| OCR Text |
Show Environmental changes, especially from erosion of the Zuni River, have caused some minor alterations in the pilgrimage route since the beginning of the twentieth century. The history of this tribe of American Indians demonstrates the degree of commitment which they have had to the United States of America and to the principles of democracy. They have received national recognition for their attempts to achieve economic and political self-determination. Always allies of the United States, they early acted as military allies, and supported U.S. efforts in the region. In fact, there is not a single documentary record of a single act of violence by the tribe against the United States government. Documentary history, oral tradition, and ethnological literature provide conclusive evidence that the Zunis have held a continual, exclusive and unfettered right to their trail to Kolhu/wala:wa and the religious activities that accompany it, since time immemorial. Both the Zunis' and their non-Indian neighbors' behavior toward the trail demonstrates that ownership. In order to protect the need for minor alterations in the pilgrimage route due to environmental changes, and to shield the religious pilgrims from interruption by sightseers, the formal easement for the Zunis' pilgrimage route should include a corridor a mile wide, with the middle point being the line drafted on the accompanying 7.5 minute map, which represents the actual path taken by the pilgrims in 1985. The history of Zuni culture reveals a tribe that is hospitable, industrious, and peaceful, but which has militantly defended its rights and boundaries. The only - 186 - |
