Nebraska prison officials have agreed to new rules to accommodate the religious and cultural needs of American Indian inmates in order to settle a federal court complaint.
The agreement, obtained Thursday by The Associated Press, requires prison officials to allow American Indian inmates to freely conduct religious ceremonies, hold two powwows a year and have access to medicine men, among other concessions.
The new rules stem from a complaint filed on behalf of the prison system's approximately 200 American Indian inmates by Richard Walker, an American Indian who's serving a life sentence for murder.
He alleged in Lincoln federal court that prison officials made so many demands for qualifications on a medicine man that he stopped coming to prison to conduct religious and cultural affairs.
A federal judge must approve the deal before it can take effect.
Prison officials also agreed to give American Indian inmates time for religious education and worship ceremonies. The inmates can use traditional foods such as fry bread and corn in their ceremonies.
Tobacco is banned in the prison system, but the inmates may use chinshasha, from the bark of red willow trees, as a substitute in their ceremonies.