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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- An appeals court has ruled that only federally recognized American Indian tribes may use eagle parts and feathers in religious ceremonies.
The Denver-based U.S. 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday credited a lower court for trying to sort out the matter but decided federal law still prohibits non-Indians from possessing eagle feathers -- and that does not violate religious freedoms.
The ruling comes after several cases in which non-Indians sought the right to use feathers in their religious practices.
Those cases were filed in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico and Utah, where a man was charged with possessing 141 eagle feathers without a permit.
All cases weighed freedom of religion against the government's ability to protect the eagles.
Eagle feathers are believed to be sacred among many Native Americans.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
