Susan Lettis

April 19, 2011

On July 5, 2010, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service signed a Memorandum of Agreement with Sia, Inc., a Comanche Nation non-profit entity, to establish a non-eagle feather repository. The Sia repository is a long-awaited solution for the thousands of Native Americans who have been adversely affected by federal regulation of migratory bird feathers and parts. For over a decade, members of federally recognized tribes have not been able to obtain the non-eagle feathers and parts in which they need to carry out their traditional customs and religion.

In the late 1990's, the National Eagle Feather Repository, located in Denver and administrated by the Law Enforcement division of FWS, stopped all distribution of non-eagle feathers and parts, focusing on the collection and distribution of eagle feathers and parts only. The federal repository became the nation's one-stop-shop for Native American eagle feather needs. The repository is notorious for the two to six year waiting period applicants must wait in order to have their request filled, and for consistently sending out damaged feathers and parts, or full carcasses to people who only need specific parts or feathers, resulting in a waste of the other parts of the carcass. The facility's reputation is not aided by the perception of how FWS staff handle and process the sacred birds—many believe the way in which the birds are handled, stored, and shipped out is performed in a culturally insensitive way.

When the national repository halted the distribution of non-eagle feathers and parts, FWS made it impossible for Native Americans to obtain non-eagle feathers and parts in a legal way. Criminals were made out of people from the Native community, who were simply trying to practice their culture and maintain their traditions.

FWS has been working with William Voelker, co-founder of Sia, to explore different options of how the needs of the Native community can be met. The tribe and FWS cooperated to find a solution, breaking new ground, and creating a new foundation for a non-adversarial relationship. The solution came in the form of a two-year pilot project, establishing a tribal non-eagle feather repository. This means that members of federally recognized tribes can send requests for their religious non-eagle feather needs, instead of illegally taking what they need directly from the wild, or searching for what they need on the black market.

Sia is also having a positive impact on tribes that do not have federal recognition. Members of non-recognized tribes can request non-native bird feathers and parts from Sia, because federal regulation pertains to native bird species only. With eagle and raptor species from several different continents, Sia has helped enable the Native community carry out their culture and religion.

Sia is not alone in its non-eagle feather repository. FWS granted Liberty Wildlife, located in Scottsdale, AZ, permission to participate in the two-year pilot program as well. Though Liberty Wildlife is not tribally run, it has illustrated an effort to run the repository in a culturally appropriate way by beginning to set up an advisory committee, consisting of Native Americans. FWS is hopeful that even though Liberty Wildlife is not a tribal entity, they can help ameliorate the situation by distributing non-eagle feathers and parts.

Voelker hopes that more tribes will step up and find ways to create more repositories, and keep the process in Native hands. Sia is currently training members of other federally recognized tribes in the management of the non-eagle feather repository. This may be the new model for feather distribution; many think that the federal eagle repository could learn some better management and distribution strategies from Sia.

Sources:

Sia, The Comanch Nation Ethno-Ornithological Initiative, "Comanches Create First Native American Feather Repository" June 21, 2010, available at: http://comancheeagle.org/pdf/Press%20Release%206_21_10004.pdf

Electa Draper, Eagle bodies, parts for Indian rites are collected, sent from Colo. Morgue, Denver Post, Sept. 1, 2009, http://www.denverpost.com/ci_13242945, last visited 12/7/10.

Interview with William Voelker on Mar. 11, 2011.

Memorandum of Agreement, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Region 2 and Sia, Comanche Nation Eagle/Raptor Program, June 21, 2010.

Interview with Joe Early, Tribal Liaison, United States Fish and Wildlife Service.