On August 8, 2023, President Biden declared Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, which protects nearly 1 million acres of tribes’ ancestral homelands on the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon.
Carletta Tilousi describes the Havasupai Tribe’s ancestral lands, which span the Grand Canyon and Colorado River to present-day Flagstaff, Williams, Ash Fork, and Seligman, Arizona. Learn about tribes’ efforts to protect these ancestral homelands as Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni Grand Canyon National Monument ›
Transcript
CARLETTA TILOUSI: According to Havasupai stories and the teachings I was provided, all this region here—the Grand Canyon region, Red Butte, Wii’i Gdwissa, Wii Hagnbajah—is originally our ancient territories. And there’s also burial sites and sweat lodges and archaeological rock writings that are also in this area. And we have a responsibility to take care of this place. That’s a very big responsibility for the Havasupai. That’s why we’re coming together and reaching out to the other tribes to protect this beautiful area.
