Native American Issues

San Juan County almost became a Southern Ute Reservation more than a century ago

Whenever I hike in Bears Ears National Monument, I think about how it almost became an Indian reservation. Over a century ago Durango businessmen actively campaigned to remove the Southern Utes to San Juan County, UT. Most of that county would have become a new 2.9 million-acre Ute Indian...

$2 million project may bring water, power to Westwater area

The Utah State legislature is being asked to contribute to a development effort for the Westwater community west of Blanding. The project could total $2 million, with the legislature asked to contribute $500,000. The contribution will be added to similar $500,000 contributions from the Navajo...

On the Trail of Tiny Tubers: Tracking the Four Corners potato

For years we’ve learned that Ancestral Puebloans depended upon corn, beans, and squash, nicknamed The Three Sisters, for sustenance. Well, move over sisters. Little brother spud is about to take the stage. With a $225,000 National Science Foundation grant, researchers at the University of Utah hope...

San Juan School District embraces heritage of all students in the district

The San Juan School District (SJSD) embraces the heritage of all students in the district. In November, SJSD schools share the culture and language of students of American Indian descent, which are Navajo, Ute, and other tribes represented in our schools. Some events and activities that have...

Duke University graduate returns home to inspire future generations

The further Shandiin Herrera got away from her home in Monument Valley, UT, the more she realized how important it would be to use her education and leadership to benefit her people. Herrera, a 2019 graduate of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, could be headed to Washington, D...

Whose story is it anyway?

TIED TO THE POST Of all the people we work with, Dennis Ross is one of our all-time favorites. Our fondness for him is not necessarily based in his artistic talents; it is mostly about the way he conducts his life. Biologically, Dennis is half Navajo and half Hopi, which makes for an interesting...

Sisters from Montezuma Creek perform at New York City fashion show

Two girls from San Juan County turned heads at New York Fashion Week last month. Tewakeedah and Dachuneeh Martin, of Montezuma Creek, sang live for Designer Hazel Stabler’s Buffalo Hunt Camp fashion line dedicated to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW). Imagine the fashion show like this...

Hundreds attend Bears Ears gathering

More than 800 people attended the the fifth annual Bears Ears Summer Gathering, which was held July 19-21 at the Kigalia Guard Station in Bears Ears National Monument. Utah Diné Bikéyah (UDB) sponsors the annual event, designed to celebrate the Indigenous cultures of the Bears Ears region. In 2019...

A gift from southeast Utah

Utah Governor Gary Herbert and his wife Jeanette recently met with Pope Francis in the Vatican City while on an economic development tour through Europe. They had a brief visit with the pontiff and presented him with a gift from Utah. If you look closely, you will see that the gift is handpainted...

Monument Valley Tribal Park closes for day due to unauthorized filming

UPDATED 12/4/2018 Members of “Global Witness” attempted to gain entrance into the Monument Valley Tribal Park on Nov. 29 without prior permission or permitting and were eventually denied access. Park officials closed the park to the general public and the estimated 50 members of the...