sacred sites

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

places in the landscape that hold profound spiritual, ceremonial, historical, or cultural significance for indigenous or religious communities and that require protection from disturbance, desecration, or inappropriate development; may include mountains, rivers, groves, caves, burial grounds, and locations associated with creation narratives or the deeds of ancestral beings; the protection of sacred sites is a persistent area of conflict between indigenous communities and mining, infrastructure, and development interests, with landmark cases including the Standing Rock Sioux opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline and the destruction of Juukan Gorge in Australia