Talk:American Indian Religious Freedom Act

The Act in full?
Does anyone know a place where I kind find the complete act written down in one section? I've found bits and pieces, here and there, and pieced them togather, but not the whole thing. I'll continue looking, but any help would be apriciated. Thanks! Th ε Halo Θ 11:36, 1 August 2006 (UTC)


 * www.nps.gov/history/local-law/FHPL_IndianRelFreAct.pdf

Does the Act make any mention of the Sun Dance ceremony? It was banned for a long time by the Federal Government. The ban was eventually lifted - provided that a doctor be present during the ceremony should medical assistance be required. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 195.244.210.117 (talk) 12:30, 12 November 2021 (UTC)

Failed "good article" nomination
This article failed good article nomination. This is how the article, as of September 24, 2006, compares against the six good article criteria:


 * 1. Well written?: The writing is grammatically correct, although a few of the sentences are awkward. The prose is not smooth--it doesn't flow naturally from sentence to sentence.
 * 2. Factually accurate?: Everything is accurate, as far as I can tell. Sources are provided for most claims.  Editors should try to find sources for a few unsourced claims.  For example, the sentences near the end of 'Effects' that deal with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
 * 3. Broad in coverage?: Article is not that long, and since this article is on a 20th century topic, I am sure more can be added. Who was involved in its passage?  There was a quote from him, was this a bill he pushed?  Give specific examples of American Indian religious practices before the Act was passed.
 * 4. Neutral point of view?: It seems mostly NPOV. One exception is this In 1993, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act seemed to contradict this judgement, stating that the Government should not “substantially burden a person’s exercise of religion.” [12] The case was also part of the reason for the 1994 amendments.  The source provided for this does not appear to be a legal authority.  Instead, it looks like an advocacy site.  Also, why are certain practices forbidden?  The article paints the topic as the persecution of Native Americans and the Native Americans' fight for respect.  Regardless of if this is true, there is mostly likely a rationale for not letting American Indians use eagle feathers.  This also goes to thoroughness: please explain how the pre-AIRFA law came to be, and why.
 * 5. Article stability? Article was changed significantly just one day before my review.
 * 6. Images?: Current image is good. Images are not required for GA status, but they are a big help.

When these issues are addressed, the article can be resubmitted for consideration. Thanks for your work so far. --Tjss(Talk) 14:52, 24 September 2006 (UTC)

Comprehensive article, could use some work
Aside from the points listed in the "good article" criteria, This article does an excellent job describing the background and reasons for the Act as well as provides an analysis of the original text of the resolution. What caught my interest was the expansive section on “Effects” which summarized the Lyng v. Northwest Indian Cemetery Protective Association (1988) Supreme Court case and it’s direct relation to the AIRFA and the Employment Division V. Smith (1990) case. The article could be improved by including a few more cases that had relation to the Act, perhaps in a shorter list of links. Additionally, a link to a more comprehensive article of the Lyng v. Northwest Case would be very beneficial and something that I plan to work on in the near future. Lineskier09 (talk) 23:48, 7 March 2011 (UTC)