Ute Mountain Ute Youth and Elders Spend the Day at Canyons of the Ancients

Earlier this month, BLM Colorado was proud to host Ute Mountain Ute youth and elders at the Canyons of the Ancients National Monument (CANM) for an excursion on the landscape and museum visit. With Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Historic Preservation Officer Terry Knight as lead, participating youth had the opportunity to hear stories about their ancestral connection to the monument, making this a special and personal experience for the group. Ancestral Puebloans are often recognized at CANM, but the Ute tribes and Navajo Nation were also known to have traversed the four corners region. 

The day started around 10am with youth arriving from both Towaoc, CO and White Mesa, UT. Introductions included Terry’s own questions about who was related to which families as they began drawing lines of connection between one another. Their ages ranged from 12 years old all the way up to college age, but this large spread brought something special to the group. “These two boys about to be in 8th grade were just so excited and open to learning. They brought such great energy to the group. And then our college aged youth, she had a more mature perspective and wanted to know about how she could balance her love for her community with this next part of life since she was leaving the reservation. Having the guidance of an elder like Terry was really influential for each of those kids,” said Amala Posey-Monk, Visitor Services and Program Recreation Manager at CANM.  

In the visitor center, the group spent time at CANM’s newest kiosk that brings to life a digitized version of the largest rock imagery panel found within the monument. This particular panel contains Ute imagery and Terry has been working closely with CANM archeologists to share oral histories associated with some of the images. Depicted are horses, horseback riders, hunting, and even birthing scenes. Terry shared this and more with the group as they explored the main gallery, examining timelines and artifacts associated with the Ute tribes. “Seeing these conversations happening across generations was the biggest takeaway for me,” said Amala. “They were learning from one another about such an innate piece of themselves and that was really cool to witness.”  

The group ended their visit outside with a short hike up Escalante Trail where they got to explore Dominguez and Escalante Pueblos, as well as take in a great view of Sleeping Ute Mountain. Terry shared his knowledge of these locations and even helped one youth pick bee balm flowers, a plant commonly picked in June and early July, for his grandmother to take with her to the next Sun Dance. “He already made me put them with my Sun Dance belongings so that I won’t forget,” said Rita King, the boy’s grandmother. “That was so thoughtful of my grandson, it brought me to tears.” Reconnecting with ancestral landscapes can often be difficult for the tribes to manage, especially if they’re having to organize logistics themselves. Rita expressed her gratitude for providing an excursion that allowed her grandson to experience CANM with Terry, an elder that can provide the cultural knowledge many Ute youth are missing these days. 

Elder-guided experiences like the one hosted at CANM are priceless to Native youth. At BLM Colorado, we have the opportunity to enhance those experiences by working with tribes to make our public lands more accessible for cultural use. As we continue to prioritize co-stewardship with Colorado affiliated tribes, we hope to provide more of these events in the future so that tribal youth can reconnect with their homelands. Please remember to recreate responsibly as these historic landscapes hold great importance for Native communities past, present, and future.

Pualani Tupper is an Ancestral Lands Conservation Corps intern placed at the Bureau of Land Management Colorado State Office. As a Kanaka Maoli woman, she aims to educate public land users through indigenizing communications at the BLM.