Native American leader warns Harry and Meghan Markle they're using 'holy water' to irrigate garden
A Native American tribe is concerned that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are irrigating the garden of their Montecito home using "holy water" and have warned the couple against doing so.
Prince Harry and Meghan's $15 million mansion in California is built on land previously occupied by the Chumash tribe. The area houses several hot and cold springs, and a number of underground rivers, from which local residents sometimes divert water for irrigation purposes. However, those sources of water are considered holy by the Native Americans. Tribal leader fears that even the Duke and Duchess of Sussex might be using water they regard as sacred to water their gardens.
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Tribe leader Eleanor Fishburn, 60, has warned the couple against using water from those sources to irrigate their gardens. She told the Sun: “For us, this water is pure water, holy water and ceremonial water. As a native population, it is sacred for us and the idea that people in the area are using water from springs to water their gardens is something that doesn’t sit well with us.”
Eleanor, the leader of the tribe's Barbanero-Ventura branch, has also invited the couple to meet to discuss alternative ways the pair can irrigate their property. “It would be great if they came so we could explain our history and culture and let them know about how sacred the water is to us," she added. “It would be good to explain to them that if they are using the water to irrigate their garden, they have an alternative choice.”
Human remains found near Harry and Meghan's home
Last month, human remains were discovered on an estate near Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's home in Montecito, when land workers were doing landscaping. Although the exact location of the corpse has not been divulged, it is believed to be just 350 yards from the mansion the Duke and Duchess of Sussex moved into last year. It was reported at the time that the bones could date back to centuries. They were unearthed from the soil up to three feet deep and are believed to belong to a Native American who lived in the area around 700 AD, according to the Sun. Officials in Santa Barbara County confirmed the discovery had nothing to do with Harry and Meghan.
A source told the newspaper: “Work stopped right away on the property and the cops were called in. It’s quite a lot of drama for a place like Montecito.” Police at the site did contact a forensic anthropologist to study the human remains in a bid to determine how old they are. Raquel Zick, a spokeswoman for the Santa Barbara County Sheriff's Office, stated that if the remains were not old, an investigation would be launched. “We will have to get out our magnifying glasses,” she added
