“From our point of view,” Barth says, “a successful June ban is one in which the number of climbers is equal to or less than the year before.” In 2016, 374 people climbed the Tower in June. That number dropped precipitously to 167 in 1996, but has has slowly crept up since then, year by year. The last year before the ban went into effect saw 1,225 climbers on the Tower in June. As such, despite a majority of the climbing community happily choosing to observe the climbing ban, the number of climbers in June has been trending upward in recent years. The problem since then has been the inability to enforce a voluntary ban, precisely because of its optional nature. It also introduced the voluntary June closure for climbers, which was supported by the tribal and climbing representatives as a sign of respect for the cultural significance of the Tower to tribes, and to meet the climbing community’s request to self-regulate. The CMP ultimately included elements such as no new fixed anchor installation and the permitted replacement of existing fixed anchors to limit resource impacts. Elders have commented that the spirits do not inhabit the area anymore because of all the visitors and use of the tower, thus it is not a good place to worship as before. Climbing during traditional ceremonies and prayer times is a sensitive issue as well. It appears to many American Indians that climbers do not respect their culture by the very act of climbing on the tower. Some American Indians perceive climbing on the tower and the proliferation of bolts, pitons, slings, and other climbing equipment on the tower as a desecration to their sacred site. Mato Tipila is an extremely sacred place for Native Americans, and the CMP addressed this directly: The CMP was drafted with input from representatives of the National Park Service, two Native American Tribes, the Access Fund, and the Black Hills Climbers Coalition, and sought to present a compromise that would preserve climbing access and address the wholly legitimate grievances raised by the Native American tribes ![]() In 1995, after several years of contentious development, a final Climbing Management Plan (CMP) was published for Devils Tower. In 1990, driven by rock climbing becoming a mainstream and popular recreational activity, the NPS directed all park units with significant climbing activity to develop a climbing management plan. Lucas Barth, a National Park Service (NPS) Climbing Ranger at Devils Tower, explains, “The National Park Service had received complaints from tribes about climbing since the 80s. They thought it was disrespectful to their sacred site.”Īndrea Carlomagno climbs the classic El Matador (5.10d) on Devils Tower, while Rosa Tran gives a patient belay. The origins of the tension between climbers and American Indian tribes at Devils Tower date back to at least the 1980s. In light of the public lands issues that have been in the news so far this year ( in particular that concerning Bears Ears National Monument in Utah), it’s worthwhile to examine the complexity of access issues around another National Monument. But disgruntled parties aside, the June closure represents a good faith effort on the climbing community to respect Native American traditions and cultural values. Complaints from climbers range from feeling unfairly targeted to not understanding why the ban isn’t simply mandatory. Photo: Lucas Barth.ĭiscussion and debate over the voluntary June closure flares up in online climbing forums like Mountain Project virtually every year. A voluntary June climbing ban, instituted in 1995, has been a sticking point for many in both communities as they try to make the best of a situati on in which there will always be less-than-satisfied parties. The reverence with which both groups treat the 867-foot-tall formation-a spiritual one by Native Americans, and a recreational one by climbers-has led to friction over the years. ![]() The thing is, Mato Tipila and Devils Tower are one and the same. ![]() Declared a National Monument by President Teddy Roosevelt in 1906, Devils Tower has hundreds of climbing routes on its columned faces, many going all the way to the top. Tribal groups and individuals hold religious ceremonies at Mato Tipila throughout the year and sacred sites pepper the mountain’s flanks.ĭevils Tower is also a soaring igneous intrusion in Wyoming’s flatlands, and a world-renowned place for rock climbers. Mato Tipila, or Bear’s Lodge, a jaw-dropping igneous intrusion rising out of the plains of Wyoming, is a sacred site to a number of Native American tribes, including the Lakota, the Cheyenne, the Crow, the Arapahoe, the Shoshone and the Kiowa. This article was originally published in June 2017. If you enjoy this article, please consider creating an account to support our journalism so we can keep going. Before you read, remember this: Independent editorial isn't free.
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