Two figures, one in a red and one in a yellow shirt, play traditional instruments
Jamie Arviso

Intertribal Gatherings

Strengthening tribal connections through songs, prayers, conversations, and traditional knowledge

Seeds, oral histories, agricultural practices, and traditional knowledge have long flowed through Native American trade networks in the Southwest, and intertribal gatherings reignite this long-held tradition.

The Grand Canyon Trust facilitates the Colorado Plateau Intertribal Conversations Gatherings, where tribal members, community leaders, and cultural experts come together to share ideas, develop initiatives, and strengthen tribal voices in local conservation.

Who participates in the intertribal gatherings?

The gatherings welcome tribes from the Colorado Plateau, including: the Kaibab-Paiute, Hualapai, Havasupai, Navajo, Hopi, Ute Mountain Ute, Southern Ute, Uintah and Ouray Ute, White Mountain Apache, Zuni, Acoma Pueblo, and Laguna Pueblo, and other regional tribes.

Two women, one dressed in traditional clothing and the other wearing a brown leather jacket, smile while engaging in conversation
Jamie Arviso

Intertribal gatherings

Tribal participants are the drivers of the process and have identified four key areas of focus:

Water

Practice water conservation through spring restoration and dry-farming techniques

Language and culture

Preserve songs, stories, and teachings that guide land-protection ethics

Sacred sites

Develop networks, resources, and tools for  long-term protection of sacred sites

Health

Support better health by revitalizing traditional farming, foods, and exercise

Honoring traditions

At the intertribal gatherings, participants discuss traditional farming techniques that have been used for generations across the Colorado Plateau, learn how to prepare cultural foods, share dances and songs, and collaborate on community projects. 

Two people link arms in colorful traditional Havasupai regalia at an intertribal gathering
Jamie Arviso
Figures in a brown field with water in the distance
Woman in a yellow shirt examines squashes for sale in a farmer's market
Two hands cooking fry bread on hot coals
Tribal members converse at an intertribal gathering

Tribes provide the vision and direction of the gatherings, and the Trust secures resources that support the initiatives they develop.

Some projects that have grown out of the intertribal gatherings:

Deidra Peaches

Kerley Valley Farmers

Hopi and Navajo farmers are keeping traditional farming practices alive in the Tuba City and Moenkopi communities. They share techniques and seeds, teach younger farmers, and provide fresh, healthy produce for their communities.

Intertribal Learning Center

The learning center is dedicated to sharing traditional ecological knowledge around agriculture and climate change. It includes an indoor classroom, exhibit space, and garden, and also serves as a gathering place for farmers markets, tours, and workshops.

Rights of Nature

The gathering group is looking at how the international framework called the Rights of Nature, which asserts that nature has legal rights, can be advanced by tribes to address environmental concerns across tribal lands and the Colorado Plateau.

Strengthening bonds

Relationships are at the heart of the intertribal gatherings, and the alliances we’ve built through the years provide a foundation for much of the Trust’s work. Because of the gatherings, we’ve supported projects across Native America with our tribal partners leading the way.

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