Source: Bears Ears Coalition
Being raised in Utah, I am well aware of the sacred and spiritual significance of sites like Bear Ears.
However, one of the first monuments Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke reviewed and advised Trump to downsize is Bears Ears. Bears Ears is a 1.35 million acre national monument in southeastern Utah created by the Obama Administration with the goal of protecting the cultural legacy of Native American tribes and preserving "scenic and historic landscapes." Bears Ears was one of the last places in the continental United States to be mapped. While this land is newly inaugurated by our government, a significant number of southwestern tribes have traced their ancestry to ancient people who inhabited and maintained the land for years far beyond its official establishment.
According to the non-proft Bear Ears Coalition, which is trying to protect Bears Ears, these are some of the Tribes and Pueblos that have sacred ties to the site.
- Navajo Nation
- Hopi Tribe
- Ute Mountain Ute Indian Tribe
- Uintah and Ouray Ute Indian Tribe
- White Mountain Tribe Jicarilla Apache Tribe
- San Juan, Kaibab, and Utah Paiute Tribes
- Hualapai Tribe
- Pueblos of Acoma, Cochiti, Isleta, Jemez, Laguna, Nambe, Ohkay Owingeh, Picuris, Pojoaque Sandia, San Felipe, San Ildefonso, Santa Ana, Santa Clara, Santa Domingo, Taos, Tesuque, Ysleta Del Sur, Zia, and Zuni
There are over 100,00 protected archaeological sites protected within the monument, including ancient roads, shrines, pit houses, pueblos, great houses, kivas, cliff dwellings and beautiful petroglyphs. All of these sites and all of these remembrances left behind from the people’s tribal ancestors are sacred to all of these different Tribes and Pueblos.
In July of 2015, an Inter-Tribal Coalition was formed with the goal to always conserve Bears Ears’ cultural landscape. In response to Zinke’s proposal, the Inter-Tribal Coalition has stated that, “The Bears Ears region is not a series of isolated objects, but the object itself, a connected, living landscape, where the place, not a collection of items, must be protected.” Bears Ears is an untapped treasure of recreational, paleontological and ecological resources. Beyond this it is a home. A home full of cultural significance and memories. This land belongs to the Native nations and it is our job to protect and respect their land.
In a future post, I will explore different ways how we can help support monuments such as these.
In a future post, I will explore different ways how we can help support monuments such as these.
I really liked how you included the information on how this was one of the last things mapped in the continental United States. For next time it would be cool to explore how these monuments are helping educate Americans. Good job!
ReplyDeleteIncluding the list of tribes was a great idea and super helpful. It really emphasizes the number of tribes in Bear Ears.
ReplyDeleteI think it's cool that you added the fact that you grew up in Utah which is home to Bears Ears because it helps make your argument more persuasive to readers. Maybe next time you can talk about exactly why the Trump administration is trying to downsize the land and provide another solution.
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