Sacred site or casino?

Sacred site focus of tribal tug of war

Location of casino causes Quechan riftTwo days before the groundbreaking, the tribe and local law enforcement officers forcibly removed a small group of tribal members holding a religious ceremony on the site in protest of the project.

The protesters, including Priscilla Prettybird, contend the site is part of a larger prehistoric ceremonial and gathering area used by at least five tribes, which cremated their ancestors there.

The casino site also is near a mountain known as Pilot Knob, a landmark that tribal officials singled out during the gold mine fight as hallowed ground to the Quechan and other tribes that once inhabited the desert region.