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  • Lester_Peterson [he/him]
    ·
    edit-2
    2 years ago

    This rule isn't really relevant to the struggle session. You can't legally collect rocks on any private property (tribally owned or not) in the United States without the permission of its owner. This is because almost all forms of property ownership comes with rights over mineral deposits and rocks are included in that.

    That prohibition on collecting rocks is a blanket rule intended to prevent someone(s) from heading onto another's land and getting rich from taking gold or other valuable minerals found on it. In this context its worth noting that many Indigenous nations have an especially fraught history with illegal mining on their territory. The rule was not, however, made out of environmental concerns. To that end, you can collect rocks ( up to 25lbs per day) on most BIA land without issue, because they recognize that doing so generally has a negligible environmental impact.