If a place has "historical and cultural significance" to some group, does that imply there must not be a lithium mine there?

I am not convinced.

Lithium is important for defending the climate. We must not block lithium mining based on sentimentality alone.

There are things whose physical presence can justify blocking any sort of mine. If a site holds historical or scientific _information_, or important art that can't be moved, those call for protection. However, it may be significant to keep the mine away from those important things rather than outside the entire area.

Other scarce resources, such as water, and endangered species and ecosystems, are also important to protect. Mines tend to leak pollution, and mining companies often try to weasel out of their responsibility for the pollution they cause. There should be no mine unless reliable clean practices are enforced by a disciplinarian that the mine cannot fire or disobey. Those precautions would make the lithium more expensive, but the lithium may be worth that cost.

However, we need not forego lithium because of anyone's sentimentality. In this regard, I do not discriminate between indigenous people and anyone else.

I'd be in favor of moving part of Arlington National Cemetery to make way for a lithium mine, if necessary. The cemeteries importance to people is not due to its location, but to their sentiments about the veterans buried there. We can respect those sentiments by moving the graves to a different location to enable mining the lithium.