Nebraskaland

52 Nebraskaland • October 2020 MIXED BAG When we hear a phrase like "holy place" or "sacred site" most people think of Palestine, Lourdes, Stonehenge or Chaco Canyon. Or maybe an historically memorable place like Gettysburg, the Alamo or Liberty Hall in Philadelphia. You know … mythic places far away and long ago. Places not in Nebraska. Well, there are places that are sacred in Native American cosmology in Nebraska, and while some are protected, closed to outsiders, kept secret to this very day, or, for the time being, lost to the past, there are sites held in reverence from the past that can be seen, visited and appreciated, regardless of the faith of the visitor. There are historically revered sites, sometimes remembered more for the tragedy they represent than a spiritual import: Fort Robinson and the site of the Cheyenne outbreak and murder of Crazy Horse, for example. Or Massacre Canyon or the Indian School in Genoa, Nebraska. Or the mass burials of repatriated Pawnee remains, also in Genoa. At places like this, it's not unusual to find "tobacco ties," small bundles often in red cloth or ribbons tied to a nearby tree or fence, or perhaps an offering of food left as a tribute to "those who have gone before," signs that the site is held to be sacred. Many sacred sites are recognized for their mystical or spiritual import. Many of these are carefully protected and are not open to visitors or non-tribal members, a necessary precaution considering a long history of desecration of such sites. While many of the sites are mentioned in history books and folklore studies, I won't include them here again because of that concern of desecration. But other sites are available to visitors, and I feel that because they are indeed "sacred" they have meaning for all of us, including those who remain open to tribal ways and traditions or even to some who simply respect those traditions. Perhaps the most notable and accessible is Pahuk, a deeply sacred site for the Pawnee as well as other tribes like the Omaha and Ponca. Pahuk is a sacred hill where tribesmen went on a vision quest or to get instruction in the secrets of tribal clans, societies and religious orders. It is an impressive, steep precipice on the south side of the Platte River just south of Fremont. It can be seen easily from Highway 77, but it also can be visited by approaching it from the south on an access road near Cedar Bluffs to Camp Cedars, where there is a historical marker and footpath to the crest of the scarp. The ancient belief that at the foot of Pahuk, through an opening either in the Platte or under a giant juniper tree at the base of the cliff, is the entrance to the subterranean meeting place of the Nahurac, the Animal Council, where animal representatives gather to determine the great questions of the cosmos. Pahuk is now in the protection of the Nebraska Land Conservancy; it is a spiritual treasure for all of us, and I urge the utmost reverence when visiting this site. A less important but equally impressive Pahuk rises above the Cedar River, just to the south of Fullerton, Nebraska, and can be seen from Highway 14. It is private property and permission should be sought before visiting it. Guide Rock on the Republican River near the town of Guide Rock was one of a handful of Pawnee holy sites in Nebraska and also is still held in reverence. Black, or Dark, Island, in the Platte River near Central City is uncertain; the Dark Island hike/bike trail south of Central City and across the Platte River provides easy access to the reputed area of Dark Island. The island may no longer be there or may simply not be recognized in the maze of islands between Grand Island and Central City. I have floated the river through that area many times, and there are many islands that are covered with junipers that might very well be Dark Island, or what remains of it, and heaven knows, some of my visits to these islands have offered up surprises that would qualify them to be sites of mystery and wonder. Roger Welsch is an humorist, folklorist and a former essayist for CBS News Sunday Morning. He is also the author of A Treasury of Nebraska Frontier Folklore and has been contributing to Nebraskaland Magazine since 1977. PLACES WHOLLY HOLY By Roger Welsch A winter view in 1911 of the Platte River and Pahuk Hill, the holy place of the Pawnee tribe. PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORY NEBRASKA (RG2065-09-04)

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