Bear Butte is near Sturgis in western South Dakota. (Seth Tupper/South Dakota Searchlight)
Lawmakers reinstated a rule Tuesday to prohibit the spreading of human remains at Bear Butte State Park in western South Dakota.
The rule was originally set in 2002 after tribal leaders worked with the Department of Game, Fish and Parks to ban the practice. Bear Butte, called “Mato Paha” in Lakota, is a spiritual site for Native American tribes.
The 4,426-foot solitary mountain on the plains near Sturgis is a national historic landmark, and the area surrounding it became a state park in 1961. A ceremonial area and special campground are reserved for religious purposes, and visitors are asked to respect the area.
The department and lawmakers inadvertently repealed the ban in 2019 when they changed several other rules simultaneously, said Jeff VanMeeteren, director of the Division of Parks and Recreation with the department. Tribal leaders requested the mistake be fixed, he said.
“Bear Butte is a sacred worship area by the tribes, and the leaving of human remains is just not an acceptable thing in their culture,” VanMeeteren said.
South Dakotans can spread burial ashes at other state parks, VanMeeteren told lawmakers, as long as they get a burial permit and seek permission from the department.
The legislative Rules Review Committee unanimously approved the change.
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