Sacred Objects and Sacred Places

Andrew Gilliford, Sacred Objects and Sacred Places: Preserving Tribal Traditions (Boulder, Colorado: University of Colorado Press, 2000)


Gillford - Sacred Objects and Sacred Places
There are plenty of complex issues surrounding the preservation of sacred objects and sacred places. The mis-management of sacred objects, including human remains, is a tragic legacy of the European colonization of North America. Recent laws providing for repatriation and protection of sacred objects and sacred places are opening new opportunities for deeper understanding of the meanings attaches to these objects and places.

Guilliford has produced a well-organized, well-researched and well-executed book. Its thorough and broad coverage provides an excellent introduction to a wide variety of Native sacred sites.

We picked up this volume last fall during a visit to the home of Chief Plenty Coups in Montana. I’m sorry I hadn’t found it earlier as the subject is so clearly aligned with our 2006 sabbatical study. However, it is a meaningful book and I will be returning to it often in the years to come as we seek to visit additional sacred sites and learn more of the spiritual traditions of our neighbors.