As noted in the river’s nomination to the National Trust’s list of endangered places, “There is a direct relationship between the environment, traditional worship practices and the continued cultural survival of diverse indigenous groups.” The natural flow of the river has long nurtured an ecosystem that is home to buffalo, eagles, wolves, fish, turtles and birds, in addition to a variety of edible and medicinal plants.
Meanwhile, the Missouri River basin continues to be a place of native spiritual practices and burials. Some are now buried beneath the water of reservoirs, others have been destroyed by erosion as the artificial water levels rise and fall. There are 1,100 archaeological sites eligible for or listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and thousands of ancient, cultural areas blanket the river basin. Since the glaciers receded 12,500 years ago, the Missouri River has been used by generations of Native Americans as a site for settlement, trade, prayer and burial. It is still sacred to my people today.” History Scott Jones, Cultural Resources Officer for the Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, said in a Senate hearing on June 4, “The river gave us life and the ability to sustain life.
In2002 the Missouri River was listed by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places in America. This 1,500-mile stretch of river has long been central to the life and worship of 26 local Native American cultures, including the Lakota, Dakota and Nakota Sioux tribes and the Three Affiliated Tribes of North Dakota. The upper Missouri River ran freely through Montana, North Dakota and South Dakota until six massive dam and reservoir projects were built during the second half of the twentieth century.
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