“The Most Deeply and Truly ‘Native’ of All Federal Public Land Units”: Bears Ears National Monument, the Antiquities Act, and Collaborative Management of Public Lands
This article analyzes the way conservation laws and public land policies may be used as avenues to redress past injustices done to Tribal Nations in the United States. Specifically, it studies Bears Ears National Monument, in Utah, considered by some as the “first Native national monument.” In 2015,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Association Française d'Etudes Américaines
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Transatlantica |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://journals.openedition.org/transatlantica/25390 |
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| Summary: | This article analyzes the way conservation laws and public land policies may be used as avenues to redress past injustices done to Tribal Nations in the United States. Specifically, it studies Bears Ears National Monument, in Utah, considered by some as the “first Native national monument.” In 2015, five unrelated Tribes petitioned the Obama administration to obtain federal protection for lands that are sacred to them. Their successful use of the Antiquities Act, which grants US presidents power to proclaim national monuments, is a major achievement, considering the origins of the conservation law in the Assimilation Era. In addition to gaining federal protection, the tribal coalition went further and requested an active role in the management of the monument. While the federal-tribal partnership may not be equal, the five Tribes of the Bears Ears National Monument have each gained a seat at the decision-making table. They have proved, in the process, that the management of public lands can help them reassert their sovereignty, reclaim their past, and regain control of their future while caring for the land. |
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| ISSN: | 1765-2766 |