Meet Pastor Soto, a Native American feather dancer in Texas
In 2006, undercover federal agents—in an investigation they called “Operation PowWow”—infiltrated a Native American religious ceremony led by Robert Soto, a Lipan Apache religious leader in Texas. His crime? Possessing eagle feathers, which are central to Mr. Soto’s Native American faith. The federal government prohibits possession of eagle feathers without a permit and only grants permits to museums, scientists, zoos, farmers, and federally enrolled tribes. As a Lipan Apache, Mr. Soto doesn’t qualify — even though the Lipan Apache people are recognized by the State of Texas, historians and sociologists, they have not been officially enrolled by the federal government. And for the crime of possessing eagle feathers without a permit, Mr. Soto faced 15 years in a federal penitentiary and a $250,000 fine. Mr. Soto turned to RFRA for protection and in 2015 federal agents returned his feathers. In 2016, the federal government entered a historic settlement agreement with Mr. Soto and over 400 members of his congregation, recognizing their right to freely use eagle feathers in observance of their Native American faith. (Watch video here)