to
America
In 1906, Congress passed the
Antiquities Act and President Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt signed
it into law. The Act was a personal objective of the President
and was established because of his concerns about protecting
prehistoric Native-American sites and artifacts on Western lands
in the United States; lands he personally knew very well.
Under the Act such ruins and
lands were called “antiquities.” The Act authorized permits for
legitimate archaeological investigations but also imposed
penalties for persons taking or destroying antiquities without
permission. It also authorized presidents to proclaim "historic
landmarks, historic and prehistoric structures, and other
objects of historic or scientific interest" as national
monuments.
A national monument is similar
to a national park, however there is one important difference. A
national monument can be so declared by the President alone,
whereas a national park requires congressional approval. Also,
the goal of a national monument is to preserve a single unique
resource, whereas in a national park a host of unique features
are protected.
The First National
Monument
President Roosevelt was in a
hurry to get the legislation passed because he was afraid that
Devils Tower would be destroyed by the time Congress named it a
national park. Therefore following the passage of the
Antiquities Act on September 24th, 1906, he declared Devils
Tower, along with 1347 acres of surrounding terrain, a national
monument. And when he did this, Devils Tower also became became
the first national monument in the United States.
A Geological Mystery
Geologists agree that Devils
Tower was formed by the intrusion of igneous material through
the Earth's crust. (Igneous material is composed of rocks that
are formed when magma cools and solidifies.) However, these
scientists cannot agree on how that process took place. Many of
them believe that the previously molten rock that formed the
Tower might not actually have surfaced; these geologists believe
that Devils Tower could be the remains of a once very large and
explosive volcano. Other scientists have concluded that it must
have been an eroded remnant of a laccolith, which is a large
mass of igneous rock which intrudes through sedimentary rock
beds beneath the Earth's surface but doesn’t actually reach the
surface. Instead, according to this theory, the underlying rock
beds produce an enormous bulge in the layers above. Other
theories have suggested that Devils Tower is a volcanic plug or
the neck of an extinct volcano. Despite the differing views on
the formation of Devils Tower, geologists do agree however that
it was indeed igneous material and that when it cooled and
underwent several stages of geological processes, Devils Tower
took its unique shape.
The Mythical Importance of
Devils Tower
There are other, equally
fascinating ideas about how Devils Tower took its shape, but
they are based on a quite different form of reasoning, oral
tradition. Many Native-American tribes have their own ideas
about how Devils Tower came to be, and why it is sacred. Devils
Tower has also been named Bear’s Tipi, Grizzly Bear’s Lodge,
Bear Lodge Butte, Tree Rock, and many others by native people.
A number of Native-American
tribes have their own specific stories about how Devils Monument
came to be. These include the stories of the Arapaho, Cheyenne,
Crow, Kiowa, and Sioux. You can read their stories at
Devil's Tower, First Stories.
The Sacred Nature of
Devils Tower
According to the National Park
Service, over 20 Native-American tribes have cultural
affiliations with Devils Tower, and six have both cultural and
geographical ties.
The Arapaho, Cheyenne, Crow,
Kiowa, Lakota, and Shoshone have geographical ties to the tower
because at some point in their history, they actually lived
there. Many of these tribes still practise traditional
ceremonial activities at Devils Tower and have practised them
there for decades.
The ceremonies include personal
and group rituals, and the telling of sacred narratives.
Personal rituals such as prayer offerings, sweat lodge
ceremonies, vision quests, and funerals still take place at
Devils Tower. Group rituals include the performing of the the
Sun Dance. Sacred narratives recount origin legends, legends of
cultural heroes, legends of ancient ceremonies and sacred
objects. All this oral history has been passed from generation
to generation at Devils Tower.
Having witnessed
Native-American rituals at Devils Tower, I believe that the
centennial celebration should commemorate much more than its
100th year as a declared monument. The celebration should also
serve as a reminder to all people of its significance in terms
of the indigenous peoples of the United States.
Throughout the world, many
indigenous people gather in places of great natural beauty for
ceremonial purposes and to affirm their cultures. When you visit
Devils Tower you can easily understand why. The visual impact
and significance of this place, which extends well beyond the
great natural beauty of this site, is powerful. The monument is
a towering symbol of the forces of nature and the power inherent
in the Earth.
The history and legends that
have become part of Devils Tower are part of a larger cultural
belief system and oral tradition. The site has defined not one,
but many cultures, and determined a way of life for some. This
towering giant, in many ways, still determines the way of life
for many Native-American people.
Devils Tower and
Native-American Heritage Travel
During the festival, I was able
to spend some time with Michael Hackwith, a member of the Ogala
Lakota Nation. Every year during the spring and summer months,
he travels from Missouri to Devils Tower to promote awareness of
the importance of the site to Native-American people, and to
participate in traditional ceremonies. One of his objectives is
to assure that Native Americans visit (or return to) Devils
Tower and that their understanding of this sacred place
increases.
Throughout 2006, the National
Park Service hosted many events celebrating the birth of the
Tower's status as a National Monument. For several days in the
fall, they celebrated “Native American Heritage Days.” This was
the first of what Michael hopes will be many such events when
people of all cultures can come together and learn about the
history of Native American peoples. Devils Tower would be not
only the venue but the catalyst for such cultural sharing.
Michael is a traditional
Sundancer, and he is also a teacher, activist, tribal leader,
and a very open-minded man. He has a deep faith in his
Native-American heritage and beliefs, and he wants to share
these with as many people as he can. He and I discussed why
there is much reason for Native-American people to feel bitter
or angry about events throughout the history of the Americas,
but when I spoke with him, he only expressed enthusiasm and
hope.
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