We Still Keep Watching Over This Land

Native peoples have lived in the Grand Canyon and the plateaus above it since time immemorial, and they are still here today.


Hear from Carletta Tilousi and Dianna Sue White Dove Uqualla about their Havasupai connections to the north and south rims of the Grand Canyon.

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Transcript

DIANNA SUE WHITE DOVE UQUALLA: It is so powerful for us to be here. This is where we began, the Havasupai people. This is a very sacred place. This is what we’ve always watched over, through my elders, through generations. There’s countless generations that have protected this place. From our elders, they said that, you know, when the sun comes up, when the sun touches all the land, that is your land.

CARLETTA TILOUSI: All of this North Rim and South Rim was once inhabited by ancient Havasupai people. And we would be so happy once and for all to know that our ancient trails, our ancient burial sites, and the animals have a healthy space to be at. And that’s the most important thing to me.

DIANNA SUE: Even though people don’t understand, we still keep watching over this land, ’cause that’s what we do. It’s not through legal papers, it’s through what Spirit sends to us.

Related Resources

Dragon Bravo Fire Map showing the locations and burn perimeters of the White Sage and Dragon Bravo wildfires in 2025 near Grand Canyon National Park and Kaibab National Forest, with affected areas shaded in orange.
See a map of the areas the Dragon Bravo and White Sage fires burned on the north rim of the Grand Canyon in the summer of 2025, destroying the lodge and numerous other park buildings.