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United to Reaffirm and to Preserve
Our
Sacred Places by Educating America
about First Nations' Ancient Past
and Natural Worldviews
The Sacred Sites Run evolves from
the damages caused by the ruthless march of a new civilization that has leveled many sacred places and today, threatens to
destroy more sacred sites of the original inhabitants of this country. The run will focus on educating the public with the
traveling exhibit of Ancient North American Civilization and the existing and potential sites to be recognized by governing
agencies. We will gather data at places where sites once existed and record why they were destroyed. The runners will be gathering
soil near many Mississippian cultural sites and other sacred places to establish a memorial in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This
manner of bringing awareness to specific places is the first of a series of peaceful symbolic actions that is to remind the
public that the descendants of mound builders continue to hold these ancient places sacred.
Understanding and respecting our ancient American heritage through preservation of sacred sites fosters cultural and biological
diversity. The existences of these ancient earthworks on the American landscape are the physical link to the past and today's
competing values are at the core of the problems with current land stewardship resulting in the further destruction of such
sites. Our technological industrialized society's use of natural resources depends on our ability to balance our needs with
the natural world. Through the human capacity to harmonize with the ecology we may leave our future generations something
we can be proud of.
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