America, like many other countries colonized by immigrants, is a nation of dueling cultural perspectives on sacrality and the sacred nature of nature in particular. In the past 300 years America has acted with colonial fervor to replace the previous existing culture, the Native American tribes, and to exert control and ownership of the land, not through relationship with it, but as a lifeless resource to be commoditized and used. As such it cannot be sacred in essence as sacrality would prevent it from being useful to the economy. Therefore American majority culture assumes that there are no sacred places within its geography and all sacrality is to be created through function and by the religion or civil religion.
One great example of this is the overwhelming number of historical markers in every village, borough, town, country lane, and on every hillock and tree with any significance. Being a relatively young country any evidence of human existence or endeavor is commemorated with a plaque, a turnout, and a place to reflect. It is as if we are to believe that sacrality is the sole right and creation of humans, that no humans existed in North American prior to colonization (the Columbus Day and Thanksgiving national holidays not withstanding) and that sacrality must be created with fervor and tongue-in-cheek reverence. But North America is full of sacred places honored by native peoples who entwined their cultures with the land, living in harmony with it for time immemorial. Even though these sights have been claimed, in many cases, by the majority culture for various uses, they are still utilized and revered by their native populations who strive to continue to live with them in harmony and beauty.
