Growing a Culture of Co-stewardship with Betsy Chapoose of the Ute Indian Tribe

Betsy Chapoose, Director of Cultural Rights and Protection for the Ute Indian Tribe of the Uintah and Ouray Reservation had a good-humored air about her as she popped into our scheduled Zoom meeting. As the only Indigenous woman on my team, and perhaps the only one in my office, I had been looking forward to speaking with Betsy to spotlight other Native women that have worked closely with BLM Colorado. Betsy’s name was immediately brought to my attention, in addition to the Ute Learning Garden she helped develop out in Grand Junction, Colorado. 

I asked her about her experience creating the garden and she couldn’t start the story without first thanking Mr. Duncan, or rather Clifford Duncan, a Ute historian, ceremonial man, and elder. “It all started with Mr. Duncan,” she said. In the 80s, Betsy was a file clerk for the Energy and Minerals Department and found herself involved in the tribe’s effort to provide surveying staff that could work with archeologists and mark cultural sites before commercial oil and gas contracts were approved. Tribal employees, of which there were only 250 at the time, were encouraged to take archaeology classes to support this initiative and that’s how Betsy met Mr. Duncan. It’s through him that Betsy learned the cultural and spiritual knowledge she now employs everyday through her work as Tribal Historic Preservation Officer (THPO). 

When the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) passed in 1990, the Uintah and Ouray Reservation created the Tribal Historic Preservation Office and Cultural Rights and Protection Department, cementing the work of individuals like Clifford Duncan. “You need Native people and their perspective in these jobs because they’re the ones that know. They've lived the experience so it’s really important for us to have a voice in management,” said Betsy. Currently, her office works with five states and approximately 110 federal agencies, BLM being one of their biggest partners. As THPO, Betsy has consulted with BLM on proposed oil and gas leases, the reorganization of recreation sites, a proposed virtual fence project, and NAGPRA cases to provide relevant cultural knowledge and advocate for her tribe. 

In Betsy’s eyes, the Ute Learning Garden is still one of the tribe’s best examples of co-stewardship. The idea grew from years of surveying archeological sites and noticing common plants. Defining the cultural significance of these plants and making the knowledge available for future generations was an important goal for the tribe, but until then, the garden was one of their biggest co-stewardship undertakings with BLM Colorado. “I hold this up as one of the success stories in collaboration and management and getting across cultural sensitivity...it’s a testament to commitment on both sides,” said Betsy. Today the garden is maintained by Colorado State University in Grand Junction and utilized for workshops and field trips by school groups to educate students on Ute history and culture. Betsy hopes that those who visit will become a generation who understands the importance of cultural sites. 

As we wrapped up our interview, I asked Betsy if she had any final thoughts that she wanted to share with me, and as many elders would she thought of her grandkids and the importance of educating and mentoring the next generation. “It’s hard, but we shouldn’t be exclusive in any way with children, we should engage them at every chance we have. And we should teach non-Native kids the same respect that we teach our own, so they may have a better working relationship than what we have today.” Despite having accomplished so much on her own, Betsy was always grateful for those that had helped pave the way before her. I’m sure the next generation of changemakers will remember to give thanks to Betsy in a similar fashion. 

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.