The Native American Rights Fund (NARF) is encouraging donations this holiday season to support its ongoing efforts to protect sacred places and the rights of Native American peoples. Indigenous communities, as citizens of sovereign nations within another country, face complex layers of policy from various levels of U.S. government that affect their ability to access and safeguard sites significant to their cultural and spiritual practices.

Scott Aikin, a member of the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation, has highlighted the profound impact policy can have on the health and well-being of Native peoples by either granting or restricting access to these sacred sites. "Policy at any level of government, even at the federal level, can and does change," Aikin stated during a recent Sacred Places and Public Health think tank event organized by NARF in collaboration with the Johns Hopkins Center for Indigenous Health.

The connection between traditional knowledge, culture, health, spirituality, and sacred places is deeply rooted in Native American communities. NARF's work in defending these sites is part of a broader effort to promote solutions that are grounded in Indigenous perspectives. As part of Native American Heritage Month and continuing through the end of the year, NARF plans to spotlight its initiatives aimed at protecting these important cultural locations.