A/HRC/21/47/Add.1 41. In addition to millions of acres of lands lost, often in violation of treaties, a history of inadequately controlled extractive and other activities within or near remaining indigenous lands, including nuclear weapons testing and uranium mining in the western United States, has resulted in widespread environmental harm, and has caused serious and continued health problems among Native Americans. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur also heard concerns about several currently proposed projects that could potentially cause environmental harm to indigenous habitats, including the Keystone XL pipeline and the Pebble Mine project in Alaska’s Bristol Bay watershed. By all accounts the Pebble Mine would seriously threaten the sockeye salmon fisheries in the area if developed according to current plans. 42. In many places, including in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest in particular, indigenous peoples continue to depend upon hunting and fishing, and the maintenance of these subsistence activities is essential for both their physical and their cultural survival, especially in isolated areas. However, indigenous peoples face ever-greater threats to their subsistence activities due to a growing surge of competing activities, restrictive state and federal regulatory regimes, and environmental harm. D. Sacred places 43. With their loss of land, indigenous peoples have lost control over places of cultural and religious significance. Particular sites and geographic spaces that are sacred to indigenous peoples can be found throughout the vast expanse of lands that have passed into government hands. The ability of indigenous peoples to use and access their sacred places is often curtailed by mining, logging, hydroelectric and other development projects, which are carried out under permits issued by federal or state authorities. In many cases, the very presence of these activities represents a desecration. 44. A case that has been reviewed in detail by the Special Rapporteur involves the San Francisco Peaks in Northern Arizona, an area sacred to the Navajo, Hopi and other indigenous peoples, where under a federal permit the Snowbowl ski resort plans to make artificial snow using recycled sewage effluent. 12 Numerous other examples brought to the attention of the Special Rapporteur can be found in appendix II. The desecration and lack of access to sacred places inflicts permanent harm on indigenous peoples for whom these places are essential parts of identity. E. The removal of children from indigenous environments 45. Historically, added to the taking of indigenous lands was the direct assault on indigenous cultural expression that was carried out or facilitated by the federal and state governments. Likely the programme of this type with the most devastating consequences, which are still felt today, was the systematic removal of indigenous children from their families to place them in government or church-run boarding schools, with the objective of expunging them of their indigenous identities. Captain Richard Pratt, founder of the Carlisle Indian school, coined the phrase, “kill the Indian in him, save the man,” in instituting the boarding school policy in the 1880s which continued well into the mid 1900s. 46. Emotional, physical, and sexual abuse within the boarding schools has been welldocumented. Typically, upon entering a boarding school, indigenous children had their hair 12 12 A/HRC/18/35.Add.1, Annex X, and A/HRC/19/44.