In honor of Indigenous Peoples Day, the city of Manitou Springs held a weekend celebration of Native American history and culture with a focus on the Ute people.
On Saturday, residents and visitors attended a “meet and greet” with representatives of Southern and Uintah Ourei Utes, as well as members of the Ute Hill Tribe. Facts and oral histories of the men and women of a Native American tribe, many of whom were relatives of Chief Ouray, Buckskin Charlie and Nannis, and who predated his 150-year history of Manitou Springs welcomed the attendees with dignity.
Sunday’s celebrations began with a horseback ride on the historic Ute Pass Trail and a rededication of one of the oldest Indian trails in the United States. For hundreds of years, the Ute Pass Trail served as the main route for Native Americans to migrate from the Rocky Mountains to the plains.
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On Sunday morning, several Ute descendants (some fully dressed in traditional Native American attire) rode part of the trail, ending their journey at the rocks marking the eastern end of the trail. I was. According to a Boulder inscription, on August 29, 1912, the El Paso County Pioneers Association marked the site with the support of “Chief his Ouray, his Buckskin Charlie, and his Utes.” .
Representatives from Manitou Springs presented the Ute elders with traditional gifts of tobacco, sweetgrass and cedar to kick off the dedication ceremony.
“This was where the Utes came down from the mountains…and drank from sacred springs,” said Kenny Frost of Southern Utes. “This is the home of the Utes.”
Frost recognized Manitou Springs as the first known city in Colorado to officially recognize the region’s indigenous peoples. Its history goes back thousands of years.
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In 1993, an amateur caver discovered the remains of a man in the Rocky Mountains, and an anthropologist carbon-dated him to death about 8,000 years ago. Frost said the bones were older than many Egyptian mummies and matched his DNA from modern Ute.
“The Ute have lived here for over 8,000 years,” says Frost. “Egyptian pyramids had not yet been built.”
Frost and several other Ute men and women performed a traditional blessing near the 110-year-old rocks that mark the trail. After scattering tobacco over the area, they sang and prayed.
“It is important that we do this because some people here may not know anything about the Ute Tribe,” said Ute Tribe Councilor Christopher Tubby.
Mr Tabbee said traditional celebrations help keep Ute’s history and customs alive for young people like his sons.
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“The younger generation needs to understand where they come from and who they are,” he said. “Maybe our ancestors’ spirits are here now watching over us, and we’ve come to appreciate their efforts when they dedicated this path long ago.” I am happy.”
After the ceremony, Ute Elders celebrated at Seven Minute Springs before hosting a “Food of the Earth” potluck featuring traditional Native American cuisine.
Indigenous Peoples Day is Monday, October 10th. Some US cities now celebrate Native American holidays instead of Columbus Day.
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