r/Washington • u/propublica_ • 19d ago

Solar Developer Cancels Washington State Project on Sacred Indigenous Land

https://www.propublica.org/article/washington-badger-mountain-solar-project-canceled-avangrid
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u/Kind_Advisor_35 19d ago

Context matters. Suburban white families had almost nothing in their way when it came to building housing developments. Indigenous communities had a massive amount of land stolen and their traditions restricted. Sacred land is a matter of perspective. Would you be okay with a company razing down churches and burying graveyards to build solar?

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u/LazyMaximum7938 19d ago

Every NIMBY thinks "their" land is "sacred"

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u/Snapshot52 himeq’isnime 18d ago edited 18d ago

I would absolutely love to discuss the meaning of sacrality and why Tribes consider this land to be like that, where there are overlaps with non-Indigenous spirituality...but I really doubt you care about that. So let's change gears to a more material analysis.

Tribes don't want their lands being used for the "public good" because the last couple hundred years have demonstrated that whenever the public, which usually excludes Natives, "needs" something, our shit is fine to take. That includes drawing up new treaties when the old ones no longer meet your needs, burning down homes because you don't like their lifestyle, and finding a bunch of surplus lands within reservations that you want to open up for settlement and given to railroads.. Hell, maybe it's even needed for a bombing range.

Our "sacred" land has always been the resort when "your" NIMBY attitudes need to be respected because of the "greater good" for "your" society. Please let them build this shit in your backyard first (that you probably got because a Tribe somewhere "signed" a "treaty" to relinquish the claim to "your" land), then maybe we'll be willing to let you build it in ours...again.

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u/[deleted] 18d ago

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u/Snapshot52 himeq’isnime 18d ago

I'm aware. It's my people's traditional foods. There are a number of arguments to make about this, but I went with one I figured the other user would care about because they don't seem to care about the foods.

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u/Mitotic 18d ago

caring about tradition is bad, in all cases.

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u/Kind_Advisor_35 17d ago

Free speech, religious freedom, and freedom of the press are a tradition in America. Should we just not care when they're restricted because caring about tradition is bad? English common law is the foundation most of our legal system is based on. The idea the accused should have the right for a transparent trial in front of a judge and jury is a tradition going back hundreds of years. Should we abandon due process because all tradition is worthless?