Tribal Heritage at the Grand Canyon: Protecting a Large Ethnographic Landscape to Sustain Living Traditions

Abstract:Brian R. Turner, senior field officer and public lands attorney at the National Trust for Historic Preservation, describes the Grand Canyon as a sacred land with an essential role in maintaining the cultural identity and sustaining the living traditions of at least 11 Native American tribes. This article addresses the threats to living traditions from mining, overflights and tourism. He also looks at the way in which the broader story of the Grand Canyon's landscape is told within context statements and in the National Register of Historic Places – looking beyond the natural features to include the evolving intangible heritage of the Native American tribes.