Destruction of Sacred Sites Clouds LCO ‘Honor the Earth’ Pow Wow

The burning of six sacred places on the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation weighed heavy during the 39th annual Honor the Earth Pow Wow this past weekend.

Just a week before one of the largest pow wows in the Midwest, six fires, which are being called criminal in nature, destroyed spiritual and ceremonial sites on the LCO reservation including the sweat lodge of Al Baker. He says the fires were more than just vandalism: “It didn’t make me angry right away, but I understood that somebody definitely had some serious problems with the way that we pray.”

LCO Tribal Council member Rusty Barber says this year’s “Honor the Earth” pow wow is a little more somber because sacred sites have been burned and a tribal member is suspected of arson. “A young man that lost his cultural identity, [who] forgot who he was and where he came from, I think, is the root of the problem.”

Taylor Broom says she was saddened by the destruction but is confident any divisions in the community will heal. “The pow wow is a perfect time for that to happen, actually, because it makes us all come together, we support our community and we’re all really glad to be here for the original reasons our ancestors were here.”

But Al Baker says more people should be up in arms about the fires. He says it’s no different than a church arson, “Moving on, yes, and letting go is a really important thing… but the violence in the act is something we really have to recognize that’s real, and we can’t brush that under the rug.”

The Lac Courte Oreilles Tribal Police department hasn’t released any information about the suspect or a possible motive for the crimes. The state fire marshal and the Department of Justice are aiding the investigation.