In the early hours on Monday, November 08, some twenty or thirty Native Estonians gathered on the historical sacred grove hill in  Paluküla, in Rapla County, Estonia, to protect and defend our ancestors' sacred hill. The people set up a conical tent and hindered the start of the ski centre construction work by singing songs and just being there. The landowner summoned the police force but the conflict was prevented and after the negotiations a peaceful solution was found. The protestors agreed to take down the conical tent on the condition that all the construction equipment and machines would be taken away from the hill and the start of the construction work would be postponed.

The landowner of the sacred grove hill, local government of Kehtna Municipality, has planned to build an exclusive all-year-round recreation and sports centre on the slope of the sacred grove hill and near by. Estonian House of Taara and Native Religions [Maavalla Koda], which unites all the local Native Religious people who began the protection of the sacred grove, other organisations and private persons find that the centre will cause irreversible damage to the natural, cultural and religious value of the sacred grove hill. 

The landowner decides the start of the construction work on November 16.

The sacred places of Estonian Native Religion are sacred hills, forests, boulders, lakes and springs. Over 500 historical sacred groves are known to exist in Estonia. The state law protects only ¼ of them. At the same time, the state doesn’t protect the sacred groves as sacred places but as archaeological sites. Estonian House of Taara and Native Religions is launching an over Estonian inspection of the sacred places. The aim is to map, inventorize and take under protection all the sacred places in Estonia.

Estonian House of Taara and Native Religions has appealed the public to send protest letters to the landowner and to the officials responsible for the protection of sacred groves. The letters should be sent to:

Kehtna Municipality: e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., fax +372 48 75 561

The Minister of Environment of Estonia: e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The Minister of Cultural Affairs of Estonia: e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Information:
Auli Kütt
Estonian House of Taara and Native Religions [Maavalla Koda]
Phone: +372 56 686 593
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.maavald.ee