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Colorado Plateau Intertribal Conversations
The Colorado Plateau is one of the five most biologically diverse regions in North America. It is regarded as the most linguistically and agriculturally diverse with 15 Native American tribes, each with a distinctive and ancient culture. In fact, over a third of the Plateau land and population is Native American.
Much of the conservation work conducted on the Colorado Plateau has been based on Western science and has rarely incorporated the ancient traditional knowledge of tribal communities. Tribal communities continue to protect and manage their landscapes through traditional oral teachings founded in tribal science and experience, which are passed down and refined from generation to generation. This traditional knowledge was garnered through careful observation and experience with the cycles of the seasons, economic practices, lifestyle impacts, and migrations across the Colorado Plateau. It was then incorporated into story, song, artistry, dance, and teachings to ensure that it would be remembered. A harmonious balance between use of resources for life and the stewardship of those resources ensured the continued existence of the Plateau Native Nations.
To honor the time-tested processes used by Plateau tribes, over the past 2 years the Trust has engaged two elders from each of ten tribal nations in four Gatherings entitled “Colorado Plateau Intertribal Conversations ” to prioritize and create solutions for issues they feel are important to the long-term protection of their land and cultural resources.
With the group’s knowledge of the land and needs in their communities, we have identified four priorities:
- Water: strengthen Native peoples sacred relationship with water
- Health: support better health through the revitalization of traditional farming, foods, and exercise, and bonding these activities with conservation teachings
- Language and Culture: support language and cultural preservation through stories, songs, and teachings that perpetuate land protection ethics
- Sacred Sites: strengthen networks, resources, and tools for long term protection of sacred sites
The tribes participating are the Kaibab-Paiute, Hualapai, Havasupai, Navajo, Hopi, Ute Mountain, Southern Ute, Zuni, White Mountain Apache, and Uinta Ouray Ute. We have also had participation from the Cocopah and Acoma Pueblo tribes.
Your donations and membership dues make our work with the Navajo and Hopi Tribes possible.
