Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Roca Honda Mine

Chapter 3. Affected Environment and Environmental Consequences
watershed as well as the Acoma Cultural Province. Within the greater landscape of the mountain
are natural features as well as features with an archaeological signature, all of which are
considered culturally significant to the Acoma. The province as a whole encompasses significant
landscape features, archaeological sites, and areas of aboriginal importance to the Acoma.
The ethnographic assessment (Anschuetz, 2012:11) describes the Acoma’s traditional landscape
as being enclosed by four Mountains of Cardinal Direction. “Beginning with Kaweshtima Kuutyu
in the North, the people of Acoma define the rightful orientation of their community—and
themselves—within their aboriginal stewardship area following a clockwise circuit.” The other
three Cardinal Mountains of Direction include: the San Francisco Peaks (Tsibiina) to the west, the
Sawtooth Mountains (Dautyuma) to the south, and the Sandia Mountains (Kuchana) to the east.
Each mountain shares the significant qualities of being the source of life-giving water, as well as
soil, plant, and animal resources that are necessary for cultural and traditional uses. The sacred
mountains contain sites and places that are significant in the history and cultural practices of
Acoma (Benedict and Hudson, 2008).
Pueblo of Laguna
The Laguna refer to Mt. Taylor as Tsibina, which translates as “forested mountain.” Mt. Taylor is
one of the sacred mountains that are said to form a “basket” containing Laguna Pueblo lands
(Chestnut Law Offices, 2009). Other significant forested mountains include the Zuni Mountains
to the west, the Sawtooth-Gallinas Mountains to the south, and the Sandia Mountains to the east.
“Mt. Taylor is an integral part of a larger cultural landscape that sets the stage for Laguna Pueblo
history and traditions” (Chestnut Law Offices, 2009: Continuation Sheet, Section 12, page 43).
The Laguna do not see Mt. Taylor as having a discrete boundary, but rather it is seen as spiritually
connected to these other sacred mountains. As they describe it, “The cultural beliefs and practices
associated with Tsibina transcend a single landform, imbuing the entire landscape with a
sacredness that should not be reduced by considering the component elements in isolation from
one another” (Chestnut Law Offices, 2009: Continuation Sheet, Section 12, page 48).
The Laguna identify what are referred to as “Guardian Peaks” that surround Mt. Taylor and
protect it. They are distinctive, highly visible volcanic formations. One such Guardian Peak is
Cerro Alesna, located just to the northeast of the proposed dewatering discharge pipeline. It was a
landmark when traveling over Mt. Taylor, particularly when driving and grazing sheep.
Practitioners use all areas of the mountain for personal and traditional cultural activities (Benedict
and Hudson 2008). The mountain was also used extensively by the Laguna during the 19 th and
20 th centuries for sheep herding. Sheep were grazed in areas on all sides of the mountain, well
beyond what is now defined as the Mt. Taylor TCP (Chestnut Law Offices, 2009).
Mt. Taylor is the focus of Laguna’s traditional activities such as hunting, pilgrimages for prayer
and special offerings, visiting shrines and springs, and gathering plants and minerals that have
special healing properties and are used by medicine people. The mountain is central to the
pueblo’s beliefs about the place of emergence. The people believe that they were given this place
to “live abundantly.” They were placed here and the sacred mountain was provided to them for
their survival. The kiva leaders and heads of the various clans within the pueblo all go to different
parts of the mountain for their traditional activities. These places are visited on a seasonal or
cyclic basis, and only after extensive cleansing and prayer preparation (Benedict and Hudson,
2008).
DEIS for Roca Honda Mine, Cibola National Forest 333