kikipeepers asked
Corrections officials are refusing to allow Andrew John Yellowbear, a member of the Northern Arapaho Tribe, to possess bald eagle feathers - the single most sacred religious symbol to the tribe and most American Indians. "The feathers are used to communicate prayers to the Creator and to receive answers to prayers. Denying Mr. Yellowbear these highly spiritual feathers is akin to denying Catholics access to a rosary or crucifix," said Stephen Pevar, attorney with the ACLU. Current policy permits American Indian prisoners to possess three feathers, but the prison administration has singled out Yellowbear and allowed him to have only one feather. That feather was confiscated after Yellowbear filed a lawsuit challenging the prison's policy and asking that he be allowed to possess 10 feathers – the maximum number of loose feathers the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife will provide under federal regulations.
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