Wind River Tribe Faces Legal Hurdles in Effort to Remove Controversial Church
The Northern Arapaho Tribe is seeking to banish Foundations for Nations, a church on the Wind River Reservation, after its pastor, Sarah Lucas, preached against Native ceremonial practices. Lucas, who founded the church nine years ago, has urged congregants to renounce traditions like sundance and sweat lodges, equating them to idolatry. While the tribe passed ordinances requiring religious approval, Lucas’s attorneys argue her private land ownership shields her from banishment. Church attendance has dropped by half, and youth programming has suspended due to new tribal restrictions.