There are no traditional cultural properties (TCPs), as defined by National Park Service Bulletin 38 (Parker and King 1998), in the Planning Area. No specific traditional gathering areas have been identified in the Planning Area. This does not mean that Native American tribes do not have resources of concern or TCPs in the Planning Area that have not been formally recognized. Certain site types are likely to be of interest to tribal groups, whether or not they are designated as TCPs or receive other recognition.
Most Native American tribes believe that burials and burial sites are sacred and should not be disturbed. In addition, there are two battle sites in the Bighorn Basin Bates Battle in the Bridger Mountains, and a recorded battle site in the Clarks Fork subregion, which is considered important to tribes in the region.
In general, the medicine wheel site type is considered to be a sacred site type and potentially represents a calendar associated with the seasonal variation in the region. One of the most well-known and sacred medicine wheel sites in North America is the Bighorn Medicine Wheel. This TCP is in the Big Horn Mountains in northern Wyoming, outside of the Planning Area. This site is believed to be aligned with the summer solstice and the summer stars. This medicine wheel has been modified over time, and its preservation is important to the tribes in the region. The complex also is considered sacred as it relates to vision quests and other religious activities (Eagle Bear 2009; Fisher 2009).
Petroglyphs and pictographs, stone alignments, and effigies also have sacred and special meaning to the tribes in the region. Although not entirely understood by archeologists, the symbolism represented is to be protected and preserved whenever possible (McCLeary; Keyser and Klassen 2001).
Beyond the historically documented trails such as the Bridger Trail, Bad Pass Trail, and the Nez Perce Trail in the Bighorn Basin, cairns are often considered trail markers and are important to local tribes. Three unnamed trails in the south and west portions of the Planning Area have been identified as associated with the Eastern Shoshone (Shimkin 1947).
The Bighorn Basin is considered an important geologic and geographic feature by many tribes in the region. Its horseshoe shape and towering mountain peaks are discussed in the oral traditions of the Crow and the Sioux, and the region in general has substantial meaning to these groups (Eagle Bear 2009). Specific geographic features such as mountain peaks, rivers, and landforms, including place names associated with the Planning Area, are specifically important to the Crow and the Eastern Shoshone.